Modern Fairy tales

How does this version of Cinderella conform with and challenge the conventions of the fairy tale?

In this modernised version of Cinderella, we see two women (the ugly sisters) fighting for the place of a famous archaeologist's assistant. But as well as these desperate people, the cleaner (Cinderella) also has a high interest in this 'prince' and his work. The story does follow the basic story of Cinderella and conforms to other fairy tales that are similar. There is also the head of the department who tries to stop the cleaner's dreams and wants one of her own students to become the new assistant of the 'prince'.

Looking at Todorov's theory, I would say that the Equilibrium is when the modern Cinderella is the cleaner and the step sisters are working and nobody cares about the new assistant position. The Disequilibrium would be when the cleaner decides that she wants to let the sisters know that she wants to be an assistant and when she meets him. And finally, the New Equilibrium would be at the end when 'Cinderella' and the 'prince' are finally together.

Next, comparing it to Barthes theory of narrative codes which were:
Technical codes- camera angles, editing, length of shot and sound
Verbal codes- what the characters say and how it is said
Symbolic codes- props, clothes, etc. e.g. red rose symbolizes romance.

In regards to Symbolic codes, the clothes do not have much impact as they are just everyday style clothes. This is until the 'ball' where everyone is wearing smart clothes and the cleaner is wearing a dress which contrasts her usual uniform that she has to wear. It shows the change between the start and the end of the film and what people think of her changes. The wooden object that the prince found is an important prop as it shoes the connection between him and the cleaner who will later become his lover.

What the characters say and other verbal codes are again, not very influential in my opinion. This is because they talk just like anyone does these days as it is a modern version. With the technical codes, I sampled a short part of the film at random 23:00 to 24:00 and found that the average length of shot was around 3/4 seconds. The main reason that shots are so short in films and television programs is so that the audience are not bored that the shot is always the same.
In general, most of the camera shots are also taken from a medium view, showing the characters head, shoulders, and upper body. This could allow the audience to get a better look at their characters and learn who is who.

Finally, Propp's theory. I would say that following his theory, the characters are as follows:

• Protagonist- The cleaner
• Antagonist- The head of department
• Hero/Heroine- The 'prince'
• Father- Could be personification of the work placement as Prince's assistant
• Helper- The other cleaner, a friend of the Protagonist
• Donor- possibly also the other cleaner as she gives her advice
• Mentor- again, the other cleaner

I think that the film was a funny and enjoyable version of Cinderella but I did not find it that interesting myself as I am not a fan of fairy tales.

Narrative theories for Shrek

Todorov was a Russian man who believed that you could look at any film and it will follow his narrative structure. This structure was:
Equilibrium- the moment in the film when everyone is okay and all is in balance
Disequilibrium- the moment in which something occurs and things are now not so in balance
New Equilibrium- trying to create a new ideal balance to counter the problem or situation.

In Shrek, the Equilibrium is at the start of the film, when he is happy and feeling like himself in his swamp. We can tell that he is happy by the music, his facial expressions, and his behaviour. The Disequilibrium is when he finds out that he must rescue a princess in order to get his swamp back to himself. And this is solved as a New Equilibrium when he rescues her and he ends up marrying her himself.

Barthes was a French man interested in his three narrative codes. These are:
Technical codes- camera angles, editing, length of shot and sound
Verbal codes- what the characters say and how it is said
Symbolic codes- props, clothes, etc. e.g. red rose symbolizes romance.

Propp was another Russian man interested in the characters. He said that there are usually a set number of characters (shown below): thank you to Luke Bates for letting me use the table.

In Shrek, the Protagonist would be Shrek himslef. This is clear as he is the featured character and we follow his story and his quest to get his swamp back.
The Antagonist would probably Lord Faarquard. This is because he does not like Shrek and tries to stop anything that he does to get his own way.
The Heroine would be Princess Fiona. This, again, is very obvious as he ends up marrying her.
The Father would be difficult to choose and I am not sure that there is one because Shrek is the sort of person that is in charge of what he is doing and does not need anyone to guide him, saying that, Shrek may be the father figure of the abandoned loveable Donkey.
The Helper would be Donkey, he is in on the quest and helps Shrek when he needs it.
The Donor in Shrek is also difficult to decide as there could be many.
And finally, the mentor, again a role which I do not know who to give to.