Post by frollo on May 1, 2009 20:19:24 GMT -5
Okay, does anyone know if there are any major books or biographies on Howard Ashman? I have recently become very fascinated with this amazing man and I have had difficulty finding information on him, surprisingly.
I don't know how I became so interested in him, but I do definitely find his involvement in the Disney Renaissance to be a particularly interesting one.
Paige O'Hara has compared the Ashman/Menken team to the teaming of Rodgers and Hammerstein, which I actually find pretty dead on. Both were able to take us to completely different parts of the world and absorb us in the magic of them through music.
But, also like Rodgers and Hammerstein, the Ashman-Menken stories took on definite greater meaning. In Carousel, R&H tackled domestic violence; in King & I they tackled gender roles & slavery; in South Pacific, they tackled racial intolerance; and in The Sound of Music, they tackled the importance of singing during conflicts with Nazis (lol).
And, the Ashman/Menken three; Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin, take on deeper meanings of their own, but I never quite realized it, until I read Dan Rather's Deadlines and Datelines, where he outlines his belief that BatB was more than what it appeared to be, that being a simple kid's cartoon.
So, when taking into consideration the fact that Howard Ashman was openly gay, there is no doubt that he knew what it was like to be discriminated against. Also take into consideration that Ashman had a great deal of influence on all three films, and that the main protagonists of all three films are outsiders and outcasts; Ariel, Belle, the Beast, and Aladdin, all longing for people to understand them and have a greater ability to see the worth in things that appear worthless.
To make a long story short, Dan Rather believes that BatB symbolizes the AIDS Crisis of the 1980s. As most of us know, Ashman died of the disease before BatB was completed, sadly (he would never know what a cataclysmic success it would be).
And, although I thought the comparison by Rather was interesting, I was not about to take it seriously until I stopped and really thought about it for a while, and then I realized that such comparisons actually might have something to them...
Here's how I see things:
- The Beast's appearence deteriorates drastically following the casting of the spell, similar to how many AIDS patients' appearences deteriorated, ex. Rock Hudson.
- The Rose allegedly symbolizes the "wilting away" of Ashman's live, over the course of the film, as it is also symbolizing the "wilting away" of the Beast's life.
- The Beast is "punished" by a godly enchantress for his evil ways, similar to the cruel philosophy held by many homophobics that homosexuals were being "punished by God" for their ways.
- The Castle could symbolize a Hospice with the objects as either attendants or fellow patients.
- Belle could symbolize the educated minorities that were able to see through the hysteria during the AIDS Crisis and see patients for what they were. I always think back to the "Killing All the Right People" Episode of Designing Women where Charlene Frazier takes the hand of AIDS Patient, Kendell Dobbs, to lead him into Sugarbaker House. Kendell is shocked and says so, to which Mary Jo Shively replies, "we read." And what was Belle doing for the first five minutes of her appearance the film?
- A more offwire guess could also be that "Princess Belle" could symbolize "Princess" Diana Spencer of Wales, who was not of pure royal blood, either, but was one of the first known celebrities filmed shaking the hand of AIDS patients and "touching" them.
- Note, there is much emphasis placed on physical touch in the film ("And when we touched, she wouldn't shudder at my paw"). Especially, near the end, with the famous hand holding sequence atop the tower. AIDS Patients had immense difficulty getting normal people to touch them, without gloves, thanks to the hysteria directed towards them. Ryan White even could not have his hand shaken at church, allegedly.
- Gaston could symbolize the macho, anti-gay masses who reacted violently towards gay communities. The types that looked perfectly normal and well-natured on the exterior, but whose prejudice rendered them "mosters" on the interior, with their abominable treatment of gays and AIDS-patients.
- The mob at the end could symbolize the climax of the Anti-Gay movement, as attacks were (and still are) often made on the houses of AIDS Patients, such as Ryan White.
- Take note of the Beast's dying at the end. He has noticable difficulty speaking and is obviously weaker, showing difficulty sitting up, similar to dying AIDS patients.
So, Rather has reported that Disney staff members have openly admitted to the AIDS symbolism, although Disney & Co., unfortunately denied it and asked Rather to retract his statements. Still, Rather referred to Beauty as one of the most touching depicitons of the AIDS Crisis. I would have to agree with him that it is right up there with Philadelphia. I don't know how much of this is true, but much of it makes sense, IMO.
