한국영상문화학회

This study examines the change in attitude towards children through an analysis of the portrayals of children in popular movies. In the Middle Ages children were only considered as miniature adults, and did not have the rights nor roles adhering to those of children. However, since the end of the 17th century, the concept of children detached from that of adults and people gradually became to perceive children as the center of families, just as they do today. The modern conception of children – that children are innocent beings and must be subject to affection and protection – is the fundamental premise of movies on child abduction. This paper discussed the significance of children, a theme common in the movies and . The image of children, associated with naivety, is put at risk, as it does not adhere to the modern separation of the public and private spheres. The two movies display a regressive fall – back of the modern conception of children as the center of families into the idea of reduced childhoods emphasized in the Middle Ages. Despite this, the children have a hope for recovery from the modern conception of children, which is characterized by rationality and progress, to relieve them from harmful consequences. The innocent images of children present in the two movies present an alternative conception of human beings to overcome the hierarchical thinking that adults are physically and intellectually advanced humans, as opposed to children, who are seen as weak and incapable in body and mind.