Angelina Jolie: Maleficent’s ‘stolen wings’ story is a ‘metaphor for rape’

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Angelina Jolie managed to find a sack dress in convenient pants-form. These are some pics from Day 2 of Jolie and William Hague’s Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict. Sack pants!! Angelina attended some of the speeches (she cried) and she gave an interview to BBC Radio’s Woman’s Hour (what, we only get an hour?) about the summit. The conversation turned to Maleficent, which is turning into the biggest hit of Angelina’s career. Full disclosure: I still haven’t seen it! I will. I don’t think this is a spoiler considering it was in some of the teaser trailers, but still – SPOILERS. You’ve been warned. Apparently, Maleficent had wings but they were stolen from her. She was drugged and her wings were torn off her body. And Angelina told BBC Radio that the “stolen wings” story is a metaphor for rape:

Angelina Jolie spoke to BBC Radio’s Woman’s Hour in a live broadcast Tuesday, June 10, where she compared one harrowing scene in Maleficent to rape. Addressing more than 300 government dignitaries at the London-hosted Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, UN Special Envoy Jolie was asked about the scene in the fairy tale fantasy film, in which the titular character’s wings are torn off her body by a childhood friend.

“We were very conscious, the writer [Linda Woolverton] and I, that it was a metaphor for rape,” Jolie said of the harrowing sequence, in which Maleficent’s wings are stolen as she’s in a drug-induced sleep. “This would be the thing that would make her lose sight…. At a certain point, the question of the story is what could possibly bring her back?”

Jolie explained to BBC Radio, “The core of [the film] is abuse, and how the abused have a choice of abusing others or overcoming and remaining loving, open people.” She added, “The question was asked, ‘What could make a woman become so dark? To lose all sense of her maternity, her womanhood, and her softness?'”

Jolie spoke about her 2011 directorial debut, In the Land of Blood of Honey, which tells the story of the rape of Bosnian women during the 1995 Bosnian War. “I didn’t realize how emotional this would be,” Jolie said of the film, which, after its release, prompted the Hague to become involved with the issue of rape in times of conflict.

The star’s reasons for tackling tough issues comes from her own life experiences, Jolie explained, revisiting her 2013 op-ed, in which she shared about her preventative double mastectomy.

“Having lost my mother [Marcheline Bertrand, along] with the thought that if she had the surgery, she may have been around years longer to have met my other children… The thought of telling my children I had cancer—because I didn’t have the surgery—was more frightening to me. It was very important, and I am very happy that I made a decision that will help me be around for my children. I wanted to speak to other women, I wanted them to know there were options. It was, in fact, an easy choice.”

[From Us Weekly]

Will this stolen-wings-as-a-rape-metaphor story upset people who think Angelina might be trivializing actual rape? It does not upset me. From what I understand, the scene in Maleficent is harrowing and I think representing that kind of physical violation can be used legitimately in a work of art to represent rape. She’s not saying “being photographed by the paparazzi is like rape,” like some people. She’s talking about a fictional representation, an artistic metaphor. But I’m consistently surprised by what some people choose to complain about when it comes to Jolie.

PS… I’ll have the new photos of Jolie & Pitt in another post later today.

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Photos courtesy of Getty, Pacific Coast News.

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114 Responses to “Angelina Jolie: Maleficent’s ‘stolen wings’ story is a ‘metaphor for rape’”

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  1. The Wizz says:

    I’m surprised that anyone would think the stolen wings is anything but a metaphor for rape. It seems fairly clear.

    • BangersandMash says:

      I agree,

      But I must admit that minutes after I watched the movie, I thought, that it represented her power. He took her power away from her.

      That moment was moving in the film, and then it turned to absolute RAGE. Maleficent was pissed, she was straight up ANGRY!!! I’ve never seen a woman that angry on screen in a long time.

      • SK says:

        But that is what rape is about: power and taking someone else’s from them. It is not about sexual desire. Rape is removing someone’s agency over their own body and sexuality from them. All of the studies into the psychology of rape show this; that it is about power. So I think this metaphor is perfect and your initial reaction to it is correct.

    • Lisa says:

      Oh totally! That scene, when she wakes up and is walking away from the scene, limping, in pain from the wings brutally ripped off her back! I would say, holy crap, I can only imagine what it feels like to feel so violated and betrayed! Very powerful scene! Loved the movie!

    • 2manycookies says:

      I think a metaphoric rape scene is far better than the horribly realistic rape scenes in some movies. Gotta be careful not to feed the beast!

      I’ve heard that some actresses are traumatized when the are asked-made to play out a rape scene.

    • Sarah says:

      I agree. That scene! It is horrific and I thought it was pretty clear what the metaphor was. She was violated in the worst way that she could be. It was very intense. My 12 year old son also understood it immediately.

    • don't kill me i'm french says:

      No,i disagree .i don’t see why to to cut her wings is a metaphor of rape BUT the scene just before is clearly about the rape drug

    • Lucinda says:

      I didn’t make the connection when I saw the movie but that’s the thing about metaphors. They interpretation is based upon the individual who sees the metaphor as much as it is the person who writes it. Fortunately, I have no personal experience with sexual violence so it wasn’t what came to mind. I do see metaphors all the time though that people with different experience than me see.

