The Devil’s in the Details
The Devil’s in the Details
The Devil Wears Prada
2006 Director: David Frankel
Starring: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, Emily Blunt
Imagine being the boss where everyone scurries about, furiously completing their assigned tasks and anticipating your needs before you arrive at the office. This is the case at Runway, a fictional fashion magazine in New York City, and the boss is Miranda Priestly (Streep). She sends fear into the hearts of her minions; they straighten up the office, try to look their best so she will notice them, and even pour mineral water for her at her desk before she arrives. When things are not to Miranda’s expectations and her assistants try to explain, her retort is, “Details of your incompetence do not interest me.” She is an exacting, demanding tyrant who gives them endless to-do lists and little appreciation.
This is a typical day at the office, when Andy Sachs (Hathaway) arrives for a job interview as Miranda’s second assistant. Emily (Blunt), Miranda’s senior assistant, doubts Andrea will work out, based on her appearance—i.e., she does not seem to be interested in fashion. Andrea is a journalism major, an ingenue fresh out of college looking for her first job. To everyone’s surprise, she gets the position and eventually fits in.
On the job, Andy is treated like an ugly duckling, as she wears practical clothes, cares little for makeup or fashion, and is unaware of the spelling of “Gabbana,” among other things. She eventually goes through a transformation: she learns the ropes, walks the walk, and begins dressing in Chanel. But it’s hard to believe anyone could consider Andy an ugly duckling before adopting couture or putting on mascara. In 2006 she was one of the most beautiful actors in Hollywood. Although the film is based on the eponymous 2003 novel written by Lauren Weisberger, both are clearly uncredited adaptations of the Colombian telenovela, “Yo soy Betty, la fea” (I am Betty, the Ugly Girl) by Fernando Gaitán, which aired 1999 – 2001 in several countries. “Betty” became a wildly successful TV series that spun off more than a dozen comedic productions, including the Mexican “La fea más bella” (The Ugliest Beauty, 2006-07) and even “Ugly Betty” in the U.S. (2006-10).
In the Spanish-language shows, the protagonist is an educated and highly talented, though unattractive, young woman who seeks a position at a fashion magazine—and gets it. She is hired based on her qualifications and, also with the hope that she won’t be a distraction to her wealthy playboy boss. She eventually transforms her appearance and gains the boss’s interest and affection. These humorous novelasplay upon the Cinderella theme. They became inspirational to thousands of women who realized the new millennium was the time and place to capitalize upon their smarts—they didn’t have be gorgeous to make it in the workplace. There’s a kind benevolence to this comedic genre.
Unlike Hispanic versions of the story, “Devil” is sinister even in its title. Little comic relief is found in this film. Indeed, Andy appears constantly under attack from all sides: her boss and the co-workers, and even her boyfriend is rarely supportive. “Devil” strays from the Latin-American versions in that Andy works for a tough-to-please woman. One thing that “Devil” gets right is when it demonstrates Miranda’s dilemma. In order to be on top—which she is—she has had to sacrifice everything. At first, we notice Andy’s toxic environment, later we notice Miranda’s. They both must work extremely hard to achieve their goals and, as we already know, the devil’s in the details.