Movie Spotlight: Brave

Hello Beardies,

Hang around The Bearded Scribe long enough, and you will inevitably catch a glimpse of Scottish pride amidst its contributors. Elizabeth is a direct descendant of Clan Ross, the first named clan, designated by King Malcolm IV of Scotland in the twelfth century; Sara is also of Scottish descent, and Joshua has a bit of all the British Isles in him from his mother's side.

If genealogical reasons of pride weren't enough, Joshua, Sara, and Elizabeth met when they were all students at Alma College, home of the Scots. (The city of Alma is nicknamed Scotland USA.) The College has its own registered tartan, which both the marching band and the pipe and drum corps wear for every performance; every convocation starts with the bagpipes; the Choir can often be heard in the Chapel (or, on occasion, in secluded churches in Scotland!) singing tunes such as "Loch Lomond" and "Highland Mary;" and at the end of Spring Term, the students must vacate the dorms to make way for the Highland Festival, a huge gathering including traditional Highland music and dance, a nearly-frightening number of men in kilts, and Highland games.

It is because of this Scottish pride that The Bearded Scribe excitedly brings you its second ever Movie Spotlight on Disney/Pixar's latest film, Brave.  And to top it all off, it is the first ever post to appear on the blog with two contributors! (We're sure it won't be the last!)

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Plot Summary A born tomboy and expert archer, Merida is not your average girl, but, as her mother often reminds her, she’s a princess, and with that comes expectations. The clans are about to gather, bringing their suitors to compete for Merida’s hand, and of course, Merida wants nothing to do with it—especially after she sees just who these potential suitors are. She devises a way to compete herself so as not to have to get married, but it causes her worst fight yet with her mother and Merida runs away. Deep in the woods, she follows will-o’-the-wisps to a witch’s cottage. The witch gives her a spell to change her fate, but when the spell backfires, trapping her mother in the form of a bear, Merida must use all her wits and skills—princess-like and otherwise—to save both her independence and her family.

The Land  One of the greatest aspects of Brave is the film's unforgettable landscape, beautifully portrayed through superb animation.  The entire "world" built by the film is complete, and the landscape alone is merely one of its facets.  In addition to the lush, green rolling hills, the crags and high cliffs, and the architecture of monuments and buildings, the film includes key elements to the traditional, Celtic culture.  Intricate knotwork is carved on wood and stone throughout—including Merida's bow.  Nary a scene exists without a man in a kilt or some display of tartan (ever wonder what the Scotsmen wear under those kilts... watch this film and you will no longer), a few of its characters adorned in woad paint (a tip of the hat to Braveheart, perhaps?), and fanciful tapestries line many a wall. Many of the Scottish traditions outlined in our intro are beautifully and respectfully reflected in Brave, one of them specifically is that of the Highland Games.  According to tradition, each clan presents its most desirable suitor for the hand of the Princess, and the winner is determined through a test of her choosing. Brave’s focus is not mainly on romance; rather, in a stroke of unconventional plotting, the games serve as an impetus for the main conflict between Merida and her mother, and between Merida and the conventions of her society. Another aspect we loved about Brave is the wonderful music contained in its soundtrack.  As we are both vocalists and lovers of music, this was one aspect, in our humble opinion, the film had no room to get wrong.  They didn't.  The composer of the film's musical score, Patrick Doyle—also the composer of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire—used traditional Scottish instruments such as the bagpipes, a solo fiddle, Celtic harps, and the bodhrán, just to name a few. Doyle was quoted as saying, "I employed many classic Scottish dance rhythms such as reels, jigs, and strathspeys, which not only serve the action but keep it authentic." The only issues we found with the world-building of the film were anachronisms.  Given the film was fictionally set in 10th Century Scotland, the use of plaid (15th-16th Century), kilts (18th century); forks (16th century); Shire horse (breed developed in the mid-17th century) and fighting the Romans (1st-5th century) all fit the bill.  Because we love all things Scottish, we happily forgive them.