      That being said, I thought it was a very powerful scene about a woman/fairy being hurt and betrayed in the most personal way possible so I think a rape metaphor is a very reasonable connection to make in that scene without traumatizing children who are too young to understand something like that.

    • GirlyGirl says:

      Well duh.

      She must think her audience is as thick as paste

  2. Nicolette says:

    That scene was heartbreaking and intense. My thought was it would be too intense for kids in the audience. She managed to make the audience sympathetic to Maleficent, and I found myself rooting for her revenge. Incredible talent.

  3. lisa2 says:

    I remember that scene and it was sad.. I felt that pain when she woke up and found what had happened.

    I’m sure some are going scream and make ugly comments. They will say if so and so said this… but many people online were saying this way before Angie said a word. I think the feeling of something being taken from you physically without your consent is what she is saying. That physical betrayal. Her reaction in the film was heartbreaking and yes I teared up. The reporter is the one that brought it up too. Not her.

    so to each his own in how you view it.

    Looking forward to the next thread.. I’m glad Brad is there supporting her and this cause. They have always done that for each other and it is a big deal for her Co-Chairing it.

    • Godwina says:

      This, and also the fact that in literature wings are often a metaphor for “innocence,” so (in a traditional “virgin = good innocent creature context,” however problematic that may be) having one’s wings stolen against one’s will (while in a prone position to boot) becomes an easy leap to rape. There’s a long rich literary and even mythic tradition to back that up.

  4. lower-case deb says:

    this writer at Femamom received so much vitriol over the scene of what Angelina Jolie finally confirmed herself
    http://femamom.com/2014/06/12/angelina-jolie-writer-linda-woolverton-admit-maleficent-rape-scene/

    also, here is the complete recording of BBC Woman Hour segment. AJ in the first 5 mins or so, then the next hour is really poignant as a Ugandan kidnap/rape survivor told her story, and an on-the-ground activist drives home some brutal truth about ongoing gender crisis.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0460hz8

  5. Samtha says:

    A lot of people already picked up on the rape metaphor. That was how I interpreted it as well, and as a survivor, I found the movie empowering and moving. Why would using a metaphor for rape trivialize it? I could see maybe if it were making light of rape, but it doesn’t.

    • Jenna says:

      Haven’t had a chance yet to see the movie (weekend plans with the hubby at the GOOD theater – ie, the one with arm chairs, sofas, tables, a bar and the ability to go into the back and pace if I get twitchy… which is pretty much anytime I have to go sit in a dark room with strangers. Hadn’t managed to sit through a movie in public in years before we found this awesome little place. But they only do one movie at a time and never opening week for viewing. Which is also good… because smaller crowds are a bonus!) and I just wanted to say a huge thank for both the heads up – given in the blog itself – and hearing another survivor saw it already and had a pretty positive view of it. I admit it, in movies – I’m a wuss. Still can’t watch HP movies because of the casual cruelty to children & pretty dismissive ‘eh, yeah his family abuses him’ attitude. I can READ it, can’t watch it. And I’ve left movies that have gone the ‘well, yeah, she didn’t want it at the TIME, but obviously it was a misunderstanding/really she did/he didn’t mean’ route. I had heard a tiny bit about how that scene might have played and was on the fence about going – now I’ll go, get my vodka & cranberry, grab the comfy couch with my honey, and not stress it. Thanks so much !

      • Chris says:

        Hey Jenna
        That cinema sounds heavenly. I avoid big screens for only very trivial reasons…TOO LOUD. Glad you found such a haven. Anyhoo, ‘bon courage’ with Maleficent, lady.

    • Cecilia says:

      So weird. I made the connection immediately while watching the movie. I put down my observation in a previous post about Maleficent & my comment was deleted but now here it is with it’s own thread. To me, that scene was heartbreaking. I was waiting for it to be brought up.

    • Lucinda says:

      I’m glad you found the movie empowering. I think it was pretty amazing too and was so glad I could take my son and daughter to it.

  6. Frida_K says:

    I can see how this could be a metaphor for rape. And when she wakes up and realizes what she hast lost, Maleficent’s wails of agony are chilling.

    It was a good movie. Some parts of it were kind of dumb and/or cheesy, but the message underlying it all is really sound. If I had a tween daughter, we’d go see this together more than once and we’d follow it up with conversations about feminism, bodily sovereignty, and the nature of what constitutes a family.

