sable_twilight (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} sable_twilight) wrote,@ 2008-02-18 16:08:00 |
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Spiderwick
So I saw The Spriderwick Chronicles this weekend. It was a very cute movie, and reminded me a lot of the work of Brian Froud.
Though to say the movie was Freudian is an understatement. Even other reviewers have noticed the blatant Oedipus complex inherent in the movie.
In typical fashion though, the reviewers either totally ignored or simply failed to recognize the "unresolved" Electra complex running as a parallel plot – which was the whole Author Spiderwick disappearing, his daughter, Lucinda, pining away for him, and then the her decision to leave in life with her father forever in the land of the of the faeries (which then reverts her to her 8 year old self). There were even symbolic representations of penis envy – from Lucinda's ignorance or lack of education about fey (her father's "phallus" as it were) to Mallory Grace running around with sword in hand almost constantly.
I really didn't spot all the Freudian stuff until Mulgarath came into the house posing as the children's father (Richard?), and then it just hit me like a ton of bricks. Even Jared's climb up the house fits nicely with classic Freudian dream interpretation. Climb up the house = wanting to have sex with his mother, check. Pursuit by Ogre/Father figure, check = guilt over wanting to possess his mother, check. Stabbing Ogre/Father figure with lightning rod/phallic symbol = wanting to kill father/show how much greater his phallus is, check. Slipping and falling down side of the house interrupted by Ogre/Father figure = disrupted masturbation attempts, check.
Ah Freud, how could we ever have had this much fun with a movie like this without you...
Again, not saying the movie was bad. It was very, very fun. But also oh so Freudian. It also almost makes me want to rewatch it and see what else I can pick out...
So I saw The Spriderwick Chronicles this weekend. It was a very cute movie, and reminded me a lot of the work of Brian Froud.
Though to say the movie was Freudian is an understatement. Even other reviewers have noticed the blatant Oedipus complex inherent in the movie.
In typical fashion though, the reviewers either totally ignored or simply failed to recognize the "unresolved" Electra complex running as a parallel plot – which was the whole Author Spiderwick disappearing, his daughter, Lucinda, pining away for him, and then the her decision to leave in life with her father forever in the land of the of the faeries (which then reverts her to her 8 year old self). There were even symbolic representations of penis envy – from Lucinda's ignorance or lack of education about fey (her father's "phallus" as it were) to Mallory Grace running around with sword in hand almost constantly.
I really didn't spot all the Freudian stuff until Mulgarath came into the house posing as the children's father (Richard?), and then it just hit me like a ton of bricks. Even Jared's climb up the house fits nicely with classic Freudian dream interpretation. Climb up the house = wanting to have sex with his mother, check. Pursuit by Ogre/Father figure, check = guilt over wanting to possess his mother, check. Stabbing Ogre/Father figure with lightning rod/phallic symbol = wanting to kill father/show how much greater his phallus is, check. Slipping and falling down side of the house interrupted by Ogre/Father figure = disrupted masturbation attempts, check.
Ah Freud, how could we ever have had this much fun with a movie like this without you...
Again, not saying the movie was bad. It was very, very fun. But also oh so Freudian. It also almost makes me want to rewatch it and see what else I can pick out...
