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Click to viewone of the better youtube presentations on social ramifications of mass media images.
expect to see a much higher than usual proportion of this sort of hey-check-this-out post with half-assed (if any) commentary. the next 10 months are going to be an uphill battle.
Beauty and the Beast is an interesting case study because while it rejects some of the cruder aspects, it still keeps the characteristics mentioned in the video to heart. I'm studiously avoiding any comment on Belle herself in this...
The dramatic device is, of course, the reversal whereby the villain is good-looking, while the hero is a hideous beast. The lessons of looking beyond the surface of people, being open-minded and suchlike are good ones, of course. However the film actually fits the model proposed in the video very well.
The film's dramatic tension comes from the fact that everyone recognises this is not the usual situation. In narrative terms, it is an unstable equilibrium. And as it turns out, that is how the story resolves - the villain ends up deformed (well, dead), while the hero turns out to be a decidedly good-looking prince. (Side-note: even the beast fits the archetype of a top-heavy, broad-shouldered body.) Equilibrium, with the good looking pretty and the bad looking ugly, is restored. (Hence why Shrek works as a subversion.)
From the point of view of Gaston and the Beast, Belle is clearly an object, a goal. For Gaston, it's to satisfy his desire and self-importance. For the Beast, Belle is necessary for him to turn back into a human.
The film climaxes with a battle between the two over a woman. The Beast initially avoids confrontation, which is standard for heroes, who always show some reluctance to fight. However when the Beast's vigour is restored by the realisation he has an object to fight over, it becomes a traditional test of strength and fighting wit. Gaston shows his unmanly lack of physical courage, while the Beast shows his manly determination to continue despite his injuries. The Beast physically wins the battle, if only by virtue of staying in place and alive slightly longer (imagine if both characters had died, but the Beast had been the one who fell off the tower).
Note that Belle plays no part at all in this climactic physical confrontation, except as an object - all it takes is a look at her is enough to reinvigorate the Beast.
To me, Gaston is a considerably more interesting character than the Beast. The Beast has one dramatic flaw - his anger. When he controls that, he fits the standard hero mould. He is genteel in the presence of Belle, but still physically powerful enough to defeat his rival. The is some implication that he's reasonably intelligent - he does read, and he has a large library. That's scant evidence, though. His plans come from Lumiere. It could well be that his quality in this regard is that he's just rich.
Gaston, on the other hand not only comes up with a plan to win Belle, but is also able to whip the people into a frenzy against the Beast. Unpleasant, but smart. That sort of cleverness gets you killed in Disney films, though. (Guess: they reward wit - eg. Aladdin's tricking of Jaffar - but not planning or tactical thinking - eg. Scar (though this is common in stories, where the hero responds to the villain's actions).)
Something else that occurs to me: there's also a conflict between station. Gaston is top dog in a small town, whereas the Beast is a prince. The higher rank wins. This convention may be honoured more in the breach than the observance in disney films though - lowly birth being a useful dramatic device, especially for egalitarian Americans.
(Nabbed from this DA account.)
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