At the start of the film the life and culture of the main
character Tiana. They discuss her dreams and her goals and show her rule model
that is her father. Then as the film progresses the prince comes into the
picture and he is from a different culture and does not understand the rules.
Because of this he gets tricked by the “Shadow Man” and is turned into a frog.
When Prince Neveen discovers that he is a frog he comes upon Tiana who is
wearing a crown and appears to be a princess. He convinces her to kiss him and
in turn turns Tiana herself into a frog. Then together they go on a trip to
both become human before it is too late. (Clements & Musker, 2009)
The cultural differences between prince Neveen and Tiana are very
prevalent. Prince Neveen coming from a royal family is used to people doing
things for him constantly and women doing falling over him. While Tiana has had
to work hard for the very little things that she does have. (Clements & Musker, 2009)
The culture bias of these characters seems to be completely
opposite. Neveen being that the world will be handed to him on a silver
platter, he can do whatever he wants and there will be no real consequences,
and everyone will always do what he wants them to so he can trust them. Whereas
Tiana believes that you have to work hard for everything and if you do not you
will not get anything. She thinks almost everyone will disappoint her and she
has to do everything herself. She believes that people that have money are lazy
and do not know how to work. (Clements
& Musker, 2009)
The cultural identity of Neveen seems to be lacking. He discusses
how his parents kicked him out and it seems that because of this he runs off in
search of a new home and life. Tiana’s cultural identity is very strong. It
seems that she knows all there is to know about her culture and she loves it
inspite of its negative aspects. She shows this in a variety of ways but one
way is when she is discussing the food that she plans on making in her
restaurant that are all the normal foods of her culture. (Clements & Musker, 2009)
Cultural patterns are different aspects of the culture as a whole
such as: language, clothing, how they live, how they work, music, art and so
on. This film shows all of these different patterns for the people that live in
New Orleans. The best example of language pattern in the film is when one looks
at Ray (the firefly), Mama Odie, and Louis (the alligator). They use typical
language that is used their culture. An example of the language is:
“Ray: Look how she lights up the sky / Ma
Belle Evangeline...
Louis: Oh, that ain't no fire...”(Clements & Musker, 2009)
Throughout the film they display the clothing,
music, and art of the culture of New Orleans. They also show how people live in
work in the culture when they display Tiana and her life and work ethics. (Clements & Musker, 2009)
Intercultural
communication throughout this film seems to be understood by both parties well.
Prince Neveen and Tiana are the two that communicate the most intercultural.
The following conversation displays a misunderstanding that they two have
because they are from different cultures. The prince does not understand why Tiana
is wearing a crown because of the cultural difference.
“Prince Naveen: Hard work? Why... why would a princess need to
work hard?
Tiana: Huh? Oh, I'm not a princess. I'm a waitress.
Prince Naveen: A waitress? Well no wonder the kiss did not work!
You lied to me!
Tiana: I - I never said I
was a princess.
Prince Naveen: You never said you were a w- a waitress! You were
wearing a crown!
Tiana: It was a costume
party, you spoiled little rich boy!
Prince Naveen: Oh, oh
yes, oh ye-? Well, the egg is on your face, alright, because I do not have any
riches!
Tiana: [shocked] What?
Prince Naveen: I am completely broke! Hahaha!”(Clements & Musker, 2009).
The usage of facial expressions throughout the movie is really the
only non verbal form of communication that is used; most of the time when there
are facial expressions there is also verbal communication during or after the
expression. The nonverbal communication is used more to enhance the
communication than anything else. This is probably because it is a children’s
film.
This film relates more to the critical theory when it comes to
intercultural communication theories. The critical theory is defined as
“creates an ideal through shared knowledge, mutual trust, and accord with each
other represented by an idealized speech situation” (http://www.uky.edu/~drlane/capstone/intercultural/critical.html).
This theory fits the film more because Tiana and Neveen where
pushed together by the situation that they were and would otherwise probably
would never have met; but because of the situation they learn to work together
and eventually fall in love.
In Halls perspective on culture this film would be considered high
context. This is because they use a large amount of language to express how
they feel. They also add music, body language, facial expressions, ect to convey
it. Adding it all together it would be considered a high context culture. (Lustig
& Koester, 2010)
In Hofstede’s five dimensions the movie seems to display that they
are high in all five areas. The Power of Distance they are high, this is
displayed in the beginning of the story when they show Tina working so hard for
her dreams and then her best friend being handed everything because her father
is wealthy. (Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions)
The film is high in Individualism. One can see that with how
connected the people are to the culture by showing the parade and also how
Tiana acts as a person. It is high in masculinity because of the way that the
women seem to be treated that they are just supposed to be beautiful and get
married. Tiana rebels against this and that is one of the reasons why she
cannot get her restaurant in the beginning. (Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions)
The Uncertainty/Avoidance theory is the only theory that seems to
be low. They show this with Tiana when she is determined to get her restaurant.
When Tiana’s friend, Charlotte, is
willing to marriage the prince before she really knows him and when Louis joins
the band quickly even though he is an alligator. The Long Term Orientation
theory is high because the way that Charlottes father, Eli "Big
Daddy" LaBouff, is portrayed. It seems as though he has had long stating
with the community and that is the reason why he is the king of the parade. (Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions)
When one views a film that identifies with a strong culture such
as “The Princess and the Frog”, it is hard not to make comparisons and
observations, doing this can be a good learning experience as long it is done
without judgment. Learning from other cultures gives a person good insight and
changes the way that they look at the world around them. It also helps them identify the different
aspects of that are prevalent in their culture. Helping them learn about others
and gain a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them.
References
Lustig, M., & Koester, L. (2010). Intercultural
Competence. Interpersonal Communication across Cultures (6th ed.). : .