    • lower-case deb says:

      this afternoon, after picking the tweens up from school, we went to pick their father up and then we went to see Maleficent because they wanted to. i had promised them a mid-week movie many months ago, but they only cashed it in today. they told me they wanted to see Maleficent because most of the kids at school had seen it.

      so away we went.

      i had been aware of many people mentioning rape metaphors, or making trigger warnings of rape, even before AJ made this statement. i mainly read it on Tumblr, Twitter, and also movie reviews. so i’m not going to talk about it. and have no desire to talk about it to be honest.

      what i’m going to mention here, following your comment on feminism is how the film made allusions of a generational female empowerment in the film, mainly through Aurora and Leila. i’m surprised no one in the Western press did not pick more up on this, because even in the 3/4-full movie theater, that’s what i heard the most (third only to AJ’s prosthetic cheeks and Vivienne’s appearance).

      without giving too much away, and i try to keep to within what’s publicly known (trailers/featurettes):
      Leila represents the ‘older generation’ of ladies–reminded me of my grandmother and mother. They don’t have their own ‘identity’, only that provided to them by Patriarchy. They become meek and they grow to ACCEPT that they don’t have an identity. her father decided who she should marry, her husband took what’s her birthright (she is considered not up to a ‘man’s job). and in the end she is like a ghost.

      Aurora represents the ‘younger generation of ladies’, who happens to be brought up by a group of strong women (the pixies, or i would rather remember the three goo fairies from the original; also Maleficent) and she is not afraid to make her own decisions, she does what she does, she even make a decision about family without fear of what her father (patriarchy) will do to her. she will take her birthright, she will decide her own job–even what is traditionally ‘a man’s job’–and she will decide whom she marry thank you very much.

      (and more or less reminds me of Crown Princess Victoria and the Lovely Princess Estelle…. btw… still waiting for a post on the christening of Princess Leonore….)

      this affects me (and apparently some women i overheard in the toilet too).

      maybe it’s because of the country where i live? our cultural background? i don’t know.

      N.B. since this is a children’s movie, i feel i need to say that my children like it. the boy likes it when the dragons come out (the beginning and end of the movie), the girls like the crow and Vivienne.

      when i asked them whether the wings scene scared them, they said that it’s not scary but it makes them angry. “i want to slap him,” my eldest daughter said.

      all three of them thought the giant mosquito is the scariest. again, maybe living in a tropical country and having been dreadfully ill from mosquito-borne illness, it presents a much more immediate threat to them. when we arrived home, my they all extracted a promise for me to call the fumigator to come tomorrow morning and make sure no giant mosquitos live in the house. this is really interesting for me, because i pride my kids for being mature an level-headed most of the time (they would, having to live with a headcase mother like me), but that they regressed to irrational fear, makes me want to hug them a lot. which they allowed.

      (i hope i have not spoiled anyone who haven’t watched it, although from the way my kids tell me, i’m the absolute last person on earth to have not watch it)

  7. Hannah says:

    Don’t knock Woman’s Hour!

  8. enastein says:

    But each rottentomatote review mentioned that even without the Angie saying it.

  9. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    I don’t usually comment on Jolie threads, in fact, I swore I never would again because they get so ugly, but I just love her and her compassion for other women, and her work to stop sexual violence.

  10. Just Me (and my Bobby McGee) says:

    I read a news article a couple of days ago regarding connecting rape to this scene and the attached reader comment section was absolutely VICIOUS. It was really eye opening how violently opposed some readers were to drawing parallels to the two.

  11. Maria says:

    I can see it and agree with it being an artistic metaphor.

    She’s not equating the two, simply drawing a parallel.

    On a vain note: that outfit is hideous, I want to burn those pants.

    • lrm says:

      As someone mentioned up thread, mythology and literature are rich with metaphor. That’s what classic fairy tales are, too. And poetry. It’s not downplaying it at all to see the wings parallelled to rape or violation. Also, many people find healing through this kind of technique-sure, culturally it’s not appropriate to discuss outright in some locations [and historically this was the case, too] but also: sometimes direct discussion is also traumatizing and too difficult for someone who has already experienced this, so a metaphor helps people to face something head on.

  12. SnarkySnarkers says:

    I gotta see this movie! I’m gonna drag my sister with me this weekend I think. My hubs will go but he would just be humoring me. I’m not offended by that as a metaphor at all and I’m a sexual abuse survivor. I swear the Jolie can do no wrong in my mind though so maybe I’m the wrong one to ask.

  13. Lindy79 says:

    I haven’t seen it yet but the reviews I have read say that the scene is upsetting/distressing so from that I don’t think she is trivializing anything, she seems too smart for that and she has done so much work in this area, it just doesn’t seem like she would attach herself to anything that would. Granted I also never thought I’d hear Charlize Theron comparing press intrusion to rape so what do I know?

    *on the subject of wings though, can I just say that those trousers have enough material that if a stiff breeze comes along, she’s in danger of being blown away Mary Poppins style*

    • ArtHistorian says:

      it is upsetting, that wounded scream she makes after waking up and finding her body violated is heatbreaking, and so is her pained limping away. It is heartbreaking to se her realize that someone she trusted and loved violated her trust and her body.

      The rest of the film is lovely, especially the realtionship between Maleficent and the young Aurora. I was actually surprise how much is was about female friendship and/or maternal feelings. It was really nice to see in a mainstream adventure-fantasy flick.

      • lrm says:

        yea, that’s what’s encouraging is to have a different type of film out there and AJ is one of the few who can carry a movie, as far as female actors go…Lainey also mentioned, as someone else upthread here did, how AJ was allowed to show anger and rage-which is almost unheard of in films today.

