Cruella de Vil

Villains Beginning With 'C'

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The Hundred and One Dalmatians
novel created by
author Dodie Smith (1956)

In the original story, Cruella is a pampered London heiress who knows the owner of the Dalmatian puppies through school. She was a notorious student with black and white plaits. She was later expelled for drinking ink. Now she is the last of her prosperous and notorious family and married to a furrier who supplies her obsession, such as the one piece she is never seen without - an absolutely simple white mink cloak. With this, she wears gowns and ropes of jewels in contrasting colors, such as an emerald color dress with ropes of rubies. Her chauffeur-driven car is red and has the loudest horn in London which she insists on displaying to the Dearly family. Such dramatic luxuries were said to be based on the theatrical life of Tallulah Bankhead.

When she has guests for dinner, all of Cruella's food is strange colors and tastes of pepper (alluding to her quick temper). She constantly stokes a roaring fire and complains of being cold despite the elevated temperature. The flat is portrayed as a sort of luxurious version of Hell and sets up Cruella's "devilish" persona for her later crimes. Her guests also meet her abused white Persian cat, which plays a key role in a later part of the story.

When invited to a dinner party held by the Dearly couple, Cruella expresses her sinister interest in the Dalmatians, remarking how she and her henpecked husband have never thought of making clothing from dog pelt before. Yet seeing the spotless skins of the newborn puppies she is revolted and offers to have them drowned at once; her way of getting rid of animals which she views as worthless, including her own cat's kittens. Upon a second visit to the house she picks up the mature puppies and treats them like clothing to be worn.

There are several addaptions of her character but the same idea is always that she intends to have a coat made out of Dalmatian fur. In some addaptions she has henchmen, in others she has a husband and so on.......but the story is always similar.

SUMMARY

ARCH RIVAL :	Dalmatian Puppies.
STRENGTHS :	From the unsubtle symbolic name to her hideous physical appearance, the evil of Cruella De Vil is overt. Her ferocity and intended cruelty to the spotted heroes of 101 Dalmatians make her an easy target, but to her fans, there's something intriguing about her calculated and perseverant menace.
WEAKNESSES :	Obsessed with getting a coat made out of little doggies, this girl aint all the ticket. Cruella relies heavily on her bungling henchmen - Jasper and Horace.
WEAPONS :	She has no need for weapons, her voice is enough to scare anyone into submission.
QUOTE :	"You idiots! You fools! You imbeciles! "