From fantasy to realistic depictions

an overview of dwarfism in cinema

Abstract

This article presents the main characteristics of the representation of dwarfism in Western audiovisuals. For this purpose, in addition to listing and commenting some of the most relevant films since German Expressionism, basic theoretical texts on disability studies have been employed, such as those by Tobin Siebers, and studies that deal with real experiences of people with dwarfism, like Erin Pritchard's books. The typical characteristics range from aspects of marvelous "dwarfs" that are occur in representations of people with dwarfism, to the presence of people with dwarfism as a composition of circus scenery, cripface - when people with no disability play the role of those with dwarfism - and what I define as "society on a reduced scale", that is, audiovisual narratives with entire communities formed by little people. The research also verifies that advances have begun to take place in the 21st century, but they are still sporadic or very much centered on the figure of a single actor. In conclusion, the survey of these characteristics aims to contribute to a better understanding of such patterns and the avoidance of their pejorative effects.