        I swear, the film and music industries have devolved in the last 20 years. It seems like female led movies and action movies/different genres were taking hold and expanding, and now….it’s like we are back to square one, except we don’t even have the male chivalry that was in films of the past to at least lend some level of respect to the fact that women were stereotyped. Now, it’s just side thing, play thing, trivial females at the beck and call of men, for the most part.

        Then again, I don’t even go to the movies once a year anymore, if that. I did see Grand Budapest Hotel though-b/c Wes Anderson.

  14. Chinoiserie says:

    I have not seen the film but many have said the stealing of wings is metaphor for rape. But I have also seen people who say that would be stupid and said that it is not a metaphor for rape but lose of power and if it was for rape it would make the film worse. So I wonder how the fans will react.

    But I am not interested in seeing this, I have just seen some comments about it. I do not think this is a controversial statement really.

    • BendyWindy says:

      I haven’t really read anything about Maleficent because I don’t want to be spoiled, but, seriously? People are saying it’s a metaphor for loss of power, but not rape? HELLO. Rape is about loss of power.

      People are dumb.

      • amanda says:

        agreed 100%

      • Algernon says:

        There are so many people in the world, men and women, who just don’t want to think about Bad Things. They just don’t want to make the connection, even when it is blatant and barely veiled, because it means facing hard and difficult things. This is why rape culture continues, and, in my opinion, is getting worse. Too many people don’t want to tell their daughters that this bad thing might happen to them, or tell their sons they do have the potential to become monstrous in an instant (that’s why I liked that recent episode of Louie in which he assaulted his friend/love object Pamela, because it showed how quickly and easily a situation can turn dark, and that even “nice guys” can make that turn). I think these are the same people who blame video games and rock music for instances of violence. They just don’t want to think about the ways in which we’re all connected and how dangerous the world can become in a moment.

      • Lucinda says:

        Thank you. You said exactly what I was going to say. Rape is not about sex. It is about power. The victim has her power taken from her.

  15. Wilma says:

    Sorry for my English, not a native speaker and bit of a headache. I love Angelina and what she does, but I don’t think she should have said this. Only rape is like rape. What she describes here sounds like being assaulted (which I was) and that can be traumatizing like hell. Took me six years to stop crying when I heard a loud and unexpected sound for instance. My sister was raped and it’s a special kind of hell that’s hard to compare.
    Also the mentioning of abusing others, of losing your softness etc.? Does not feel right when you’re talking about rape. She’s convoluting a lot of different things here.

    • Lindy79 says:

      Welcome and you’re English is absolutely fine 🙂

      I think maybe in relation to the losing your softness comment, she may be referring more to societies attitude towards rape. Posters here put it really well yesterday, better than I ever could but it was basically about how rape is used as a tool, to make women seem damaged etc. and she wanted to show how women can react towards the act.
      I personally think it’s quite a good metaphor to use in the film. She’s betrayed and violated by someone she thought she could trust and it’s about how she survives and recovers.

      • Chris says:

        Same here Lindy
        I ranted and raged about Theron but this is entirely different, imo….and very much to be applauded. Early reviews I read all picked. Up on it too, impressed by the narrative device. A metaphor isn’t a simile, after all. Theron and Jolie are apples and oranges in this argument.

    • Kim1 says:

      IA part of her was ripped from her body without her consent.I have been reading about genital mutilation in the US in the NYTimes. I understand that GM is not rape but that type of physical violation where a part of your body is literally” ripped” from your body ….I would think that type of physical act is comparable to being raped.I have been sexually assaulted and it wouldn’t offend me if a girl who experienced genital cutting compared it to being raped in terms of the physical violation.

    • Lucinda says:

      She didn’t say it was rape. She said it was symbolic of rape. There is a big difference. For some victims, this scene was very symbolic of rape. For Jolie as well obviously. For others, like you, it is not symbolic of rape. She didn’t trivialize or dismiss the horror of rape. If anything, she is acknowledging that it is so horrible that she couldn’t actually put it in the film so she did it symbolically. That’s all.

  16. Luca26 says:

    Fairy tales have been filled with allegories and metaphors for more adult situations for centuries. So I think it’s fair use and not even close to what Charlize, or Kristen Stewart, or Johnny Depp said. It’s a literary device.
    I’m not a fan of those pants but boy is she lovely.

    • annaloo. says:

      Mythology also. I remember reading about how the Greek Gods would leave Olympus to fool around.. .I remember the story of Zeus raping Io — and I read this as a third grader!

  17. Godwina says:

    Those pants are great! I have “sack pants” similar to that and I’m always getting compliments and questions about where I bought them because others want em too. Sack pants for everyone!

    • lisa2 says:

      damn I want those pants.. I think they are Michael Kors.

      I would be wearing those all the time. I am going to get a pair for fall. I don’t care how much they cost.. I love flowy pants. I love that movement around my legs.

      • kri says:

        Being physically attacked and mutilated by another person/people is an ugly reality in this world we live in. Yesterday, we heard from posters here about some of their awful experiences, and it was heartbreaking. But the fact that they are here and shared was amazing-at least to me. I haven’t seen the movie, but that is how I will take that scene-that it was about power being ripped away from someone, and how they dealt with the aftermath. I wonder how many of us there are out here, managing without wings.

