Movie of the Week: Cinderella

[jacey]

Bad timing. We arrived at the cinema to find it's half term week, so instead of the usual audience of half a dozen we were surrounded by tiny girls, some in fairy outfits. Ah well, at least they were well behaved.

This was a little girls' film despite being directed by Kenneth Brannagh. No surprises and few deviations from the Perrault fairy tale (though no cutting off of heels). I still have a sneaking liking for Ever After - A Cinderella Story (1998, Drew Barrymore) and, of course The Slipper and the Rose (Richard Chamberlain/Gemma Craven, 1976), but this is a perfectly servicable Cinderella interpretation with Lily James as Ella and Richard Madden (Game of Thrones) as Kit, the prince. Helena Bonham Carter is the fairy godmother while Cate Blanchett chews scenery as a suitably nasy stepmother, with her two dim, but not unattractive, daughters. Derek Jacobi steals the show as the ailing king with barely five minutes of screen time.

Richard Madden is allowed to flesh out the role of Prince Charming a little more than usual, though since the last screen wedding he attended was the Red Wedding I wanted to warn Ella that things might go awry and not to invite Walder Frey to the nuptuals.

Verdict? Perfect for eight year old girls in fairy dresses.

Comments

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

My daughter went to see it and said the same.

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

I suspect my eight-year old granddaughter will love it. We can also hope that that gorgeous blue dress may continue the de-pinkyfying of little girls' clothes, a process begun by Frozen.

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

Very true. The dress is blue and almost seems to have a life of its own. You could hide a small army of Tyrion Lannisters in its folds. De-pinkifying can only be a good thing, but it does nothing to de-princess little girl outlooks. Unlike the princesses in Frozen, Ella has to be rescued.