Sword In The Stone (1964)

Ashia R:

Tonight we’re watching 1963’s Sword In The Stone, which both me and my partner know by heart from having access to a limited number of VHS tapes as kids.

I’ll be live-commenting as we go. Add your thoughts below!

Remember when we all thought Medieval Europe only had white people in it because Disney taught us that there was no international travel before airplanes?

Raven D. C. Following along. I haven’t seen it in 20+ years but wanted to show the kids soon.

Ashia R.:  Semi-related note: R2 has asked that I stop using the word ‘dark’ to suggest scary, macabre, and depressing things, because it stigmatizes Blackness. And I super love that he came up with that on his own.

Also: When deciding whether or not to be tied to this particular partner for the rest of my life, I made sure to meet the grandpa he takes after to see how he aged. And his grandpa looked like this cartoon version of Merlin. 

And I was like “YES I CAN LIVE WITH THAT.”

I mean look at him. Merlin’s a silver fox.

Also also: Somewhere on the internet is a photo of me as Madam Mim for Halloween, wearing a purple feather boa as a wig.

What I’m saying is – childhood me was a big fan of this movie, and I’m crossing my fingers that it’s not garbage in disguise. ::: deep breath ::: Time to look at this 50-year-old movie through a 2020 lens!

We open on Wart hiking along, skinny limbs flying everywhere, obliviously followed by a hungry wolf. I always felt bad for this poor wolf. He’s just hungry!

I thought the illustration of Wart was cartoonishly skinny. But now that I have a lanky 8-year-old who seems too skinny to have organs, I think it’s actually pretty realistic.

Archimedes (Merlin’s pet owl) is still hilarious.

BTW, R2 is named after this owl. His name is a mishmash of ‘Archimedes’ the owl and ‘Nicodemus’ from the Rats of Nimh. mostly because he was born like 4 weeks early and we were kind of unprepared to name him. I remember just kind of Russian-rouletting his name on the birth certificate right after a day of labor and 2 hours of sleep, thinking “Gosh I hope I don’t regret this.”

ALSO – why do they have you fill out the birth certificate RIGHT AFTER BIRTH when you’re exhausted and underslept and hopped up on painkillers? Even at the time I could tell I wasn’t the right kind of coherent to make a life-long decision for this kid and his future job applications.

That said, luckily I really love his name and so does he.

Merlin is active, enthusiastic, smart, passionate, and wants good things for the world. He’s the antidote to so many modern stereotypes against older adults <3

Visually – the way the characters relate to each other with facial expressions, rather than the loud WOWs and INTERJECTIONS of modern cartoons, this is a fantastic study for teaching socially challenged kids on active listening. As a little Autistic kiddo, I actually used this movie for this exact purpose.

(Although Nathan says my facial expressions are too exaggerated and ’cartoonish’ so there are some downsides.)

This hungry wolf stalking Wart – that seems to be a common theme/character in so many Disney movies from the time, Does anyone know the purpose of this character?

It’s kind of like the bad things that happened to Sir Hiss, the way Wiley Coyote always suffered for simply trying to eat. These characters getting hurt for no purpose always put an unnecessary shitty part into otherwise enjoyable movies.

Q is also finding this really unpleasant. Is this a thing anyone enjoys?

Was this abuse just put in here to ’toughen’ us up? To get us used to the idea that it’s okay for ’lesser’ characters to suffer? 

Given the movie’s message of the value of brains over brawn, calculations over goofy violence – it seems incongruent.

Watching movies with a 5-year-old is a genuinely exciting delight. He writhes and screams and is like “WHAAAAT!” with unadulterated suspense.

Oh crap right – there is jousting in this. This time tomorrow I am pretty sure at least one kid is going to end up screaming gut-stabbing each other.

I always saw Wart’s foster dad as kind of aggressive and mean, like an impediment. But in this first scene he’s surprisingly accepting and cool with some random dude wandering in and asking to be hosted under his roof.

I had low expectations but so far this entire story and all the messages in it have been leaning toward healthy masculinity. With Merlin encouraging Wart to be his best self, to learn through empathy with the natural word, with playfulness and curiosity instead of aggression. I AM SO HAPPY!!

The fact that Merlin can turn himself into a fish suggests he doesn’t really NEED glasses, he chooses to keep them. Because he likes them. I find this charming. Also, Merlin’s beard should get its own casting line in the credits.

I actually kind of love how my kids (who are British American on their dads side) get to see a side of their heritage that isn’t just invading, colonizing, murdering, and oppressing people.