      • Godwina says:

        Me too! I have summer versions, too, in cotton, because they’re (1) cool and breezy in hot weather and (2) keep the suns rays off. Flow-y joy.

    • Wren33 says:

      I love that outfit on her, but maybe because I am so used to seeing her only in black.

  18. Andrea1 says:

    Some reviewers and movie critics already drew this comparism even before Angie said So.

  19. Fel says:

    It was subtle and well done. This is exactly how I understood it while watching the scene.
    The whole movie had good strong feminist points. 🙂

  20. happymama says:

    That’s what I thought when I watched that scene. The movie was well done. I believe this was the first empowering Disney movie for all people, not just girls. Good work, Angelina. You have my respect and gratitude.

  21. mkyarwood says:

    An interesting idea for a retelling. I was kind of hypnotized by those giant pants tho, so…

  22. Delta Juliet says:

    I have not seen the movie yet (hoping to go next week) but I can see what she is saying. Malificent was physically violated, which is basically what rape is (and I say this as a sexual assault victim). It’s not offensive in the way that others have said “I hate having my picture taken! It’s like being raped!” Ummmm, no. No, it’s not and THAT is offensive. Saying something is a metaphor for rape is not the same as saying something IS LIKE rape.

    I don’t think I’m expressing my thoughts very effectively here but I can’t seem to find the right words this morning.

    • akivasha says:

      I think your thoughts are exactly on point 🙂
      I am sorry for what you had gone through and hope you are okay now 🙂 *hugs*

      But in my opinion THIS IS THE BEST LIVE ACTION DISNEY MOVIE EVER! Loved it and saw it twice and would see it again but this is a must for DVD buying 🙂

    • Lucinda says:

      You expressed yourself very well. Having seen the film, I agree with you completely and found the movie to be very well done.

  23. Rose says:

    That movie is awful. The methapor was quite evident.

  24. phlyfiremama says:

    I am just such an Angeloonie these days. Sigh. Maleficient was incredible; the having her wings forcibly stripped from her after she was unknowingly drugged by a male she thought she could trust was heart rending and truly a reflection of a culture of brutality towards women that has become so ingrained that we don’t even recognize it anymore. I love that instead of just being the victim, she did in fact extract her revenge. If more women did that, there would be fewer crimes against us. The old adage an “eye for an eye” (or the equivalent) would certainly be an actual deterrent, rather than the multiple cities who don’t even bother to process the rape kits or bother to have their law enforcement officers adedquately follow up on domestic violence cases. The ineffective messages of “hey don’t do that but if you do you won’t get punished” have got to turn to far more punitive and consequential actions at every level before this culture changes. Make the punishment fit the crime, and~newsflash~ fewer of these crimes will be committed.

  25. Jade says:

    The scene was well done and subtle. However, I found the story and the script a bit weak so the movie was just ok for me. If this movie was not helmed by her, it would really be lacklustre. At least she’s always mesmerizing to look at. I watched it to support her.

  26. feebee says:

    Gawd!!!!!!! I haven’t seen the movie yet… was going to take my daughters. Is it too dark?? When referring to this (and some others) as a Disney movie I think we’re going to have to start adding an asterisk or is it just me who still thinks of Disney first as Mickey Mouse et al and little Chip and Dale?

    ‘What could make a woman become so dark? To lose all sense of her maternity, her womanhood, and her softness?’ Again, I haven’t seen the movie but reading that question I was thinking she could ask a couple of the nuns I faced in school.

    • Chinoiserie says:

      I have not seen it but it is a PG film. And it is a metaphor not a rape scene. But as a Disney fan Disney is not just cute little animals, have you seen Pinocchio, Black Cauldron or Hunchback of Notre Dame? There is dark stuff for children in other films too like Bambi and Lion King. But like Walt Disney said it is good for children to get a little scared. Children can handle dark stuff is there is a happy ending and they are with parents just fine. But I do not know what age your children are, maybe not if they are 3 or something, then they should watch G rated stuff.

    • Lucinda says:

      I wouldn’t take little, little kids because it does have some scary stuff. However, I found it less scary than the bear scene at the beginning of Brave. It also has some very cute moments and lots of laughter. I probably would have waited until my kids were at least 8-9 to see this movie. Check out commonsensemedia.org. They give really detailed reviews of what to be concerned about and what is the appropriate age. I have found it to be spot on for my kids many many times.

  27. FingerBinger says:

    I thought Maleficent was a kid’s movie. It’s interesting that there is an Angelina post everyday. I guess Kaiser has a new favorite.

    • MorticiansDoItDeader says:

      NEW favorite? She’s been her favorite for as long as I’ve been here.

      I have yet to see this movie but I’m glad Disney is shifting away from their formulaic approach to film. Prior to Frozen all of their films started with killing the mother and ended with finding the prince to take care of the weak little woman. I’m thrilled that this film touches on sexual violence in a way that allows us to start a dialogue with our sons and daughters. I was also a fan of the fact that the love between two sisters broke the curse at the end of frozen. The girls didn’t need a man to make them right.

