The time for Captain Hook to defend himself has come.
I have always loved Captain Hook. I think my love affair with the one handed villain began when I saw the movie Hook in the theater in 1991, but of course the story actually begins in 1904. A few years ago, I did a couple of blog posts about different portrayals of Captain Hook in media, and I started by examining the character as he was first written by JM Barrie.
Hook, his Christian name being Cook, has his own story, but it would appear that of all the lies that have been told and misunderstandings that we have about him, he is most upset at the way we choose to believe he looks:
"And for some inexplicable reason, possibly having to do with the undeniably pompous actor who first portrayed me professionally*, I will always be depicted as bearing an unfortunate likeness to King Charles II. Frilly shirts, long curly hair, high-heeled pumps (ye gods!_ are my affected wardrobe in all depictions of the Pirate Moi, though I have never dressed as such in my entire life.)"
Gerald du Maurier, the first Captain Hook
1904
"True my hair is black and has grown to some length, but I do not curl it."
Dustin Hoffman as Captain Hook in 1991's Hook
"Nor do I sport a beauty mark on my cheek or anywhere else for that matter"
Cyril Ritchard as Captain Hook in the Mary Martin musical
". . . although my eyes are indeed a lovely periwinkle blue."
Jason Isaacs as Captain Hook in 2003's Peter Pan
I guess Captain Hook has a point; our popular culture depictions of him do construe him as vain, effeminate, and perhaps a little queer.
*Gerald du Maurier, the first actor to portray Captain Hook on the stage, is the one he seems to blame for beginning the traditional costume. Du Maurier was the brother of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies; her five sons were befriended by Barrie during an outing in Kensington Gardens, and they served as the inspiration for Peter Pan and the Lost Boys.
Michael Davies dressed as Peter Pan
No comments:
Post a Comment