Metamorphoses
Ovid | narrative poem | first century A.D.
Pretty Woman
Garry Marshall (dir.) | film | 1990
Photo courtesy of Everett
In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Pygmalion extends an abhorrence for prostitutes to all women and decides to build his own female companion, an ivory statue. In Pretty Woman, corporate raider Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) has some issues with women, too, so he recruits a gorgeous hooker, Vivian Ward (Julia Roberts), for a week’s worth of no-strings-attached companionship in Beverly Hills.
To Pygmalion’s delight, one day his statue became “soft, and more soft at ev’ry touch,” then “op’d her eyes, and view’d at once the light, and lover with surprise.” Eye-opening change also takes place in Pretty Woman. In remarkably short order, the cold-hearted Edward gets in touch with his feelings and the street-walking Vivian morphs into a bejeweled lady who enjoys opera and champagne.
Both stories, acknowledging the eternal pairing of sex and money, add scintillating conspicuous consumption to the mix. Pygmalion adorns his statue in robes and jewels, fills her shelves with rare seashells and hangs songbirds in silver cages around her bed—though earlier he had condemned women selling themselves for gold. Edward escorts Vivian on a Rodeo Drive shopping spree, announcing to one lucky shopkeeper, “We’re going to be spending an obscene amount of money in here.”
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