      • Lucinda says:

        Me too!

      • pwal says:

        I’m glad you included boys in this, because beyond Stefan’s violation of Maleficent, the fact that he readily acquired the king’s prejudice, despite knowing the true nature of the Moors and Maleficent made the betrayal even more devastating. Him being a human didn’t excuse him from jumping head-first into ambition on that scale. Him being an orphan didn’t excuse it either, as Maleficent was an orphan too. His flagrant rejection of their time together was bad, but then violating her and then persuading his wife and his people that Maleficent was the danger, with no legitimate cause or grievance, and then their final encounter when he gloated about Maleficent’s loss were the reasons why his @$$ needed to go. Only wished it was more painful.

        But back to the boys… boys need to learn that violation of anybody based on prejudice and ambition is not alright. There should be a discussion about the difference between competition and violation too, since winning a contest and feeling empowered by it is radically different than physically or mentally violating someone in the name of being more to others and to oneself.

      • Delta Juliet says:

        “I was also a fan of the fact that the love between two sisters broke the curse at the end of frozen. The girls didn’t need a man to make them right. ”

        I loved Frozen anyway but what you said right there was what really stuck with me and made me cry. Because honestly, the love your family has for you is usually stronger than the love any “prince” is going to have. I was so happy they had the sisters save each other.

    • Alexis says:

      hahaha, this isn’t new, as Mort said! i love AJ and the fact that the staff here loves her too is a draw of the site for me.

      • MorticiansDoItDeader says:

        @Delta J, so true! I hope my my daughter and sons have enough support, love and affection at home and are secure enough not to look for someone outside themselves to complete them.

  28. malina says:

    I personally don’t like the message she’s putting across with: ‘What could make a woman become so dark? To lose all sense of her maternity, her womanhood, and her softness?’” As if all women are born with these characteristics and it’s only through abuse that they might lose it. Woman = maternity, womanhood, softness (Feminism of difference much?), a woman lacking these = a damaged woman? But each to their own…

    • Kate says:

      I agree, but she really seems to favour this line of thinking. She used the same/similar descriptive’s for women as a group many times, and it always makes me raise an eyebrow. Same thing with men, all descriptions of Brad for example are framed to fit a very stereotypically masculine ideal even when that doesn’t seem at all relevant. The language choice always strikes me as very odd.

    • Chris says:

      That did give me pause, too Malina.
      I want to let it go, as AJ has all my admiration….. but for sure, that’s not *my* experience of being a woman. So far, I’ve rationalised letting it go because of her own visible and articulated delight in embracing these qualites. She seems to hold, au fond, some views that are too conservative for moi, but I can’t help cheering her anyway!..

      • mayamae says:

        She herself has said that people often perceive her as more liberal than she is, and that Brad is actually much more liberal than her. I read that maybe five years ago or so.

    • Ennie says:

      I bet she is realtime to who she currently is. She is a woman, a mother, someone who has a softer side. Maybe if she had done this 15 or 18 years ago she would have related differently.

      Even with that, abuse can make you hard, insensitive, and you can even start abusing others yourself because that is what you learn. I think that that is what she was referring too.

    • cro-girl says:

      I see what you’re saying Malina but it’s a story about Maleficent and it applies to her, I don’t think its a comment on all women.

  29. Mandy says:

    I wasn’t a big Jolie fan before this movie. She’s so incredibly gorgeous and mesmerizing in it.

  30. Mzizkrizten says:

    It’s disturbing to me that a movie everyone is bringing their young daughters to see has a scene that eludes to rape.

    • Ennie says:

      Oh, please, every children’s tale is like that!, at least the classic ones. Just read the original! Remember the Hammelin musician? the Grimm brothers, Perrault, even Andersen have terribly sad or even cruel aspects to the stories (little mermaid?)
      These tales were told not only to entertain, they were part of oral history and aimed to warn, caution the young ones of the dangers of life, of being too adventurous… Red Riding Hood anyone?
      Today’s tales by Disney have been quite whitewashed, but this is live action and it is actually PG for a reason.
      BTW as a younger teen I read the original Andersen tales, they were disturbing in a good way, they haunted me as much as Edgar Allan Poe’s tales, they were great stories, any times with sad endings, full of feelings.

    • MorticiansDoItDeader says:

      I think it’s an excellent way to start a dialogue about the ways in which people can be violated. As the victim of childhood sexual abuse , I wish my parents had told me I shouldn’t be ashamed or afraid to tell them. It took me 20+ years and therapy to tell them what happened (and for most of the guilt I felt to subside).

    • Eleonor says:

      The original Cinderella story was quite dark with the sisters cutting their fingers to fit in the shoe. Children’s tale, at least the classic ones, are pretty gruesome.

    • serena says:

      It doesn’t. if you didn’t read it you wouldn’t even know about it. It’s about her sorrow that is clear, and how that can turn into vengeance or love. What’s wrong with that?

    • Chris says:

      With luck, young children will be innocent in the face of the allusion and see what is on screen. Slightly older girls may pick up the no shame reaction to an assault at least, no?