Preceding Beauty is the Little Mermaid, which takes a noticably different approach to things as basic as love. Where Ariel has an idealistic fascination with another world, which she is vigorously warned to stay away from, the Beast is a hopeless creature who does not believe anyone will ever see the good within him, and Belle is someone who just barely does, but holds no romantic delusions about him and the love they share. Both undergo transformations, but the attitudes of both are remarkably different, as are the situations. Ariel is rewarded for her bravery and love; the Beast is hated & hunted down like and animal and killed, only to be saved at the last minute by the love of one. I only wonder if the lapse in time between the two films had something to do with it, perhaps after Ashman tested positive and the reality of a cruel world settled into Ashman and his co-workers. TLM could possibly symbolize the need for acceptance in families of people who are different, such as Gays, and BatB could depict something much more morbid, that being the AIDS crisis.
Clearly, some of Ashman and his being gay had been transferred into TLM, however. Just take a look at Ariel and Triton's arguments. Especially, in the cavern ("But Daddy I love him" "No ... have you lost your senses completely?"). I feel like this could almost completely mirror a parent discovering that their child is gay. Especially since Ashman reportedly had difficulty communicating with his own family, which prompted him to write "Proud of Your Boy." Aladdin, if things had gone the way Ashman saw them, would have also had a parent who was "ashamed" of her son, again reflecting Ashman's own familial difficulties.
Also note the emphasis on the color red in both films. Specifically Ariel's hair and the red rose. Red typically symbolizes defiance and rebellion. With Ariel, there's no doubt that's what was intended. Still, I have a much more morbid outlook on the color, for this is the color of blood. Blood transfusions were common causes in the outspread of the AIDS Epidemic, and blood is often what was extracted, you might say, during the hateful Anti-gay riots and violent outbreaks of the 80s and 90s. This, I know, is the biggest stretch of them all, but I view these things in just such a way.
You might think of this as strange, but believe it or not, it isn't that far fetched. R&H often meant for their musicals to correspond in the messages. E.G., Oklahoma represented justification for American involvement in WWII, Carousel represented consolation for families who lost their loved ones in the war, and South Pacific critiqued the hypocrisy & racial prejudice of the country fought for during the war. Never underestimate the importance and sophistication of messages in stories, even those in musicals.
Anyhow, I don't know how much of this is making sense to people, but I thought it was interesting and wanted to share my thoughts. Thanks.
I don't know how I became so interested in him, but I do definitely find his involvement in the Disney Renaissance to be a particularly interesting one.
Paige O'Hara has compared the Ashman/Menken team to the teaming of Rodgers and Hammerstein, which I actually find pretty dead on. Both were able to take us to completely different parts of the world and absorb us in the magic of them through music.
But, also like Rodgers and Hammerstein, the Ashman-Menken stories took on definite greater meaning. In Carousel, R&H tackled domestic violence; in King & I they tackled gender roles & slavery; in South Pacific, they tackled racial intolerance; and in The Sound of Music, they tackled the importance of singing during conflicts with Nazis (lol).
And, the Ashman/Menken three; Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin, take on deeper meanings of their own, but I never quite realized it, until I read Dan Rather's Deadlines and Datelines, where he outlines his belief that BatB was more than what it appeared to be, that being a simple kid's cartoon.
So, when taking into consideration the fact that Howard Ashman was openly gay, there is no doubt that he knew what it was like to be discriminated against. Also take into consideration that Ashman had a great deal of influence on all three films, and that the main protagonists of all three films are outsiders and outcasts; Ariel, Belle, the Beast, and Aladdin, all longing for people to understand them and have a greater ability to see the worth in things that appear worthless.
To make a long story short, Dan Rather believes that BatB symbolizes the AIDS Crisis of the 1980s. As most of us know, Ashman died of the disease before BatB was completed, sadly (he would never know what a cataclysmic success it would be).
And, although I thought the comparison by Rather was interesting, I was not about to take it seriously until I stopped and really thought about it for a while, and then I realized that such comparisons actually might have something to them...
Here's how I see things:
- The Beast's appearence deteriorates drastically following the casting of the spell, similar to how many AIDS patients' appearences deteriorated, ex. Rock Hudson.
- The Rose allegedly symbolizes the "wilting away" of Ashman's live, over the course of the film, as it is also symbolizing the "wilting away" of the Beast's life.
- The Beast is "punished" by a godly enchantress for his evil ways, similar to the cruel philosophy held by many homophobics that homosexuals were being "punished by God" for their ways.