R2 has just fully decided that based on his name, he and Archimedes the owl are the same person. He feels fully represented in this movie. He’s watching Archimedes the owl swim and just said “Hey, I can swim?!”

We’ve actually discussed Inuit naming traditions with him, so it’s not too far off for him to identify as his namesake.

When I was little I didn’t understand sarcasm or lies, so when Archimedes says “I wasn’t saving him, I intended to eat him.” I was SO CONFUSED and I’d watch that scene over and over because it showed one thing and he said another and it broke my little brain.

So we made sure to pause and explicitly explain that part to the autistic kiddo.

(For reference, while I got the ‘concept’ of sarcasm, I didn’t actually learn to identify it until my early 30’s. Even now I’m spotty at it.)

As a kid I found this lady squirrel wooing and kissing Squirrel Wart charming and sweet. But now it’s coming off as weird and stalkery. 

I used to cheer on the Squirrel, because all other movies had taught me that the ultimate goal in life is ‘true love’ –  Give up the kingdom, Wart! Stay a squirrel and live with her forever!

I kind of assumed in some way he appreciated the attention, because that’s the way love worked in all of these movies – with one character pursuing the other even while they flee?

But oh poor Wart – he doesn’t want these snuggles! UH-OH TOUCHING! And now everyone is attacking him because he was trying to escape unwanted sexual attention!

Ugh… And of course, it’s supposed to be less charming and more clearly unwanted when it’s an older fatter squirrel pursing Merlin Squirrel.

He’s saying no!

No means no, lady squirrel!

”I’m tired of being a squirrel, it’s nothing but trouble” – and if the squirrel life is mostly ‘getting targeted by unwanted sexual advances’ then YES oh gosh do I feel you, Squirrel Wart.

I always felt so bad for the poor lady squirrel with her broken heart. But that’s actually great for kids to see in movies. We’re not entitled to someone’s attention just because we love them.

I also love that her broken heart is not Wart’s problem to deal with. He doesn’t owe her his affection, soothing her feelings, or any kind of closure.

Moving on – I love that the bewitched dishes are sassy! 

So the dad and brother bust in and start swinging weapons around just because they see magic dishes, and the magic dishes give them what-for since they chose violence. I can actually get behind this.

Again – as a kid I thought Wart’s guardian/foster dad was kind of a dick. But the fact that dishwashing is Wart’s duties – and he shouldn’t be shirking them – is a good point. Wart’s guardian is actually a pretty decent parent.

”Just because you can’t understand something doesn’t mean it’s wrong.” Is also a good point. This is a valid, healthy argument between a father and son!

And now Merlin is apologizing and taking responsibility for spoiling things for Wart, which is a fantastic model of a proper apology.

I LOVE ALL OF THESE MEN.

”New world to be discovered 1492” on the globe – with the land currently known as US labeled ‘new world’ … well that’s something we’ll have to discuss.

No wait! Awww! Q was like “That’s Columbus“ ::: angry face::

I am so proud.

OH this is PERFECT. Merlin (the ‘expert’ on flying) tries to explain the facts and Archimedes is like “DUDE I AM A BIRD YOU KNOW NOTHING.”

And he is actually telling Wart stuff that Merlin just wouldn’t know to say. Y’know, cause as a bird he’s got an entire lifetime of lived experience!

I keep waiting for this movie to take a turn for the severe problematic – but damn – so far I am SO happy with this.

Oooh it’s Madam Mim time! :::stans:::

(is that how you use that word? I can’t tell if it’s a verb like that.)

Madam Mim’s resentment about Merlin’s fame tracks with dudes getting credit while ladies get erased. What I used to take as jealousy is actually legitimate frustration over misogyny in the wizard industry!

As a kid raised by a raging fat-phobic, I always wondered why she chose to take her usual form.

I just love how Mim totally owns her contrary nature. Like sure yeah I could be thin and busty – but as a shape-shifter, she CHOOSE TO LOOK LIKE THIS cause Mim fuckin’ does what she wants.

She is so happy about her looks!!! :: squeee ::

She points out how her ‘beautiful’ version is only skin deep and she’s ugly (in such a cheerful voice!) and just DELIGHTS in herself.

I do wonder how this works from the perspective of Mad rights, given that she’s Mad Madam Mim. Is she a hero, or does this move into stereotypes, erasure, or stigma?

I mean she likes ‘awful’ things. But really who gets to define who is awful? Earlier in the movie didn’t they point out how the man in power getting to make all the rules – with no one being able to argue – isn’t fair?

