English

EM: Sleeping Beauty 睡美人 DVD

Code : 9787885724054

Sleeping Beauty was never one of my favorite Disney movies, my parents having lost the tape really early. Since maybe ten years I haven't seen the movie, but now, after seeing it again, I have to admit, it's a masterpiece. I don't understand why it was so berated on first release. Where the critics expecting Snow White? 'Cause this is no Snow White. It's much better. A long, long time ago, in a kingdom far, far away, King Stefan and the Queen have a daughter, Aurora, so-called because she brought sunshine to their lives. There is a great celebration, and the neighboring kingdom's Prince Phillip is betrothed to Aurora. The three Good Fairies, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, are invited. Flora and Fauna bestow gifts of beauty and song upon Aurora. Before Merryweather can cast her spell, the uninvited Maleficent--the Mistress of All Evil--arrives, furious at not being invited. She curses Aurora, predicting that at the age of sixteen the princess will prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning-wheel and die. Merryweather counteracts this by making Aurora go into a deep sleep were she ever to prick her finger, to be reawakened by true love's first kiss. To keep her safe, the fairies take her into the forest, no longer using magic, and calling Aurora Briar Rose. The princess knows nothing of her heritage, and meets no other humans, except for a man "Once Upon A Dream". One of the greatest things about the movie is the style. The contrast between characters and surroundings (except for Maleficent) is stark. The backgrounds and layouts are colorful, stylized, round and angular at the same time. The characters, however, aim for total realism, except for the minor ones, who are clearly cartoon characters. The animation is beautiful. The movements smooth, the artistry unbelievably high quality. If there was no other likable thing about the movie, the animation would go a long way to saving it. The story of Sleeping Beauty is, of course, set in stone. Despite everyone's complete familiarity with the fairy tale, the movie manages to enliven it and make it gripping, even though everyone has heard it a thousand times. A most definite improvement in the story is the scene in which Aurora pricks her finger. In the original the spinning-wheel was owned by an innocent old peasant, who just happened to own the last wheel in the land, unnoticed by the rest of the world. In the movie Maleficent hypnotizes Aurora, and commands her to prick her finger. In addition to the atmosphere of foreboding already present in the story, the movie adds genuine suspense, largely owing to the brilliant presence of the wicked fairy. 以前，有个国王和王后一直没有孩子，他们为此非常伤心苦恼。有一天，王后正在河边散步，一条小鱼把头浮出水面对她说：“你的愿望就会实现了，不久你就会生下一个女儿的。”过了一段时间，那条小鱼所预言的情况真的实现了，王后真的生下了一个非常漂亮的女儿。国王高兴得时时刻刻爱不释手，决定举行一个大型宴会。他不仅邀请了他的亲戚、朋友和外宾，而且邀来了几乎所有的女巫师，让她们为他的女儿送来善良美好的祝愿。他的王国里一共有十三个女巫师，而他只有十二个金盘子来招待她们进餐，所以他只邀请了十二个女巫师，留下一个没有邀请。 盛大的宴会结束后，各位来宾都给这个小公主送上了最好的礼物。女巫师们一个送给她美德，另一个送给她美貌，还有一个送给她富有，她们把世人所希望的，世上所有的优点和期盼都送给了她。当第十一个女巫师刚刚为她祝福之后，第十三个女巫师，也就是那个没有被邀请的女巫师走了进来，她对没有被邀请感到非常愤怒，她要对此进行报复，要献上她恶毒的咒语。所以她进来后就大声叫道：“国王的女儿在十五岁时会被一个纺锤弄伤，最后死去。”所有在场的人都大惊失色。可是第十二个女巫师还没有献上她的礼物，便走上前来说：“这个凶险的咒语的确会应验，但公主能够化险为夷。她不会死去，而只是昏睡过去，而且一睡就是一百年。” 国王为了不使他的女儿遭到那种不幸，命令将王国里的所有纺锤都收上来，又把它们全部销毁。随着时间的流逝，女巫师们的所有祝福都在公主身上应验了：她聪明美丽，性格温柔，举止优雅，真是人见人爱。但恰恰在她十五岁的那一天，国王和王后都不在家，公主单独一个人被留在王宫里。她在宫里到处穿来穿去，大小房间都看完了，最后，她来到了一个古老的宫楼。宫楼里面有一座很狭窄的楼梯，楼梯尽头有一扇门，门上插着一把金钥匙。当她转动金钥匙时，门一下子就弹开了，一个老太婆坐在里面在忙着纺纱。公主见了说道：“喂！老妈妈，您好！您这是在干什么呀？”“纺纱。”老太婆回答说，接着又点了点头。 “这小东西转起来真有意思！”说着，公主上前也想拿起纺锤纺纱，但她刚一碰到它，立即就倒在地上失去了知觉，以前的咒语真的应验了。