Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

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Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

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New ‘Pan’ plays it less-than-straight

We all know the story and the characters. And we all know the name of the protagonist, the location of his magical land and the one thing he never wanted to do.

But what makes the latest film version of “Peter Pan” so great is that it knows we know this. It doesn’t waste precious time establishing the ticking crocodile or struggling to convince us that Peter doesn’t want to grow up. Because it takes all this for granted, it can extrapolate on old themes and suggest some new motivations while remaining faithful to the original.

Much more so than earlier “Peter Pan” movies, this movie is not just a kid’s movie. “Peter Pan” may not have Robin Williams’ one-liners, but this movie presents themes too complex for kids to fully grasp and some that adults won’t even perceive.

Whereas the other “Peter Pan” movies were mere adventures, this movie is truly about the perils of growing up. Peter (Jeremy Sumpter, lower right) is a troubled boy who sees the future and strives to avoid an adult life of conformity and unhappiness.

Captain Hook finally steps out of his pop-up book image and becomes a hero typical of Greek tragedy. We now realize why he legitimately hates Peter Pan. The movie opens with “All children grow up…except one.” However, we come to realize that there are two: Peter and his adult foil, Hook.

In the 1953 Disney animated version, Peter was, not surprisingly, a typical boy. Even by Disney standards, there were no questions about Peter’s identity. He was a straight-laced Neverland traveler who merely taunted Hook and played with lost boys. He didn’t want to grow up. Neither did the filmmakers.

In most theatrical performances around the world from 1950 to 1980, Peter was a young, presumably straight, boy. Yet in one of the most influential productions, the televised 1960 theatrical production, the 47-year-old Mary Martin played the role.

While the decision to cast a female was influenced by the logistical problem of getting a boy to fly across the stage, this decision was significant in the evolution of Peter’s gender. To the credit of this version, Peter was still too young to be romantically interested in the opposite sex. He also became close friends with Wendy and spent large amounts of time surrounded by a fairy. All these features seem more fitting of a young girl than a young boy.

In addition, the character had a boy’s name, dressed like a boy, and was a boy in J.M. Barrie’s novel. Regardless, audiences accepted Peter’s transsexuality, leaving future productions the difficult task of reassessing what gender Peter should be.

A generation later, Peter reappeared in “Hook” as a middle-aged man. Despite the absence of the traditional Wendy character, Peter had plenty of opportunities to exert his masculinity and heterosexuality. Aside from his wife, Peter also had romantic encounters with three mermaids and a very talkative Tinkerbell. This was not the Peter to which audiences were accustomed.

Luckily, neither Peter the pimp nor any of his newfound sexual partners exist in the latest Peter Pan. In contrast, he is now a young adolescent with an uncertain sexual orientation. The current Peter is more mature. He’s old enough to like girls as more than friends. Yet, rather then falling for Wendy, Peter frolics with a bunch of lost boys and a fairy. He also looks more like the star of a boy band than a rugged young man. In short, Peter is, for the first time, quite possibly gay.

Whether Peter’s possible homosexuality was inserted to keep the film current or was merely co-writer and director P.J. Hogan’s creation based on previously existing elements, this is a welcome change for the series. It explains why Peter doesn’t want Wendy and gives him another reason to never grow up: to avoid the persecution of homosexuals.

Wendy, who doesn’t realize this, won’t settle for rejection. She makes her advances more noticeable, practically throwing herself into Peter’s arms. She desperately wants him to come back to her place for more than just pixie dust. This loss of innocence may be surprising, but it prevents the series from becoming redundant and, more importantly, increases the depth of the film and the realism of Wendy.

Peter Pan is a legend, not just in popular culture but also within the movie. Before meeting him, Wendy tells her brothers stories about his exciting adventures fighting pirates in a land free of grown-ups. Like Wendy, the audience has heard of Peter Pan before and wants to be immersed in a wonderful adventure. In the end, Peter stays true to the legend by not growing up, but the film does.

Weinberg junior Ben Rosen is a writer for PLAY. He can be reached at [email protected].

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New ‘Pan’ plays it less-than-straight