(no subject)
Dear Musashi,
I might have more posts on this movie later on, but this is my last one for today, and it's the most important one. The other was was just a review.
This is on the two sisters, Miranda and Cassie. Miranda and Cassie are essentially the Pevensies without the brothers. Miranda is so obviously Susan and Cassie is so obviously Lucy, it's not even funny. Miranda is the practical older sister who just wants to go home and Cassie is the magic loving little sister who wants to go on a magical adventure. And this post is about Miranda.
(Occasionally, I will mention Cassie, because she is cool too, and I will discuss her thusly, in parantheses)
The thing is, in this movie, I am Cassie. I am so obviously Cassie. Not just because she is the younger sister but because I am obviously the one whose only selling point is that she believes in magic whole heartedly and makes friends with monsters. Phoeiros, that is your slot in life. I know this and accept it.
But I *LOVE* Miranda. There are so many levels to how much I love Miranda. She's the girl I think all girls should be.
The thing is, Miranda is the Susan that Susan should have been.
She is practical, yes. She is always practical. She doesn't want to be in this magical world, she wants to go home, and she doesn't have a lot of belief in her. But there is a frame to her practical nature that Susan never really got. Her mother is dead. She misses her mother terribly. But her father and her sister are too absorbed in their grief and someone needs to make this family work and she's the only one left for the job, so she does it. She cannot get wrapped up in fantasy and myth because she cannot afford to. In the opening dinner scene the dad is too wrapped up missing his wife so it's up to Miranda to do the important things, like noticing that her little sister ISN'T EATING and to try and take care of her and clean up after everyone. She needs to be rational because her sister isn't, and clearly neither is her father.
When they're on a magical realm and there's this prophecy about them her dad and her sister are all for it. There's clearly some analog to escapism from grief here, but regardless, they ready and willing to accept their mission. They want to stay in this realm because it is magic and awesome. Miranda agrees to stay in this magical realm because she knows her family needs her.
(There is this scene where Cassie talks about how much she wants to stay, and then says, "But you're my sister, and if you want to go, we'll go." This is a very obvious little sister ploy, I have used this ploy. Cassie makes the offer, I'm sure she means the offer and will follow through with it, but she makes the offer because she knows her sister will not take her up on that offer.)
Believing does not come easy for Miranda, and in the realm of Imagination believing is critical. Cassie gets a whole closet of wonderful clothes just her size... and Miranda gets one drab grey dress. Because her belief system is stunted. She manages to magically change it into something wearable, but the point remains: Cassie has the super charged Belief power of Awesomeness, and Miranda has some difficulty.
Everything comes easy to Cassie, because she believes. When the two girls are chasing the unicorn, Cassie closes her eyes and the unicorn comes to her, much to Miranda's amazement. Because Cassie caught on quick how this world works, and Miranda still doesn't have the hang of it. Everytime Cassie is in trouble, a magical ally will come to her aid. She is loved and rescued for her belief, and she saves the world with her faith.
Miranda works. She works and struggles the entire movie through. Titania, in Galadriel fashion, hands out magical tools to the Dad and to Cassie, but does not give one to Miranda. Titania says, "You need no magic from me. How can I give someone gifts, who has so many of her own?"
So Miranda does not need magic. Dad and sister each take their turn saving the day with their magical tool, but when it's Miranda's turn-- Miranda Dances.
I love this seen. As soon as I remembered that Miranda used to dance and hasn't in awhile, I remember the Miranda Dancing scene, and how much I loved it. I stayed up waiting for this scene. I think it's the most beautiful scene I've ever seen in a movie, I rewatched it three times last night and twice today.
Here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DXJcB0Y4L4&feature=related
Because this is how she starts to accept magic in her life, by using her own gifts.
She saves the day in a major way, where her dad and her sister won over the monsters to be friends, there is no winning over the Sea Serpent, it's sent from the trolls. It's a foe no one could have possibly won against. And she does it, while no one sees! No one sees her saving the day, no one comments on it later. When she wakes up from her swoon everyone surrounds her, and only her little sister approaches her. Miranda says, "I called the mermaids" and Cassie says "I knew that you could."
(And that is what makes Cassie different from Lucy, and better than her Narnian counterpart. Cassie believes wholeheartedly. Cassie believes, she believes in the magical realm, she believes in her magical friends. But Cassie also believes in her sister.)
