MovieChat Forums > The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964) Discussion > Metamorphosis of Mr. Limpet

Metamorphosis of Mr. Limpet

posted 15 years ago by cquitter
5 replies | jump to latest

I am taking a literature class called "The Ovid Tradition" and we have to do a project comparing a film to Ovid's Metamorphoses. I chose to do this film.

I was going to focus on his life prior to wishing to be a fish, why he made the wish, the transformation itself, and the result of becoming a fish.

I was going to compare it to the stories of other humans wishing to the gods for something (serious or not) and the resulting metamorphosis. (examples in Ovid: Salmacis and Hermaphoditus, Echo and Narcissus, Apollo and Diana, and Pygmalion)

Anyone have any ideas? Perhaps, some interpretation of his life, wanting to change, and the result..

Any input would be greatly appreciated. :)

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] arogers270 15 years ago

The best way to understand the reasoning behind his wish for metamorphosis is to really watch the movie in its entirety. You can see how and why he was fed up with the human race and why he wished to leave it. The result of his change is most of the rest of the movie. The movie is available at Neflix.

[–] outnaway 15 years ago

I read Ovid second hand through reading Dante who used Ovid as a source quite a bit. From Dante's take on Ovid, it seems that these transformations are always a mirror of the soul of the person. He gives plenty of examples - of a fighting family who is turned into a set of fighting birds, etc.

You might do better with the professor by widening the scope from this movie to some other subjects, even those from popular culture.

[–] cquitter 15 years ago

Thank you all for your help. I am currently writing the paper and I see how widening the scope will be beneficial. I am going to compare to other instances of fish-human transformation and how it allows the character to accomplish goals they were unable to attain in their starting form. Thank you, once again!

[–] montgomerydou55 8 years ago

Look on YouTube for metamorphosis galore: men and boys turning into young women, and sometimes anthropomorphic female animals. "Transformingmorpher."