    • phlyfiremama says:

      I think you mean alludes, not eludes~alludes means to imply a suggestion of, eludes means to evade something/someone. That being said, children pick up SO MUCH more than they are given credit for. Even if a direct definition of something is undefined, complex emotional contexts are absorbed. Fairy tales and stories give a basis for children to learn about unpleasant aspects of life without necessarily having to experience these unpleasant things themselves, and also provide a backdrop and beginning point for parents to further explain things to their children. It is a PARENTS job to educate their children, not the entertainment industry. Life is NOT rainbows and unicorns, in a world increasingly going nuts~there have been over 74 school shootings JUST since Sandy Hook, and the sexual offenses against children and women on the rise~it is increasingly crucial to educate our kids about these very real dangers, and dangerous attitudes.

    • pwal says:

      The scene didn’t elude to rape, per se. It alluded to betrayal that came completely out of left field. Children know and learn that there is mutual understanding; however, some doesn’t see it as important, especially if something else is dangled in front of them. I took the scene as rape/molestation by a trusted person, but small children could take it as something in line with their own life experiences, i.e. being rejected because they are the ‘wrong’ sex or race, too poor/rich, not pretty/attractive enough, not able to fit in to the new group, etc.

      The rejection due to assuming an outsider’s prejudice and dismissing one’s own first-hand experience is what going to hit kids, not the implication of rape, unless the child has been through some sort of violation within that realm.

  31. MsMercury says:

    I pretty much knew everyone on this site would give Angie a pass but I cannot believe these comments. First I like Angie but I do not agree with anything she said in the quote it is all problematic. Second every person comparing rape to assault & mutilation is offensive to rape victims (like me) there is a difference. For someone who has become a spokesperson for ending war-time rape she should know better. Disappointed.

    • phlyfiremama says:

      At least people are now TALKING about the situation, not burying it under the rug and ignoring the elephant in the room.

      • MsMercury says:

        @phlyfiremama :The movie industry always talks about rape though. Rape is in our culture and everyone likes to liken everything to rape when this isn’t rape. Look at how movies are rated. If there is a rape scene in it will get a lower rating but if it is a scene where a women is enjoying herself sexually the scene is usually cut. My problem is that Angie is calling something rape when it isn’t. And there is too much rape on our tvs and movies.

      • phlyfiremama says:

        MsMercury, ITA with you~there is FAR too much ( for lack of a better term) fantasy rape portrayed in ALL media. As a consequence, it normalizes and desensitizes people to what it really is, and allows for the ignorance of comparing being photographed to something so fundamentally truly physically violating. The incessent slut shaming and victim blaming make the situation even worse, so much so that the most frequent victims have trouble coming forward and saying what has been done to them AT ALL, much less carrying through with the legal battles and nightmares they have to face in order to MAYBE get some justice from a system seemingly bent on proving that it was somehow THEIR fault to begin with. I hope that this summit opens up real, honest conversations on the scale, scope, and many forms that sexual predation can manifest as not just in conflicts but in everyday life.

    • Chris says:

      I do, sincerely, accept that you have the greater insight into the subject , and I’m sorry you’re offended by all the positive reaction here. But AJ/writer is not making a comparison; the episode is a metaphor, and as such is intended as the thing itself, in all its force.

    • Lucinda says:

      I’m so sorry for what you have suffered. That is awful. As someone else said, she is talking in literary terms which is quite different. She is saying it is a symbol for something awful. Her interpretation is rape. Your interpretation might be quite different. But it is not the same as comments comparing being photographed to rape. I don’t know if you have seen the film, but the scene is very powerful and the pain she portrays emotionally and physically during the scene is heartbreaking. She is not making light of rape at all. Instead, she is giving families a way to start the conversation about power and abuse.

      • MsMercury says:

        @Lucinda : I’m sure Angie has good intentions but I hate to label things something the wrong way. We already use the word rape too much to describe things that aren’t rape. I would appreciate her point of view more if she didn’t label it the way she did.

    • Kim1 says:

      That’s your opinion.I am a sexual assault survivor and I am not offended.Also I believe Female Genital Mutilation is just as traumatic ,damaging,violating,etc.My innocence was stolen,my spirit was broken but I .didn’t suffer the pain of having my clitoris removed or more vulva sewn shut.We can agree to disagree.I speak for myself and will never speak for the hundreds of millions of women who have been raped.

    • Pinky Rose says:

      I think you are confussing what she is saying. Many times filmakers can’t be quite explicit or graphic when they want to present some serious situations if their target audience are kids and teens who obviously will be shocked to see very violent scenes. Otherwise it would be given other rating by the MPAA. Also many diirectors do not like to present topics as bluntly, so they rely on methaphors and subtle symbolism for it. Here, Jolie is not comparing rape to anything, she is just saying what this scene really represents. She is explaning why the scene is powerful and a pivotal scene. Nothing more, nothing else really,

    • The Original G says:

      The idea that no one, ever, in any context can ever talk about rape except rape victims, is I think problematic. Acts of aggression and betrayal are part of life and the depiction of them in art and literature through metaphor, comparison. symbolism etc. is part of the human struggle to understand and come to terms with them.

