Starting with snow white
Yüklə 2,2 Mb. Pdf görüntüsü
|
| Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
20). As “various theatrical and operatic versions of Snow White toured throughout the United States” the tale’s impact resounded with multiple types of audiences and actors ( Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 20). “From amateurs to professionals, from Jews performing on Sundays to kids playing most of the prominent roles, from adult audiences to children, Snow White, in one version or another emerged as one of the period’s perfect vehicles for all audiences and production circumstances” ( Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 20). For Ames, even after the film’s (Christmas-time) debut, the play continued to prove a successful winter holiday accompaniment for all, as the Boston Daily Globe pronounced on Dec. 22, 1925, “The charming fairy tale which has delighted the hearts of countless children was presented yesterday afternoon to an audience of fascinated youngsters and of grown-ups to whom the performance brought back happy memories of their own childhood” ( Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 16). In short, Snow White in the 74 American theatre captured and held audiences of all kinds motivating an interest in the tale that in turn propelled its adaptors forward. The American Snow White tradition had become a growing force in the United States and had asserted itself most prominently on the stage. Where print versions of the tale extended the scope of influence by familiarizing a wider audience with Snow White , a distinctly American voice was not yet found in this medium of transmission. 33 Rather, print versions of Snow White in the United States continued to reflect their British precursors because pirated translations were easily accessible. 34 English-language translations of Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm’s Kinderund Hausmarchen abounded before the 1930s in both England and the United States. Translators and illustrators in England interpreted Grimm for English-reading audiences. American publishers then reprinted the same works for several decades. This procedure was cheaper than paying for a new American translator and illustrator. (Hoyle) Again, while this means of transmitting the story did give a presence to the tale in the United States, it was not yet a notably American presence. Conversely, the American stage (and later, screen) showcased a uniquely American development of elements—themes, tone, and character—while also recalling the earlier folk tradition from whence the tale had come. By analyzing Merington’s and Ames’ plays as texts and then critically examining the modifications of Ames’ filmic 33 However, Maria-Venetia Kyritsi’s investigation of alternate motifs utilized in translation of the Grimms’ shows that British versions had begun employing motifs that would become important for the American Snow White tradition, namely “the heart” of a young boar referenced in Margaret Hunt’s (1884) translation, as the organ extracted and brought to the queen to serve as proof of Snow White’s death. 34 Karen Nelson Hoyle contextualizes form of transmission in terms of the International Copyright Agreement, which the United States did not commit to until 1891. In, Sticks and Stones: The Troublesome Success of Children’s Literature from Slovenly Peter to Harry Potter , Jack Zipes also finds that although “fairy tales had become very popular during the first three decades of the twentieth century in the United States, […] With some rare exceptions, almost all the texts were pirated from British translations of the Grimms’ tales” (83). |