Movie: Cinderella
PG, 1 hour 45 minutes
Grade: A-
In a Nutshell: In an era of movie remakes, this version
of Cinderella by Director Kenneth Branagh is very simple, elegant, pure, and even
old-fashioned, staying true to its original animation roots. Walt Disney would have been very pleased. So would the original author of the story, Charles
Perrault.
SPECIAL NOTE: One of the best things about seeing this in
the movie theater right now is the animated short that plays before the
movie. It’s called
Frozen Fever
and
highlights your favorite characters from the Frozen movie! It’s a cute singing number that features Anna’s
birthday party. Absolutely ADORABLE!
Uplifting Theme:
·
“Have courage and be kind.” – Cinderella’s dying
mother’s wish for her. This phrase is
repeated so many times that it’s not a subtle theme, but a very clear one that
even little children will be able to pick up on.
·
Inner beauty shines greater than outer beauty.
·
“Just because it’s done doesn’t mean what should
be done.” - Ella
- "Where there is kindness there is goodness and where there is goodness there is magic." - Ella
Things I liked:
·
The dress! Wow. We are sure to see dozens of
little girls wearing miniature versions of Cinderella’s shimmering, blue ball
gown on our front door steps this year
on Halloween, complete with butterflies and sparkles in the hair. I thought it was clever to match the ball
gowns with the personalities of the wearers, such as the tacky and garish
stepsisters’ dresses contrasted with the beautiful, graceful one worn by
Cinderella. I also loved the Fairy
Godmother’s whimsical dress with wings.
·
The word that describes the film itself, as well
as the set designs is charming.
·
Cate Blanchett can do no wrong. I adore her in
everything she does. She is splendid in
this role as Lady Tremaine and looks absolutely stunning in every outfit in
every scene. Her subtle expressions add
depth and nuance to the wicked step-mother, but they don’t change the story, only
enhance it just enough.
·
The mice and other CGI creatures look very real. They provide some comic relief, but it is
very understated and simple. The narrator tells us that Ella “had very
little in the way of friends…well, her friends were very little.”
·
The magical transformations of the creatures to
footmen, coachman, etc is wonderfully
Disney. The lizard footmen are kind of creepy looking,
but I love that they had lizard teeth and kept a green eye shadow hue to remind
us of their true nature.
·
Both Prince Charming (the handsome, blue-eyed
Richard Madden with absolutely perfect teeth) and Cinderella are modest,
wholesome, noble, and good. That’s so
refreshing in protagonists these days.
·
Cinderella shows such grace and poise even when
confronted with cruelty. SPOILER ALERT:
I love it when she tells her wicked stepmother “I forgive you.”
·
I’m really glad this film didn’t show the ugly
step-sisters getting their feet cut off to fit into the glass slipper like in
the recent movie
Into the Woods
. So
gross. Speaking of glass slipper….wow! Gorgeous.
“And
you’ll find them quite comfortable.” -
Fairy Godmother
Things I didn’t like:
·
While there are a few touching moments, none are
tear-worthy.
·
Helena Bonham Carter appeared too fake and
quirky for this simple, elegant version of Cinderella. While
some would say she stole the show, I thought the humor seemed too forced and
out of place.
·
Ella always wears the same blue dress to
everything. Her ball gown is also blue.
·
It’s a bit slow-moving with very little action.
·
The interactions with Ella and Prince Charming
were too short. I wanted to see them
together longer.
·
I was surprised that Prince Charming’s castle
didn’t look like the Cinderella castle in Disneyland.
Funny lines:
·
“I can’t drive!
I’m a goose!.” - Coachman
Interesting lines:
·
“I believe animals speak to us if only we have
an ear to hear them. That’s how we learn
to care for them.” – Ella’s mother (played
by the lovely Hayley Atwell who you will see more of in Avengers: Age of Ultron
and Ant-Man)
·
“Time passed. Pain turned to memory.” - Narrator (Fairy Godmother) True statement.
·
“I do love a happy ending, don’t you?” – Ella
·
“Kindness is free.” - Ella
·
“This is, perhaps, the greatest risk we will
take – to be seen for who we really are.” – Narrator/Fairy godmother
·
“Surely you have a right to your own heart.” –
Ella
·
“It really was like a dream…better than a dream.”
– Ella
·
“They’re all looking at you. – Ella
“Believe me…they’re all looking at YOU!” –
Prince Charming
·
“Names have power.” - Narrator/Fairy Godmother
·
“Punctuality is the politeness of princes.” - King
Tips for Parents:
·
There is nothing super scary or offensive. This is a very safe movie for family viewing of
all ages.
·
No profanity.
You’ll hear “Gosh” and “my goodness” instead. I think the harshest
sentence uttered is when the wicked Stepmother says “Do shut up” to her own
daughter who sings terribly.
If you can't get enough of this great classic, you'll enjoy these:
