The role of the dramaturg is to learn as much as possible about the culture, society and historical context of a play, production or movie. Most dramaturgs are trained in history and the humanities and must be especially good at reading/research/writing. For some films, such as Downton Abbey, historical accuracy is very exact and dramaturgy has a major role in the layout of scenes and even in decisions related to the scriipt.
For this bonus, extra credit assignment, I want you to pretend to be a dramaturg for Disney’s hit “Frozen” franchise of films. If you complete this assignment and if it shows ample evidence that you have done the reading in Armesto, I will add one half of one percent, or .5%, to your final grade. This may help you if you are on the border between letter grades.
As a dramaturg for Disney, I want you to pretend to write a letter to the directors of Frozen II, Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck (please do not actually contact them!) outlining what improvements they could potentially make in their portrayal of the “native” peoples of Scandinavia. In particular, I want you to read Armesto’s Chapter 1, The Helm of Ice, and his section on the Sami people.
It is the Sami people who were the model for the Northuldra people depicted by Disney. Disney even made an agreement with the Sami film institute to depict them in a positive light. https://insidethemagic.net/2019/11/disney-frozen-2-cultural-appropriation-indigenous-people-ba1/
You can also watch some clips of Frozen II related to the Northldra on youtube, or the whole movie, if you have access to it. There is, for example, the Northuldra song scene https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=northuldra
There is also the interesting role of the Ryder, the Northuldra man who seems to be depicted as “uninterested in women”/one the first potential examples of a LGBT character in Disney. This potentially shows an understanding of traditional Sami culture as having a more open attitude towards sexuality than the society represented by Arendelle.
One issue Armesto brings up is the problem with the “myth of savage nobility”. There are potential simplifications, many of them possibly the result of “editing” needed to keep the movie at child-friendly length.
Based on Armesto’s descriiption on page 43-49 of Civilization, does Disney do a good job in providing a full portrait of the Sami/Northuldra? Or does it take the dichotomy between “savage noble” and “civilized outsider” too far? What did Disney get right or wrong in Frozen II? What might Disney do in Frozen III improve or change its depiction of the Sami/Northuldra people? What additional details would you add? What stories might you pursue? For instance, would you make Kristoff a Northuldra due to his ability to “speak” with Reindeer like Sven?
Would you depict the building of snow castles? How about reindeer herding? Or the importance of dogs who are given the same honor/status as humans for their help with the Reindeer hunt/herds? Dogs are depicted as “full members of societies in which status was determined by hunting prowess…” 44.