The Legend

If there is something that must be mentioned, it is the way elements of folklore and mythology are interwoven throughout the entire film. While there is no precedence for the actual legend of the plot, other elements from Celtic lore are used ingeniously to drive home the “fairytale” aspect. From its very start, we are introduced to will-o'-the-wisps—colloquially referred to as "wisps"—which Merida is told (by her mother) are said to lead a person to their fate. The “wisps” vanish when approached, just as the actual lore states; ironically, however, in most Celtic lore a “wisp” (or ignis fatuus) is said to lead travelers away from the safety of the path (into bogs and other treacherous destinations). Continuing with the “fairytale” notes is the sacred henge in which the final showdown takes place. It represents not only the sacred rock formations that speckle the British Isles, such as Stonehenge—which are placed on sacred sites filled with the natural energies from the Earth—but also the smaller-scale formations referred to as “faerie rings.” These sites were said to be portals to the land of the Sidhe, and were to never be entered. Merida's horse, Angus, obeys this superstition by stopping suddenly at its edge, meanwhile throwing Merida into its center. The fact that the wisps appear from this site to lead Merida to witch's cottage is another allusion to the Faefolk they are meant to represent.

Another mythological element which is prevalent—if not pervasive—is that of the bear. While researching for this post, we discovered a possible connection between Queen Elinor and the Celtic Bear Goddess, Artio, often referred to as “Mother Bear.” We even uncovered an ancient statue of said goddess that appears strikingly similar to one that may or may not have made an appearance in the witch's wood-carving shop. The legends and myths that appear throughout the film and its landscape are like the tapestry in the film; they are tightly woven, never to be torn from one another. The mistakes and stories of the past—however far-fetched and magical they might seem—are there to educate generations of the future. We must take heed and not dismiss them so quickly, which echoes Queen Elinor's line in the movie:

“Legends are lessons, and they ring with truths!"

The Lessons Learned  As firm believers that no woman should need a man to make her complete, we really enjoyed seeing a Disney/Pixar film wherein romance is present without being the main focus of the plot. We’re not anti-love by any means, and both agreed that the romance between the Queen Elinor and King Fergus is sweet.  Love, after all, makes life sweeter, but love comes in more forms than just romance. Merida is a tenth-century girl with a twenty-first century mindset, and her independence and determination is refreshing. She knows she can do better than any of the suitors she is offered, and she’s not willing to compromise or settle—a position we totally support.

Unless you've been living under a menhir somewhere—or trapped under one—you've most likely heard the expression: “Be careful what you wish for.” The main theme of Brave is exactly this, and it is an expression Princess Merida already knows all too well. Despite this, she wishes for her mom to change, and when the Queen is transformed into a bear, Merida must deal with the consequences. Afraid for her mother's life—due to her father's understandable hatred of bears—Merida and the Queen flee the family's castle in search of the witch or the wisps that led her to her fate.  While helping Merida with trying to find a way to reverse the spell, Queen Elinor gains respect for her daughter's strength and wilder side; Merida, too, finds a deeper respect for her mother when faced with the prospect of losing her forever.  Also, they discover that Merida is not the first to wish for a change of fate, and by repairing the mistakes she made, she has the opportunity to correct the wrongdoings of the past.

In Conclusion Given our love affair with all things Scottish, we had high hopes for Brave, and we weren’t disappointed. Add in a strong female lead, stirring soundtrack, and beautiful scenery and animation, and our separate trips to see this film were time well spent. As a bonus, it gave us a chance to truly collaborate for the first time, a practice we hope to keep up in the future!

Rating:

Gus an coinnich sinn a'rithist,

and

Movie Spotlight: Snow White and the Huntsman

Good Day Beardies,

Last night Jeremiah and I decided to go to the movies... BUT it wasn't just any movie theatre, it was a Movie Tavern.  The seats were SO comfortable, with small, moveable tables attached to each arm, and the experience alone--movie aside--was quite memorable. And that's not the blue margarita talking :)

On a more serious note, however, we went to the theatre to catch the latest blockbuster film, Snow White and the Huntsman.  After seeing the preview for the film, I felt its inclusion of Charlize Theron made it a must see for me.  Kristen Stewart, on the other hand, I was not too thrilled about, but I decided to suck it up and give her a chance.  As a first for The Bearded Scribe (and, I admit, for me), I've decided to do a Movie Spotlight on the film.

WARNING: Review contains some spoilers.

Plot Summary.
The movie's first scene sets the mood for the entire film: its colors not too vivid, save the stark white snow, the blood-red rose, and the rich black of the marcescent stem upon which it lingered.  We are introduced to the Queen, who sends out a spoken hope to whatever forces there may be, wishing for a daughter with the same fairness and strength as that solitary rose.

