Babich N.S., Vlasova-Yagodina A.A. Testing Hypothesis about the Prototext through Content Analysis in Cinematography: The Case of “Pretty Woman”. Galactica Media: Journal of Media Studies. 2025. Vol. 7. No 1. Pp. 15-47. DOI https: ...

Abstract

For decades, Harry Marshall’s romantic comedy “Pretty Woman” has been attracting public and critics’ the attention. The authors of the article suggest that the reason lies in the existence of a hidden meaning that contrasts with the overt celebration of wealth and of prostitution as a means of achieving the former. The problem of uncovering the hidden meaning is conceptualized as the problem of establishing intertextual connections with another independent work (the proto-text). To implement this approach, the authors propose a content analysis in which the presumed prototext serves as a codifier for the search for paired (present in both texts) motifs. The result can be interpreted based on a statistical rule: more than 25 paired motifs for two works indicate a reliable proof of the prototext hypothesis. This approach made it possible to establish that at least one ofthe main prototypes of the film is the story of “The Beauty and the Beast.” This hidden meaning is non-trivial because it is not explicitly articulated either in the film or in the literature devoted to it. However, it sets the vision of a new perspective of the realistic transformation of the characters under the influence of mutual feelings. This model of development is absent in alternative readings (like, very often, in “Cinderella”), but it is traced in “The Beauty and the Beast.” Thus, we are presented with a narrative about personal growth, necessary for true love, and not a propaganda of venality with the help of a fairy tale. This interpretation allows us to explain the cultural role and appeal of “Pretty Woman” as a work of cinema.