And really the only thing that makes her ‘bad’ is that she doesn’t want to do (or look like) what other people want.

Also she wants to eat a delicious little bird boy. But really who wouldn’t? Birds are delicious.

Mim cheats the wizard’s duel – but you know what – sometimes the oppressed gotta break some windows if they’re gonna level the playing field.

Gosh I love her joyous cackle. Today R2 was talking about how he wants to grow up and have babies with his best friend, who is the most adorable little girl with the most CHAOTICALLY EVIL cackle and the thought fills me with joy to have Grandbabies who can cackle like that.

I am so delighted with how well this wizard’s duel holds up. There is absolutely nothing about their competition that targets her gender or iplies she’s lesser because of it. And also they don’t erase her gender or do any ‘not like the other witches’ bullshit.

Despite not seeing this movie for like 3 decades, to this day both me and my partner still screech “I hate horrible wholesome sunshine!” in the mornings.

For a movie that has only one woman (aside from the utterly forgettable housekeeper), this is such a great story. Even more so because all the men in it are NOT defining their masculinity in opposition to femininity – which always turns out shitty for women. 

They all wrestle with what it means to be a man on the spectrum of brains and brawn that gives men the ability to be complex and define masculinity in a way that works for each of them.

Wart is crying and he’s not apologizing for it. He’s angry and crying and YES! DAMN THIS IS A FINE MOVIE!

And Merlin is pissed and he’s not going to scream or hit, he’s going to remove himself from the situation until he’s calm enough to return to the conversation with a clear mind.

I love how jousting is presented as an utterly ridiculous sport that really doesn’t end well for anyone involved. Like “HEY KIDS THIS WILL GET YOU SERIOUSLY HURT AND LOOK AT HOW MUCH ARMOR WE NEED DON’T DO THIS.”

Contrast that with say, football that encourages traumatic brain injury as a completely normal sacrifice to do America manliness or whatever.

Pausing to explain WHY Wart can pull out the sword in the stone. We’ve scaffolded this with previous movies (ex: Trolls) and discussed what it means to be a ‘good’ leader. 

A good leader as defined by the Ray fam: Someone who cares about helping others and is willing to put their people before them. (As opposed to someone who just hoardes power to control others).

So now we’re discussing why Wart is able to pull it out (not to be king for the sake of power), but because he genuinely wants to grow and learn and help.

Oh! The bystander who sticks up for Wart and is like “give the boy a chance!” So many lovely role models for healthy behavior.

As a kid I was disturbed that Wart didn’t want to be a king – that he was nervous about ruling a country showed he might not be up to the task. But now – wow that was such a good decision.

We should have leaders with the humility to understand that they aren’t perfect and still have lots of learning to do (forever), and that they need to surround themselves with smart people they can trust (“I wish Merlin was here.”)

Referencing the round table – we’ll have to remember to discuss that later on – the symbolism of distributing power and listening to all voices. 

Oh I guess we’re having this conversation now.

”A good king gives the others always first. If there’s only one of something, the others get it.” says R2.

Jen R.:  This last year I’ve been digging into Irish and “Celtic” myths and I learned that a lot of Arthurian legend comes from their mythic stories. The deep respect and balance of masculine and feminine is a big story line and has been my favorite part.

Ashia R.: Oooh! Do you have any good resources to recommend?

On the kidlit side – I keep trying to find pre-colonial stories that don’t tie in the British influence, but so far all I find are compilations that lump in England/Scotland/Irish (written by British/American authors of course, because colonizers are oblivious to the violence of tying in Irish stories with the people who invaded, murdered, and forced us from our land). 

Which of course is…irritating.

So if you find anything (either for adults or for kiddos) I’m interested in hearing about them!

Jen R.: Lora O’Brien is an author, historian, and Draoi (Druid Priestess) that has great YouTube videos, runs The Irish Pagan School and is a wealth of knowledge on the subject! 

I started following her for more information on a Goddess that I felt drawn to, but she does great work vetting out translation of myths and sites archeological sources whenever possible.

Ashia R: Awesome!! Thank you!!

Jen R: I reread about how this was about Arthurian legends so wanted to add “If Women Rose Rooted” by Sharon Blackie. It’s a great dive into how masculine and feminine are not necessarily oppositional. TW rape in one of the stories that seems to stem from myth. Some parts made me uncomfortable… but classic feminine tropes are something I have trouble with on the regs so I’m working through that too.