The movie is, unfortunately, paced rather quickly after this. It rushes through Snow White's birth, her adolescence wherein her mother dies, her father's second marriage to Ravenna (about whom we, if we weren't already familiar with the story, would know very little), and her father's betrayal and murder.  Ravenna (Charlize Theron) is now Queen, and Snow White (Kristen Stewart) is locked in a lofty prison within a tower of the castle.  Ravenna is old, and in order to maintain her youthful appearance, she must consume the youth of others (a less-than-impressive scene reveals this).  The only one who is capable of Ravenna's destruction is one who is fairer than she (hence her incessant need to ask this very question of her beloved mirror); if she were to consume said person's heart, she would live and stay beautiful forever, no longer needing to drain the youth from others.

Cue Snow White, whom the mirror reveals as being fairer than Ravenna now that she has come of age. Learning this, Ravenna requests her brother to fetch Snow White from her tower prison so that she may eat her heart. Snow White manages to escape, of course. When she is pursued by Ravenna's men, she manages to elude them once more by fleeing into the Dark Forest.

The Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) is introduced to us a drunkard who is grieving the loss of his wife--one who cannot even win a tavern brawl, yet the Queen has sought him to fetch Snow White from the Dark Forest. He locates Snow White rather quickly (too quick, if you ask me!), and after Snow White pleads with him to help her escape the clutches of Ravenna, he agrees, but not before the rest of the Queen's men catch up to the two of them.  They must then outrun the Queen's men through the Dark Forest.

It is in the Dark Forest that Snow White meets the Seven Dwarves--thankfully named something other than the Disney knockoff.  The Dwarves lead Snow White and the Huntsman into a place called Sanctuary, where the faeries live, but it turns out to be anything but when they are tracked down by the Queen's men.  They manage to escape yet again, this time due to the excellent bowmanship of William (Sam Claflin), the Duke's son and a childhood companion of Snow White.  He has purposefully disguised himself as one of the Queen's men.  (Can we say love triangle? Surely not with Kristen Stewart in the film!)

After they share a kiss, Snow White is poisoned by an apple given to her by William (or at least that is what she thinks).  The real William appears, grief-stricken, and kisses Snow White's cold, dead lips. Her body is then brought to the Duke's castle where a funeral is held; she is brought back to life by a confession of true love and a kiss from the Huntsman. (I guess William was lacking in this department?) Once revived, she convinces the Duke and his army to wage a battle against the evil Queen.


The Good.
I first have to say that the cinematography and the special effects were exceptional. I especially liked the mirror sequences, the scenes in the Sanctuary, as well as the last Dark Forest scene.  And how they managed to shrink Bob Hoskins and the other Dwarves to fit their pint-sized characters is beyond me.  Great Job.  Kristen Stewart did a great job acting the part she was given, but even though she was the title character, her acting was still over-powered by Charlize Theron's.  But that's to be expected, I suppose.

The Bad.
The pacing of the film was too quick in some areas that needed further explanation or development, like the love story between Snow White and the Huntsman... though it was an obvious and expected plot device, given the title, the "love" seemed to come from nowhere.  The end, as well, seemed to fall short.  I am not sure if the writers left it open for a sequel, or if they just ran out of steam.

In other areas that were self-explanatory, it seemed to linger (how many times was it necessary for the audience to revisit the Dark Forest... one that wasn't so dark, in my opinion.

And on that note, the Darkness foreshadowed in the film's cinematography plateaued before ever reaching its expected (my expectations, that is) level.  On this, the Evil Queen lacked conviction, though I wonder if it was Charlize Theron's interpretation or that of the director's?

The Ugly.
The actor selection, in my opinion, was sadly lacking, and it made the film incredulous.  Despite this section's title, I am not saying that Kristen Stewart is ugly.  She's not.  In fact, she has a unique beauty that few ever possess.  BUT, to cast her as the role of Snow White makes no sense at all to me, especially not when she is supposed to be "the fairest one of all."

Compared to Charlize Theron?  Really?

Also, her skin was always dirty in the film, her hair always matted and greasy, and her lips were rarely blood-red.

The actress who played young Snow White shouldn't have been chosen, either.  Her acting was amazing for someone her age, but her appearance did not coincide with the fabled character.  I am pretty sure that Snow White's snow-white skin, blood-red lips, and hair as black as a raven's wing was a constant throughout her life.  The young Snow White in this film had reddish-brown hair and freckles!

Conclusion.
The film was enjoyable to watch, but I know if some elements were changed or added, then the film could have been a lot better.  I didn't hate it but I didn't love it, and for this reason I give the film:

3 out of 5 Beards

All-in-all, however, I would say to go watch the film.  It has its moments, and there are enough of them to remedy where it lacks.


Happy Scribing,