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Gaston shows up at Belle's house and proposes marriage, in a scene rife with the threat of sexual violence. This is a Disney Movie? Maybe I've been watching too much Game of Thrones, but it was a little shocking just how scary this scene plays to me now.
The beginning plays as broad humour, with comic-relief villain Gaston bragging to assorted townsfolk (who go along with this) how he's getting married, but first he has to ask the bride! As I pointed out earlier, the animators' continuity was really good - all of the townsfolk are from earlier scenes.
Belle is quietly reading her book when there is a knock on the door. She uses one of Maurice's inventions to see who is at the door and it's Gaston, who despite being in 17th century France, knows to look into the camera! Viewing the scene for this commentary, I noticed something new: Belle does not open the door for Gaston, he barges in without being asked. I imagine that Belle would have quietly pretended to not be home otherwise.
And what does Gaston do in the house? He moves into her personal space, invades her privacy, and gets mud on her new book! Belle, in turn, repeatedly evades him, both physically and verbally, going so far as to put pieces of the furniture between the two of them (which Gaston lightly tosses aside). He never actually asks her to marry him. He does, however, insinuate that she will marry him, repeatedly.
Again, this is a Disney movie, so the gravity of the threat isn't going to impact children (though they'll certainly get that this is threatening). As grown-ups, we can recognize the true nature of the threat. Maurice isn't home (interesting coincidence that - I wonder of Gaston knew Maurice would be out of town for several days), Belle is alone, unarmed, and unable to defend against Maurice in any realistic way. He barges into the house, repeatedly tried to corner her, and he certainly wasn't taking no for an answer. In a more realistic setting, she'd have been in real danger of being raped, and I think the presence of half the village was about the only thing staying Gaston from some cartoon-equivalent action.
Anyway, Belle evades Gaston's kiss with some door-judo, and gravity launches Gaston into the pig sty, where the use of an actual pig to underline his pig-nature is made clear. At this point, Gaston is no longer a comic-relief villain, and has graduated to full-on evil bastard. An evil bastard that vows to do whatever it takes to "have Belle". Is there any question that Belle's life in the village (sans a supernatural encounter with a cursed prince) isn't going to rapidly become a nightmare?
Belle comes outside once everyone is gone and reiterates in song that she wants "much more than this provincial life". I suspect that I'm not the only person who cannot separate this sequence from the signature prancing-in-the-meadows scene front The Sound of Music. Apparently it was a deliberate homage.
Finally, Phillipe returns home, indicating to Belle that something has happened to Maurice and simultaneously giving her a way to get to him.
I really am going to try to do these more often than once a year. This one is small, because, aside from the implied threats, it really just underlines the characters some more, and sets up Gaston's later actions.
The beginning plays as broad humour, with comic-relief villain Gaston bragging to assorted townsfolk (who go along with this) how he's getting married, but first he has to ask the bride! As I pointed out earlier, the animators' continuity was really good - all of the townsfolk are from earlier scenes.
Belle is quietly reading her book when there is a knock on the door. She uses one of Maurice's inventions to see who is at the door and it's Gaston, who despite being in 17th century France, knows to look into the camera! Viewing the scene for this commentary, I noticed something new: Belle does not open the door for Gaston, he barges in without being asked. I imagine that Belle would have quietly pretended to not be home otherwise.
And what does Gaston do in the house? He moves into her personal space, invades her privacy, and gets mud on her new book! Belle, in turn, repeatedly evades him, both physically and verbally, going so far as to put pieces of the furniture between the two of them (which Gaston lightly tosses aside). He never actually asks her to marry him. He does, however, insinuate that she will marry him, repeatedly.
"This is the day your dreams come true."Finally, he figuratively pins her to the door.
"What do you know about my dreams, Gaston?"
"Say you'll marry me", insists Gaston.Belle really does have a masterful way of speaking the truth. I'm going to pay attention now because I suspect that she never once lies in this movie.
"I'm very sorry, Gaston, but... but... I just don't deserve you."
Again, this is a Disney movie, so the gravity of the threat isn't going to impact children (though they'll certainly get that this is threatening). As grown-ups, we can recognize the true nature of the threat. Maurice isn't home (interesting coincidence that - I wonder of Gaston knew Maurice would be out of town for several days), Belle is alone, unarmed, and unable to defend against Maurice in any realistic way. He barges into the house, repeatedly tried to corner her, and he certainly wasn't taking no for an answer. In a more realistic setting, she'd have been in real danger of being raped, and I think the presence of half the village was about the only thing staying Gaston from some cartoon-equivalent action.
Anyway, Belle evades Gaston's kiss with some door-judo, and gravity launches Gaston into the pig sty, where the use of an actual pig to underline his pig-nature is made clear. At this point, Gaston is no longer a comic-relief villain, and has graduated to full-on evil bastard. An evil bastard that vows to do whatever it takes to "have Belle". Is there any question that Belle's life in the village (sans a supernatural encounter with a cursed prince) isn't going to rapidly become a nightmare?
Belle comes outside once everyone is gone and reiterates in song that she wants "much more than this provincial life". I suspect that I'm not the only person who cannot separate this sequence from the signature prancing-in-the-meadows scene front The Sound of Music. Apparently it was a deliberate homage.
Finally, Phillipe returns home, indicating to Belle that something has happened to Maurice and simultaneously giving her a way to get to him.
I really am going to try to do these more often than once a year. This one is small, because, aside from the implied threats, it really just underlines the characters some more, and sets up Gaston's later actions.
