Tale as old as Time: the love story of Disney's Beauty and the Beast "




"Vincit Qui Se Vincit"
                                           – Beauty and the Beast 

Introduction 

Stained-Glass

     This Latin phrase is what kick started my love for film. Not the phrase itself, but what it represents in terms of the power of an image. Translated the phrase reads, "He who prevails over himself is twice victorious". Another translation is, "He who conquers is he who conquers himself". A picture may be a thousand words but apparently all you need is four to change a person's interpretation of a film, because that is what happened to me.
     These four unassuming words adorn the first stained-glass window in the prologue to Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Unreadable by most, yet this simple phrase offers a glimpse into the heart of one of the most enduring love stories of all time. This story is not about a young girl trying to find love, but instead a story of redemption and a young man's search to understand what love really means.
        It is a funny truth about life, that we remember what we should forget, and we forget what we should remember. People are creatures of habit, we do what we do because we do it, and for most that is fine. An action does not need to have a deeper meaning or driving force pushing us forward towards a desire to understand it beyond just its simple pleasure. That I think is why Beauty and the Beast works so well. The film at its core is just a simple love story. There though lies its genius. Because the word love may be simple but it can have so many permutations and avenues that its simplicity can soon become overwhelming.
      As the above suggests a love story can take many forms and mean many things. However, if someone does not know what love is there's no starting point for a love story. That is why Beauty and the Beast is so enduring because it's not just a love story, but a story of love itself, and what it means to truly care for another person.
     Love is not just a simple word as many of us may want to believe. What it is, is a deeper understanding of the world around us and the people that we care about. "But she saw that there was no love in his heart". This line from the prologue would really have no weight if love is no more than a simple word. Because of course the prince has love in his heart. He loves himself. Though as we will see that love is not true love. Because everyone has the ability to love themselves. The true test is when someone can love another person more than themselves. It is only then that the line, "Vincit Qui Se Vincit can truly be understood. We are victorious in love when we understand that love is not about the self , but the other. Though to understand that more deeply we must move on from this first course. So I would be honored if you could be my guest as I continue to explore the love story behind this tale as old as time.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Top 5 Films of 2024

Image
5.  Twisters 2024 “Nature's masterpiece.” If you feel it, chase it” “You don't face your fears you ride them” All right, I'll just say it, Twisters is an exhilarating experience. It is one of the most well orchestrated summer blockbusters that I have seen in years. Yet, it is also a film that never forgets the vehicles of utter power and destruction that it illustrates on-screen. Perhaps that is the film's strength: it is able, in a real tangible way, to convey these acts of God with respect and reverence for their awesome power. It does this, without losing, for one second the thrill and wonder of the chase. Twisters is a roller coaster ride in the best sense of the phrase. It has heart, meaning and poignancy in every inch of its special effects filled plunge, into the thrills and difficulties of storm chasing. On that note it is a movie that uses all of the available filmic and auditory tools to the greatest effect. At least to my ears Twisters is an exh...
Read more

Who Made Man's Mouth: Recontextualizing Disability as an Ordinary, Every Day, Purpose Driven Life

Image
Michelangelo's Moses c.1513-1515 Who Made Man's Mouth:   Recontextualizing Disability as an Ordinary, Every Day, Purpose Driven Life     "I want to live in a world where we value genuine achievement for disabled people, and I want to live in a world where a kid in year 11 at a Melbourne high school is not one bit surprised that his new teacher is a wheelchair user. Disability does not make you exceptional, but questioning what you think you know about it does." -Stella Young, TEDxSidney 2014      When you realize that perhaps you've been misunderstanding a core tenant of  yourself for a better part of your life, you begin to deconstruct the factors that brought you to that realization. Now, before we start this journey I want to say that I am not a theologian nor am I trying to be one. This endeavor is as much a journey of discovery for me as it is for you. It is a recontextualization of ...
Read more

The Boys in the Boat 2023

Image
 " It's called Swing, when all eight are rowing in such perfect unison that no single action is out of sync with the rest of the boat. Then you aren't fighting each other, you're moving less effort. Each one of your strokes is worth one and a half of the other boats. Most groups never find it, but when they do, rowing is more poetry than sport.” What does it take to be one? How do we overcome our innate desire to be loners, to fend for ourselves? These are questions that The Boys in the Boat attempts to answer. As a film the story of the 1936 Washington State Crew team brings us back to essentials. What is Sport? Is it a singular endeavor or does it require a team? The truth is, even when a singular person is on the field, their skills are still being honed by many hands. This is the essential aspect of Sport that we are asked to recall in thls engaging journey of the Washington Crew team, as they seek for Olympic Gold. It may seem like you've seen ever...
Read more