Since SAG-AFTRA joined the WGA in the largest entertainment industry protest in the United States since the 1960s, many fans of ’90s sitcoms and romantic comedies have found themselves in awe of the power and voice of one of their most beloved icons: everyone’s favorite nanny, Fran Drescher. In a speech after the fateful meeting that decided on the strike, Drescher addressed not only her actors but the labor movement as a whole, encouraging workers across the board to stand up for their rights. This comes as a shock to many who know nothing about Drescher other than the fact that she took care of the children of a Broadway producer on a TV show years ago. However, those who have really paid attention to Drescher’s career know where she stands on labor issues. While The breadwinner Making it clear to viewers that Fines – and the Dreschers – did not cross the picket line, another 90s film had Drescher step out of her comfort zone to inspire exploited workers to strike. We are talking, of course, about 1997 The Beautician and the Beast.
written by Todd Graff Based on the pitch by Drescher himself and directed by Ken KwapisThis bizarre romantic comedy star Timothy Dalton And Drescher is an evil dictator and a foreign beautician who tames his heart and leads his country to democracy in the process. With a story that features characters such as a starving prime minister and a first daughter who is in love with a political agitator, the film has some complicated ideas of how dictatorships operate, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have some important messages. More precisely, the film has a thing or two to say about the attack. Although the labor movement was not the most important part of his plan, Beautician and beasts Go out of your way to put yourself on the side of the workers and send the most important message: Labor rights are good for everyone.
What is ‘Beauty and the Beast’?
Likes a lot The breadwinner, The Beautician and the Beast Be inspired by King & Me And The sound of music. But instead of a nun who aspires to take care of a naval officer’s children only to fall in love with her boss, Kwapis’ film features a struggling beauty teacher who happens to be tutoring the four children of an Eastern European ruler. After the fall of the Iron Curtain, the small fictional land of Slovetzia is attracting the attention of countries around the world as its leader, Boris Pochenko (Dalton), ruthless, faces a group of young political activists who want to change the country’s regime. To improve his international image, Pochenko sent one of his ministers after an American teacher who could introduce his children to Western ways.
Said teacher ends up being New York beautician Joy Miller (Drescher), who immediately falls in love with Pochenko’s four children and goes on to change the way things are done in Slovetzia. Her indomitable personality put her on the blacklist of several heads of government, such as Prime Minister Kleist (Patrick Malahide), but caught the eye of Pochenko, who quickly found himself beaten by the teacher by accident. Holding the dictator’s heart in her hands, Joy convinces him to listen to the grievances of his people and even organize free elections for his successor in the near future.
It was a wild ride from start to finish. In many ways, The Beautician and the Beast A very surprising film for the modern audience. Made shortly after the end of the Cold War, the film is a real plastic bag of Eastern European stereotypes. Its dictatorial protagonist runs his country with an iron fist, but it is difficult to understand exactly what kind of ideology he has. The film implies that Slovakia is no longer a communist country, and yet, when Pochenko walks into the room, it is the communist national anthem playing in the background. And, in the end, it was not political struggle or international pressure that forced Pochenko to open his door for democracy, but his love for happiness.
What does ‘Beauty and the Beast’ teach us about assault?
But despite being a product of its time and with less political complexity, The Beautician and the Beast There are happy moments of it. One of the best of them happened when Pochenko took Joy to the Slovetzian factory. All workers must stop what they are doing to receive their superiors as appropriate, with favors and circumstances. While Pochenko expressed interest, Joy chatted with workers who complained of having to work overtime without pay due to an unexpected official visit. Terrified, Joy asked to see a union representative, to which the man she was talking to simply replied, “What union?”
Now workers in former communist countries don’t know what a union is so we won’t waste time finding out. The important thing in this scene is that when the workers do not know what the union is, Joy goes out to teach them about it. After all, how should they get paid overtime if they have no one to stand up for their rights? And this is the first important lesson The Beautician and the Beast Teach your audience: Unions exist to protect workers’ rights. Without them, people are left powerless to fight against those who want to exploit their labor.
Like the Hollywood elite, Pochenko is not thrilled about his workers being on strike. From now on alone The Beautician and the Beast The second lesson about unions and strikes: They are not to please the bosses, but to stand up against them. Bob Iger May complain all he wants about a protest being a nuisance, but a protest is a nuisance by definition. They are meant to harass those who refuse to meet important demands from workers when properly asked.
And, as Pochenko himself came to understand, meeting those needs is essential for the overall work. At the end of the film, when Prime Minister Kleist tries to take away the rights given to the workers, Boris stops him, claiming that the factories are working better after the demands of the workers. This is the last and most important message The Beautician and the Beast Must teach us about strike and labor: In order for the industry to work properly, the people behind it must feel appreciated and secure their rights. Otherwise, alienation sets in and workers stop trying for their best. Dictator Pochenko understands this message loud and clear. Now it’s time to see how long it will take for Hollywood CEOs to do the same.
Big picture
- Fran Drescher’s 1997 film The Beautician and the Beast It may be politically complicated, but it sends an important message about labor rights and the power of unions.
- The film emphasizes the importance of unions in protecting the rights of workers and standing against employers who refuse to meet the necessary demands.
- The Beautician and the Beast Suggesting that the industry can act properly only when workers feel appreciated and secure in their rights, emphasizing the need for Hollywood CEOs to understand this message.