- The Castle could symbolize a Hospice with the objects as either attendants or fellow patients.
- Belle could symbolize the educated minorities that were able to see through the hysteria during the AIDS Crisis and see patients for what they were. I always think back to the "Killing All the Right People" Episode of Designing Women where Charlene Frazier takes the hand of AIDS Patient, Kendell Dobbs, to lead him into Sugarbaker House. Kendell is shocked and says so, to which Mary Jo Shively replies, "we read." And what was Belle doing for the first five minutes of her appearance the film?
- A more offwire guess could also be that "Princess Belle" could symbolize "Princess" Diana Spencer of Wales, who was not of pure royal blood, either, but was one of the first known celebrities filmed shaking the hand of AIDS patients and "touching" them.
- Note, there is much emphasis placed on physical touch in the film ("And when we touched, she wouldn't shudder at my paw"). Especially, near the end, with the famous hand holding sequence atop the tower. AIDS Patients had immense difficulty getting normal people to touch them, without gloves, thanks to the hysteria directed towards them. Ryan White even could not have his hand shaken at church, allegedly.
- Gaston could symbolize the macho, anti-gay masses who reacted violently towards gay communities. The types that looked perfectly normal and well-natured on the exterior, but whose prejudice rendered them "mosters" on the interior, with their abominable treatment of gays and AIDS-patients.
- The mob at the end could symbolize the climax of the Anti-Gay movement, as attacks were (and still are) often made on the houses of AIDS Patients, such as Ryan White.
- Take note of the Beast's dying at the end. He has noticable difficulty speaking and is obviously weaker, showing difficulty sitting up, similar to dying AIDS patients.
So, Rather has reported that Disney staff members have openly admitted to the AIDS symbolism, although Disney & Co., unfortunately denied it and asked Rather to retract his statements. Still, Rather referred to Beauty as one of the most touching depicitons of the AIDS Crisis. I would have to agree with him that it is right up there with Philadelphia. I don't know how much of this is true, but much of it makes sense, IMO.
Preceding Beauty is the Little Mermaid, which takes a noticably different approach to things as basic as love. Where Ariel has an idealistic fascination with another world, which she is vigorously warned to stay away from, the Beast is a hopeless creature who does not believe anyone will ever see the good within him, and Belle is someone who just barely does, but holds no romantic delusions about him and the love they share. Both undergo transformations, but the attitudes of both are remarkably different, as are the situations. Ariel is rewarded for her bravery and love; the Beast is hated & hunted down like and animal and killed, only to be saved at the last minute by the love of one. I only wonder if the lapse in time between the two films had something to do with it, perhaps after Ashman tested positive and the reality of a cruel world settled into Ashman and his co-workers. TLM could possibly symbolize the need for acceptance in families of people who are different, such as Gays, and BatB could depict something much more morbid, that being the AIDS crisis.
Clearly, some of Ashman and his being gay had been transferred into TLM, however. Just take a look at Ariel and Triton's arguments. Especially, in the cavern ("But Daddy I love him" "No ... have you lost your senses completely?"). I feel like this could almost completely mirror a parent discovering that their child is gay. Especially since Ashman reportedly had difficulty communicating with his own family, which prompted him to write "Proud of Your Boy." Aladdin, if things had gone the way Ashman saw them, would have also had a parent who was "ashamed" of her son, again reflecting Ashman's own familial difficulties.
Also note the emphasis on the color red in both films. Specifically Ariel's hair and the red rose. Red typically symbolizes defiance and rebellion. With Ariel, there's no doubt that's what was intended. Still, I have a much more morbid outlook on the color, for this is the color of blood. Blood transfusions were common causes in the outspread of the AIDS Epidemic, and blood is often what was extracted, you might say, during the hateful Anti-gay riots and violent outbreaks of the 80s and 90s. This, I know, is the biggest stretch of them all, but I view these things in just such a way.
You might think of this as strange, but believe it or not, it isn't that far fetched. R&H often meant for their musicals to correspond in the messages. E.G., Oklahoma represented justification for American involvement in WWII, Carousel represented consolation for families who lost their loved ones in the war, and South Pacific critiqued the hypocrisy & racial prejudice of the country fought for during the war. Never underestimate the importance and sophistication of messages in stories, even those in musicals.
Anyhow, I don't know how much of this is making sense to people, but I thought it was interesting and wanted to share my thoughts. Thanks.