And Miranda never stops working, even after that beautiful scene. She, the girl who won me over by cleaning off the Minotaur that scared her, swims through mud and muck hauling the dragon skull all on her own. And when there's time for a battle, she battles.
Cassie spends the epic battle riding a unicorn. The Dad gets his own epic battle fighting on high with the Evil Troll King of Evil. Miranda is down in the quarry, in the muck, fighting the minions, down with the slaves and the imprisoned allies. She transforms into a warrior, fighting her way and kicking major ass.
And then, the kiss! She sees Sebastian across the battle field, runs to him, grabs the back of his head and pulls him to her, she leans down and kisses him in the epic kiss between Hero and Heroine we've seen a thousand times over-- only Miranda is the Hero in this kiss and Sebastian is the Heroine.
So anyway. Miranda always works in this magical realm. She is always practical. But the magic is in her too.
Miranda would be the friend of Narnia that grows up, and thinks about boys and nylons and lipstick, but is till a friend of Narnia. She doesn't need the magic, but just because she doesn't believe as fully as her sister doesn't maker her any less part of it.
Meeting Miranda again made me feel better about something. See, when I asked On-ni which Pevensie she'd be, fully expecting her to say Peter, she said Susan. She said, "I wouldn't believe enough." And that broke my heart, really, because we all know I'd be Lucy. And Ok, there is no way I'm a Friend to Narnia, living in my magic realm and living free and easy, if my sister is out there somewhere NOT a Friend to Narnia. (WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU LUCY?)
But On-ni can be the kind of Susan Miranda is. Because Miranda never believes enough. If she did, she'd be fighting her own epic battle at the end, not down there in the muck with the slaves. She'd be riding her own unicorn. She doesn't have the faith to save the day like Cassie. But she's powerful. More so than Cassie, because Cassie, like the trolls, never changes. Miranda doesn't need to believe as much as Cassie because she does things. She's a Doer. She Dances, she lugs heavy skulls in muck, and she kicks major troll ass. And she grabs her love interest in a manly fashion. So her magic is stronger, in my opinion.
So I love her for all of that. And I thought she deserved a whole post. Because there are other ways to be a Friend of Narnia, and Miranda proves that.
~Phoeiros
I might have more posts on this movie later on, but this is my last one for today, and it's the most important one. The other was was just a review.
This is on the two sisters, Miranda and Cassie. Miranda and Cassie are essentially the Pevensies without the brothers. Miranda is so obviously Susan and Cassie is so obviously Lucy, it's not even funny. Miranda is the practical older sister who just wants to go home and Cassie is the magic loving little sister who wants to go on a magical adventure. And this post is about Miranda.
(Occasionally, I will mention Cassie, because she is cool too, and I will discuss her thusly, in parantheses)
The thing is, in this movie, I am Cassie. I am so obviously Cassie. Not just because she is the younger sister but because I am obviously the one whose only selling point is that she believes in magic whole heartedly and makes friends with monsters. Phoeiros, that is your slot in life. I know this and accept it.
But I *LOVE* Miranda. There are so many levels to how much I love Miranda. She's the girl I think all girls should be.
The thing is, Miranda is the Susan that Susan should have been.
She is practical, yes. She is always practical. She doesn't want to be in this magical world, she wants to go home, and she doesn't have a lot of belief in her. But there is a frame to her practical nature that Susan never really got. Her mother is dead. She misses her mother terribly. But her father and her sister are too absorbed in their grief and someone needs to make this family work and she's the only one left for the job, so she does it. She cannot get wrapped up in fantasy and myth because she cannot afford to. In the opening dinner scene the dad is too wrapped up missing his wife so it's up to Miranda to do the important things, like noticing that her little sister ISN'T EATING and to try and take care of her and clean up after everyone. She needs to be rational because her sister isn't, and clearly neither is her father.
When they're on a magical realm and there's this prophecy about them her dad and her sister are all for it. There's clearly some analog to escapism from grief here, but regardless, they ready and willing to accept their mission. They want to stay in this realm because it is magic and awesome. Miranda agrees to stay in this magical realm because she knows her family needs her.
(There is this scene where Cassie talks about how much she wants to stay, and then says, "But you're my sister, and if you want to go, we'll go." This is a very obvious little sister ploy, I have used this ploy. Cassie makes the offer, I'm sure she means the offer and will follow through with it, but she makes the offer because she knows her sister will not take her up on that offer.)