  32. jj says:

    And yet its still acting!

  33. The Original Mia says:

    That’s what I thought when I heard about the scene. Hence, my rooting for Maleficent to hurt the King and hurt him good.

  34. lrm says:

    Also, OF course rotten tomatoes critics only averaged 51%. It’s a game to me now with that site-to see how unbalanced and biased the predominantly male reviewer scores are. Iron Man? X men? oh yea, you can bet they are getting close to 100%. Some horrid will smith summer action drivel? It’s STILL getting close to 80% usually. Whereas a cheesy rom com starring funny actors will get pummeled. I know women love to hate on rom coms, too. But I think this rating discrepancy is symbolic for our society-how we glorify violence and heroics, and down grade the ideas of love and romance b/c we are somehow sickened by how ‘unrealistic’ they are. But, naturally, men in suits flying are so ‘realistic’??? [sarcasm noted].

    I just don’t get it. I’m not surprised they’d rank a female empowered and driven disney movie so low, but yet it seems illogical b/c by all accounts, Malificent is a good movie. Oh, and it’s not just the animated or disney films issue-they normally highly rank all that animated c*ap that we take our kids to see. Most of it is fairly innocuous, but not worthy of great reviews. Anyway, who takes RT seriously, I suppose. LOL. I just find it interesting social commentary, when reading through the ‘top critic’ reviews.

    • Pinky Rose says:

      Well, sometimes movies with great topics and woman on center are just not good movies. What makes a movie great is not the topic or message or the genders of the leading actors or if it made for be a blockbuster. A movie is good if it has a solid and inmaginative script, a cinematography that presents what the director wants to tell and enhances it by making it appealing, a focused direction which has to precise and show all the said before almost in an effortless way (that can be showy, subtle, etc.). That is what makes a movie worth revisting and not the topic it has, so professional critics and film lovers evalue films in a different way. I don’t know why are you putting Iron Man (saved the first one which had a great critical response) or The X-men movies as examples when many of those sequels have been trashed.

  35. Her Indoors says:

    I saw the movie last night with my teenage daughter. Just wonderful and I’m not at all a fan of Disney. First 3D movie I’ve seen too.
    My daughter said afterwards how great it was to see a film that didn’t push the “girl needs a man to survive/prosper” cliche. Maternal or (god maternal) love saved the day.
    And that scene with toddler Aurora was spellbinding.
    Loved it, loved everything about it.

    • phlyfiremama says:

      (*nods sheepishly) Yeah, Vivienne as toddler Aurora really made my heart melt too!! I can TOTALLY see why another toddler would have been scared! The Jolie is a force of nature, I wouldn’t want her angry at ME!!!

  36. Intro Outro says:

    It was a heart-wrenching scene in the film, but I did not perceive it as a metaphor for rape per se – rather, as a metaphor for the destruction of one’s identity and nature. However, I now see how this can also be interpreted as a rape metaphor – because rape can destroy a person’s sense of self-worth =(

    My heart goes out to all rape survivors here.

  37. cro-girl says:

    My only beef is whoever said rape in conflict crimes were only investigated after Blood and Honey was released. That’s just not true. I think the worst war in the world for rape crimes was in Bosnia in the 90’s and there has been over twenty years of legal action via The Hague and the International War Criminal Tribunal. It hasnt always been just but rape as a weapon of war has been a concept forged because of what went on in Bosnia. Bless her for the work she does but it was going down long before she stepped up to her humanitarian role.

  38. Izzy says:

    It’s certainly more apt a metaphor than, say, having your photo taken by an annoying photographer.

    Seriously though, the character is drugged – powerless and unable to consent. Her wings are torn from her – a horrible physical violation (as opposed to just having your picture taken), and it’s taking away her power. Rape is not about sex, it’s about violence and power over someone else. So yes, I’d have to agree, Maleficent’s trauma is a metaphor for rape.

    Note to Charlize Theron and Kristen Stewart: having your photo taken is NOT anything like rape, so STFU and learn something from Angelina. PLEASE.

  39. bowers says:

    Sleeping Beauty has always been a metaphor for rape, but not all women have to be maternal to be “womanly.”

  40. Amulla says:

    That scene in the film did remind me of a date rape situation, where a man spends the night with a woman he’s involved with, rapes her in the middle of the night.

    It could also be a metaphor for the way a man will sleep with a woman and then abandon her, taking everything she holds dear.

    But I don’t know for sure what it was supposed to represent.

  41. Godwina says:

    Damn, I was so distracted by those awesome pants, I didn’t notice AJ’s face earlier, but wow, you can really see how Shiloh is the spitting image of her mom, with so little makeup.

  42. kyzmet says:

    I have seen Maleficent and I thought it is one of the best films portraying women i have seen in a long time, it has a lead character who is beautiful, but not OTT sexual, strong, loving and is incredibly self contained in the way Jolie portrays her, it felt like a breath of fresh air to me. A great film for teenage girls in my view, totally empowering and that means working on whats on the inside. Was pretty whatevs about AJ before this film, now I feel like a bit of a fan.