Cinderella Cinderella is kind to all, especially her mice friends. She has faith that if you keep on believing, your wish will come true. Cinderella is an American rock band that was formed in Philadelphia in 1982 by vocalist Tom Keifer and bassist Eric Brittingham. In addition, the initial lineup of Cinderella featured Tony Destra on drums and Michael Schermick on guitar. In 1985, Schermick and Destra left Cinderella to join Britny Fox (another Pennsylvania-based hard rock band). They were replaced by guitarist Jeff LaBar.
Goofs The fairy says that her enchantments lose their power after midnight. Indeed, when Cinderella runs away from the ball, all magic items (mice to horses, pumpkin to coach, mother's dress to fancy gown, lizards to servants) are changed back into their previous shape.
There is no reason given why the magic shoes should remain in their enchanted state of glass. Though it could be argued that because she took off her old shoes and the glass shoes were created on her feet, they would not be transformed back like everything else. They were created, rather than transformed: such as the pumpkin being transformed into the carriage and the pink dress to the blue dress. Although this is about the stepmother, I want to first say that I found all the characters well portrayed and supported by an excellent script, cinematography, and of course a great director.
I scanned some of the user reviews and for all those giving a very low rating it seems to me that they missed the essence of Cinderella - it is not supposed to be an action nor hard/boiled tale that apparently even some children want today and should not become such. I particularly appreciated the stepmother's portrayal because it included clear justification for her anger and bitterness. Not to say given that justification she was correct to have done what she did. But a worthy lesson for us and particularly for children. The specific scene I am referring to is when she overhears her husband telling his daughter how much he misses her mother, i.e., where is the love and support she desires - a more modern understanding of the difficulty of joining an existing family. This and other related scenes gives the stepmother a depth that makes her more real in place of the one-dimensional cartoon version - but what a joy that version was for me many years ago.
Rating: Think of Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella as Disney’s own response to its hit live-action adaptation Maleficent. Whereas the Angelina Jolie film tried to find a new take on an overly familiar story, Branagh and company whip up a handsome slice of old-fashioned family entertainment.
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The opening scenes find the young Ella (Eloise Webb) living an idyllic life with her mother (Hayley Atwell) and father (Ben Chaplin). As in every Disney film, her mother dies, but not before imparting to her the lesson of the movie with her final words - be kind and have courage. Years later, Ella (now played by Lily James) must exemplify that kindness as she accommodates her new stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and her selfish stepsisters after her father remarries. When her father passes away during a trip abroad, she relies on her inner courage as her cruel new family force her to be their servant. She must persevere through this ordeal in order to fulfill her father’s final wish - that she care for the house he and her mother loved so dearly. Dubbed Cinderella by her stepfamily for her oft-dirty appearance, she meets a handsome young man (Richard Madden) in the forest one day, and he claims to be an apprentice who lives in the royal court. They form a quick bond, but she leaves without learning that he’s actually the prince of the kingdom.
Meanwhile, the prince’s father (Derek Jacobi) is in ill health and wants his son to marry before he dies. In the hope of finding an acceptable future queen, a royal gala is held to size up all of the potential marriage material - think of it as regal speed dating. Cinderella, denied access to the ball by her stepmother, gets some unexpected assistance from a fairy godmother (Helena Bonham Carter) and wows everybody at the event. However, she must leave before midnight, and in her haste she leaves behind a glass slipper - which the prince uses to locate the woman he loves. Branagh, his generation’s most renowned director of Shakespeare adaptations, shows a respect for this well-known tale that’s quite welcoming. He doesn’t feel that this material, or its likely audience, is beneath him.
He receives able support from Oscar-winning production designer Dante Ferretti, whose stellar sets find the perfect balance between Masterpiece Theatre ornateness and dreamlike, fairy-tale lushness; and Oscar-winning costume designer Sandy Powell, whose playful work includes not only Cinderella’s spectacular blue gown, but a number of chilly monstrosities worn by the stepsisters and the wicked stepmother. It should come as no surprise that the performances are all solid, but first among equals is the great Cate Blanchett. She could have hammed it up, but instead she finds the emotional truth at the center of her character; her wickedness comes not from a joy of being wicked, but from her desire to protect herself and her daughters. She’s frighteningly cold and thoroughly believable, with just enough outsized cruelty to remind us that she’s a mythic figure.
She finds the perfect tone and never wavers from it. The same is true of the entire cast, as well as the production as a whole.
This version of Cinderella works so well because everyone involved has lived up to the story’s moral. They are kind to the story and the material, and are courageous enough to make something with great craft and complete earnestness.
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