MAPACA

Mid-Atlantic Popular &
American Culture Association

Gary Marshall’s 1990 film Pretty Woman alludes to Ovid’s Pygmalion as told by Edith Hamilton in elements of its plot and characterization, while managing to also subvert and modernize the original myth. As Hamilton retells Pygmalion’s myth she depicts the depth of obsession and devotion the sculptor/creator felt towards his creation, while illuminating the powerful overtones of patriarchal power. Pygmalion’s devotion to his beloved representation of the perfect woman leads to his own erratic labors (dressing the statue, kissing it, etc.) intended to portray his inner-state of yearning. Pygmalion ultimately surrenders himself to the power of love and relinquishes his steadfast denial of female worth and prays at the altar of Venus for a woman like his sculpture, Galatea. Finally, their relationship is sealed with Galatea becoming a real woman and, in return for life, dedicating her entire being to Pygmalion, her creator. While Marshall’s depiction of creator and creation seems to replicate Ovid’s tale by molding Julia Roberts’ character Vivian Ward on Galatea and by basing rich businessman Edward Lewis, played by Richard Gere, on Pygmalion, the film manages to rewrite the roles of creator and creation into one. Each character in Pretty Woman is ultimately a creation of the other’s artistry; reflections of emotional and physical perseverance by the other. Both the myth and Marshall’s film adaptation have themes of the labors of love, self-sacrifice, and sexuality; however, the film’s treatment of those themes raises issues of class, gender norms, and sexual commodification in ways that are complex and unique.