The Princess Diaries
Director: Garry Marshall
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Julie Andrews, Caroline Goodall, Hector Elizondo, Heather Matarazzo, Robert Schwartzman, Sandra Oh, Kathleen Marshall, Mandy Moore.
Shy San Francisco teenager Mia Thermopolis’s (Anne Hathaway) life is changed forever when she learns the astonishing news that she's the Princess of Genovia. As the heir apparent to the crown, Mia, with the help of her grandmother, Queen Clarisse, is transformed into a Princess and she must face a difficult choice between relinquishing her claim on the throne or becoming the Princess and heir to the throne that her father, Philippe Renaldi, and grandmother want her to be.
Transformation plays a strong, symbolic role in the film and nowhere is it illustrated more perfectly than in the character of Queen Clarisse and Princess Mia and their respective transformations as the story unfolds.
For Queen Clarisse, she is mourning the death of her child (Mia’s father, Prince Phillippe) and her grief is symbolized through her wearing black. As her bond with Mia grows stronger, we see the Queen go through a subtle transformation as her black mourning shroud is slowly replaced by lighter colors…the colors being especially light (in pale pinks and whites) when she is spending time with Mia…until finally ending in the Queen wearing a dazzling pink ballgown and her joy being restored. For Princess Mia, her transformation is two-fold. While Mia is initially very shy and she lacks confidence and her appearance has a rather rag-dollish quality, throughout the story, we see her transform from a timid caterpillar into a beautiful and radiant butterfly. This is illustrated beautifully in the moments that Mia shares with Joseph. While Joseph helps the Queen by patiently teaching Mia the subtle nuances of being a princess, it is his words of gentle wisdom that give Mia the courage to accept her new identity as a princess. When her grandmother gives her a makeover, Mia is transformed physically from a rag doll into a beautiful princess. Her clothing also becomes more stylish. Her hair and makeup are now flawless. But still, she doesn’t lose that quirky, sweet innocence that makes her special. Her ultimate transformation is realized when she finds the courage to honor her father’s wish and take her place as the rightful princess of Genovia. While initially, Mia is horrified by the idea of becoming a princess and ruling her own country, in this moment, she speaks with grace and confidence as she introduces herself to the guests at the ball by her full name and takes her place by her grandmother’s side as the new Princess of Genovia.
There is an intimate connection between Princess Mia (Anne Hathaway) and her father, Philippe, that is the catalyst which drives Mia’s journey to being a princess of Genovia.
When Mia’s mother, Helen, first tells Mia that her grandmother wants to see her, Mia is, at first, reluctant to listen to her mom…that is, until her hears that it was her father’s wish that she one day meet her grandmother, Queen Clarisse (Julie Andrews). When Mia learns the truth about her birthright…that she is a Princess of Genovia, her mother and grandmother tell her that when Mia was a baby, it was her father’s wish that Mia grow up, having a normal childhood, but in the wake of her father’s tragic death, Mia, as her father’s only child, must now make a life-changing decision…to take her father’s place as Princess of Genovia or to relinquish her claim to the crown and have her father’s country fall. Although Mia struggles with the idea of becoming a princess and ruling a kingdom, in the end, it is her father’s wisdom, echoing through his words in her birthday letter, that inspire Mia to have the courage to become the Princess she was born to be.
©2021 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved
Director: Garry Marshall
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Julie Andrews, Caroline Goodall, Hector Elizondo, Heather Matarazzo, Robert Schwartzman, Sandra Oh, Kathleen Marshall, Mandy Moore.
Shy San Francisco teenager Mia Thermopolis’s (Anne Hathaway) life is changed forever when she learns the astonishing news that she's the Princess of Genovia. As the heir apparent to the crown, Mia, with the help of her grandmother, Queen Clarisse, is transformed into a Princess and she must face a difficult choice between relinquishing her claim on the throne or becoming the Princess and heir to the throne that her father, Philippe Renaldi, and grandmother want her to be.
Transformation plays a strong, symbolic role in the film and nowhere is it illustrated more perfectly than in the character of Queen Clarisse and Princess Mia and their respective transformations as the story unfolds.
For Queen Clarisse, she is mourning the death of her child (Mia’s father, Prince Phillippe) and her grief is symbolized through her wearing black. As her bond with Mia grows stronger, we see the Queen go through a subtle transformation as her black mourning shroud is slowly replaced by lighter colors…the colors being especially light (in pale pinks and whites) when she is spending time with Mia…until finally ending in the Queen wearing a dazzling pink ballgown and her joy being restored. For Princess Mia, her transformation is two-fold. While Mia is initially very shy and she lacks confidence and her appearance has a rather rag-dollish quality, throughout the story, we see her transform from a timid caterpillar into a beautiful and radiant butterfly. This is illustrated beautifully in the moments that Mia shares with Joseph. While Joseph helps the Queen by patiently teaching Mia the subtle nuances of being a princess, it is his words of gentle wisdom that give Mia the courage to accept her new identity as a princess. When her grandmother gives her a makeover, Mia is transformed physically from a rag doll into a beautiful princess. Her clothing also becomes more stylish. Her hair and makeup are now flawless. But still, she doesn’t lose that quirky, sweet innocence that makes her special. Her ultimate transformation is realized when she finds the courage to honor her father’s wish and take her place as the rightful princess of Genovia. While initially, Mia is horrified by the idea of becoming a princess and ruling her own country, in this moment, she speaks with grace and confidence as she introduces herself to the guests at the ball by her full name and takes her place by her grandmother’s side as the new Princess of Genovia.
There is an intimate connection between Princess Mia (Anne Hathaway) and her father, Philippe, that is the catalyst which drives Mia’s journey to being a princess of Genovia.
When Mia’s mother, Helen, first tells Mia that her grandmother wants to see her, Mia is, at first, reluctant to listen to her mom…that is, until her hears that it was her father’s wish that she one day meet her grandmother, Queen Clarisse (Julie Andrews). When Mia learns the truth about her birthright…that she is a Princess of Genovia, her mother and grandmother tell her that when Mia was a baby, it was her father’s wish that Mia grow up, having a normal childhood, but in the wake of her father’s tragic death, Mia, as her father’s only child, must now make a life-changing decision…to take her father’s place as Princess of Genovia or to relinquish her claim to the crown and have her father’s country fall. Although Mia struggles with the idea of becoming a princess and ruling a kingdom, in the end, it is her father’s wisdom, echoing through his words in her birthday letter, that inspire Mia to have the courage to become the Princess she was born to be.
©2021 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved