Rödluvan i filmens tidsålder - sagospår och filmversioner 1901-2001

The present dissertation delineates how the fairy tale character, Little Red Riding Hood, has appeared in different screen versions. It is a thematic and historical analysis of the development of film versions and other traces of the story 1901 to 2001, focussing particulary on the representation of Red Riding Hood herself. The story of this little girl, mostly dressed in different red garments, is one of the best known fairy tales of all times. It has been recycled in film again and again with varying overtones: from an innocent fairy tale for children to a pornographic dream. Her story in film began with Georges Méliès "Le Petit Chaperon Rouge" 1901, which has been followed by various versions throughout the years. For example, "Little Red Riding Hood" 1922 by Walt Disney, Alberto Cavalcanti's "Le Petit Chaperon Rouge 1929, the feminist "Bye, Bye, Red Riding Hood" 1989 by Mártha Mészarós and Cape Fear (1961 and 1991). Contextualizing films socially and culturally, this dissertation illustrates how changes in living conditions and entirely different ideas of sexuality in Western society have influenced the content of the Little Red Riding Hood-story over time. The varied representations of both the girl and her tale have shifted due to cultural and social conditions as well as due to technological developments within the film industry. The dissertation shows how the fairy tale has been used over the last century, mostly emphasizing gender, sexuality and violence.