Damsel

Elodie: I'm through doing what I'm told.

Not subtle, maybe not especially deep, but satisfying.

As Elodie says in the initial narration: “There are many stories about chivalry where the heroic knight saves the damsel in distress. This is not one of them.”

This movie is a palate cleanser after all the Disney princess movies that were pushed into me in my childhood. I’m old enough so that my childhood includes the movies for which Disney now includes disclaimers about racial stereotypes. Now, the movies Damsel goes against are not those with the racial stereotypes, but those with the gender stereotypes, where the girls are beautiful and sweet and waiting around to be rescued, such as Cinderella and Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. The lesson from these movies is that you have to be attractive in order to deserve a prince.

From here on, there be SPOILERS! Continue at your own risk!

Elodie is the eldest daughter of Lord Bayford, who is in charge of a barren cold realm in the north. As their realm is so poor, he agrees to her marriage to Prince Henry of Aurea. In exchange, apparently they will be getting enough for the Bayford realm to survive a winter or two. They travel by ship to Aurea, which is so overflowing with wealth they should be asking why the Aureans don’t seek a bride of more suitable status.

Still, even though Lord Bayford finds out, and it upsets him, but he doesn’t try to prevent it. Lady Bayford – the stepmother instead of the mother, which I think was a great choice as it both allows Angela Bassett to play the role but also makes the role more nuanced – at first she is overwhelmed by Aurea's grandeur but then she becomes suspicious. She admits she was wrong, which is not something parents or stepparents like to do, especially in a matter that is so important. Brava, Stepmother!

Prince Henry technically marries Elodie. But then he tosses her into a gorge, a sacrifice to the dragon who lives in the mountain. Prince Henry is not as evil as his mother, Queen Isabelle, because he has regrets. Or is he worse, because he knows what he is doing is wrong but does it anyway? We don't get enough development with respect to him, but I think he is just weak. Or rather, his mother is overbearing. Maybe, without Queen Isabelle, Prince Henry would be an okay guy. But, of course, there is a Queen Isabelle.

Queen Isabelle is played by Robin Wright, who starred in The Princess Bride as Buttercup. In many ways these movies are opposites (although Prince Humperdinck was planning to murder his bride, too). But Damsel has no true love – unless you count Elodie and Floria – and Elodie has no one coming to rescue her.

I love how Elodie takes the trappings of her marriage outfit – an apt word, trappings, as the hoop and the corset and the stupidities of the dress are meant to trap her by taking away her ability to move easily – and turns some of them into tools which she uses to escape. She also uses the trappings of royalty. The princesses who were sacrificed were all crowned, and she uses one of those circlets to climb the wall of crystals. Near the end, as she is creating a distraction in order to rescue her younger sister, Elodie even sacrifices her hair.

My favorite characters are the glowworms. Incorporating them into the film was clever, as otherwise the cave would be too dark for the audience to see anything. That’s still probably the biggest obstacle to enjoying the film more – too much of the movie is too dark to see easily. Obviously, it is set in a cave, and caves are dark, so the shadows and the sense of blindness are integral parts of the story.

Does the film have other defects? It seems strange that neither the dragon nor the people of Aurea questioned the arrangement. Possibly because, after the initial deaths of dragon eggs and princesses, they were not sacrificing anything. Possibly they were like that because they were blinded by wealth and comfort and rage did not want to do anything to risk it. Possibly because the dragon was too angry. Or possibly because humans and mythical creatures don't ask enough questions. Yet the Aureans knew it was wrong and most took pains to mask their faces while in the cave.

Lord Bayford, even though he came back, is also guilty, because he should have said no immediately, although I expect there is pressure on a leader when a realm is cold and starving. Lady Bayford, although too easily impressed by rank and wealth, redeems herself, first by trying to stop the marriage and then by trying to protect Floria. Throughout most of the film, Elodie calls her stepmother, “Stepmother.” But when they are escaping and returning home, at one point she calls her "Mother." She returns to using Stepmother later, but this use of the word Mother is an acknowledgement of the great service Lady Bayford did to find Elodie, leading to Floria's rescue.

Title musings. The movie’s title is "Damsel." This is obviously taken from the phrase “damsel in distress”, and Elodie certainly appears, after she is tossed into the gorge, to be a damsel in distress. But when she cries "help," no one saves her; although her father does try. She chooses not to be distressed. I like the title.

Bits and pieces

"Damsel" means a young unmarried woman of noble birth.

"Aurea" has several meanings, but in Latin it means golden. I think that’s why they chose it.

Elodie's treatment of the dragon and the glowworms is also extremely satisfying. I get tired of the idea that humans are always the superior creatures.

I believe there are times when you need to sacrifice a person for the sake of the rest.

Some bits don’t really make sense. Who made the map? Because if you escaped you probably wouldn’t come back. Although I guess that way out was not really a way to escape. Still if someone made it up there and then was forced backed, wouldn’t they have added to the map?

Also, how did so many of them manage to write their names?

Also, if this has been going on for centuries, and if the people learned what was going on – as Lord Bayford did – wouldn’t the secret have gotten out? Wouldn’t most people say no? On the other hand, blinding wealth – and that’s what Aurea has – can be truly blinding. And Lord Bayford's realm is way to the north.

I never understood how, in The Princess Bride, Buttercup became a princess. Unless she was already one while on the farm, she would only become one through marriage to Prince Humperdinck. And that never happened.

Quotes

Lord Bayford: This man, he has a fleet of ships, carriages full of gold.
Elodie: That’s no reason to marry.

Lord Bayford: What do you think, Ellie? Hmm?
Elodie: I think I had a rather limited definition of wealthy.

Lady Bayford: What have I been telling you this entire trip?
Elodie: First impressions are everything.
Floria: First impressions are everything.
Elodie: Fire is seen ahead in the fog. Father.
Lord Bayford: It looks almost... almost like a–
Floria: A dragon.

Queen Isabelle: I wish all the best for Henry and Eloise. I merely–
Lady Bayford: Elodie.
Queen Isabelle: Pardon?
Lady Bayford: My stepdaughter. Her name is Elodie.
Queen Isabelle: That’s what I said.

Elodie to the glowworms: I’m deeply sorry for underestimating you.

Dragon: That won’t kill me, but it will make me angry.
Elodie: Good. I’m angry too. We have both been lied to.

Queen Isabelle: You insolent creature. You think we ought to fear you now? Why? Because you somehow managed to escape the dragon?
Elodie: It’s not me you should fear.

Lady Bayford: You can’t be serious.
Elodie: But I am. We’ll run it together. We’ve got a bounty of supplies. Enough to get us through this freeze and the next.
Lady Bayford: Oh, Elodie.
Elodie: You’re the only person I trust to look after our people, Mother.

Overall rating

As I said, this movie is not subtle, but satisfying. Somehow, I needed this. Three out of four cracked dragon eggs.

Victoria Grossack loves math, birds, Greek mythology, Jane Austen and great storytelling in many forms.

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