Believing does not come easy for Miranda, and in the realm of Imagination believing is critical. Cassie gets a whole closet of wonderful clothes just her size... and Miranda gets one drab grey dress. Because her belief system is stunted. She manages to magically change it into something wearable, but the point remains: Cassie has the super charged Belief power of Awesomeness, and Miranda has some difficulty.
Everything comes easy to Cassie, because she believes. When the two girls are chasing the unicorn, Cassie closes her eyes and the unicorn comes to her, much to Miranda's amazement. Because Cassie caught on quick how this world works, and Miranda still doesn't have the hang of it. Everytime Cassie is in trouble, a magical ally will come to her aid. She is loved and rescued for her belief, and she saves the world with her faith.
Miranda works. She works and struggles the entire movie through. Titania, in Galadriel fashion, hands out magical tools to the Dad and to Cassie, but does not give one to Miranda. Titania says, "You need no magic from me. How can I give someone gifts, who has so many of her own?"
So Miranda does not need magic. Dad and sister each take their turn saving the day with their magical tool, but when it's Miranda's turn-- Miranda Dances.
I love this seen. As soon as I remembered that Miranda used to dance and hasn't in awhile, I remember the Miranda Dancing scene, and how much I loved it. I stayed up waiting for this scene. I think it's the most beautiful scene I've ever seen in a movie, I rewatched it three times last night and twice today.
Here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DXJcB0Y4L4&feature=related
Because this is how she starts to accept magic in her life, by using her own gifts.
She saves the day in a major way, where her dad and her sister won over the monsters to be friends, there is no winning over the Sea Serpent, it's sent from the trolls. It's a foe no one could have possibly won against. And she does it, while no one sees! No one sees her saving the day, no one comments on it later. When she wakes up from her swoon everyone surrounds her, and only her little sister approaches her. Miranda says, "I called the mermaids" and Cassie says "I knew that you could."
(And that is what makes Cassie different from Lucy, and better than her Narnian counterpart. Cassie believes wholeheartedly. Cassie believes, she believes in the magical realm, she believes in her magical friends. But Cassie also believes in her sister.)
And Miranda never stops working, even after that beautiful scene. She, the girl who won me over by cleaning off the Minotaur that scared her, swims through mud and muck hauling the dragon skull all on her own. And when there's time for a battle, she battles.
Cassie spends the epic battle riding a unicorn. The Dad gets his own epic battle fighting on high with the Evil Troll King of Evil. Miranda is down in the quarry, in the muck, fighting the minions, down with the slaves and the imprisoned allies. She transforms into a warrior, fighting her way and kicking major ass.
And then, the kiss! She sees Sebastian across the battle field, runs to him, grabs the back of his head and pulls him to her, she leans down and kisses him in the epic kiss between Hero and Heroine we've seen a thousand times over-- only Miranda is the Hero in this kiss and Sebastian is the Heroine.
So anyway. Miranda always works in this magical realm. She is always practical. But the magic is in her too.
Miranda would be the friend of Narnia that grows up, and thinks about boys and nylons and lipstick, but is till a friend of Narnia. She doesn't need the magic, but just because she doesn't believe as fully as her sister doesn't maker her any less part of it.
Meeting Miranda again made me feel better about something. See, when I asked On-ni which Pevensie she'd be, fully expecting her to say Peter, she said Susan. She said, "I wouldn't believe enough." And that broke my heart, really, because we all know I'd be Lucy. And Ok, there is no way I'm a Friend to Narnia, living in my magic realm and living free and easy, if my sister is out there somewhere NOT a Friend to Narnia. (WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU LUCY?)
But On-ni can be the kind of Susan Miranda is. Because Miranda never believes enough. If she did, she'd be fighting her own epic battle at the end, not down there in the muck with the slaves. She'd be riding her own unicorn. She doesn't have the faith to save the day like Cassie. But she's powerful. More so than Cassie, because Cassie, like the trolls, never changes. Miranda doesn't need to believe as much as Cassie because she does things. She's a Doer. She Dances, she lugs heavy skulls in muck, and she kicks major troll ass. And she grabs her love interest in a manly fashion. So her magic is stronger, in my opinion.
So I love her for all of that. And I thought she deserved a whole post. Because there are other ways to be a Friend of Narnia, and Miranda proves that.
~Phoeiros