In accordance with the Anna Parvulescu’s reading, the film Wild Child produced comedy through the same disruption of etiquette as seen in Daisies. In this coming-of-age tale, the pre-established proper etiquette of an all-girls English boarding school are disrupted by an unruly America student who encourages other students to rebel.
Parvulescu utilizes the juxtaposition of the two Maries to show how comedy can come from the contrast between a pair in which one person is rambunctious and messy while the other remains clam and “dainty”. This is paralleled in Wild Child through Poppy’s characterization. Poppy grew up as a spoiled party girl in Beverley Hills, but after one party her father sends her overseas to attend her late mother’s English boarding school. From the get-go, there is a visual divide between Poppy’s California persona and her English schoolmates. Through the lens of Parvulescu’s writing, this new school functions as “the Banquet” and Poopy assumes the role of the promiscuous Marie.
As the film progresses, Poppy’s friends start to join in on her schemes, but they still tend to abide by the conventions of their school. However, they favor finding loopholes to school rules rater than causing outright chaos like Poppy. This group of girls that have gravitated towards Poppy now function as the second Marie – the virgin. The exist to assist and enable their counterpart without taking a direct part in Poppy’s schemes.
I love that you were able to parallel Dasies to a modern, “chick flick” type of film! I feel like this can be applied to a range of 2000s films where women act against the social rules set for them! An example that came to mind was She’s the Man.