Based on the original 1950s film, this new rendition of Cinderella definitely lives up to its expectation. Kenneth Branagh’s reproduction of the classic was able to capture all, if not more, of the original fairy tale and the significance of the little glass slipper.
Once upon a time, there was a small kingdom which housed a young girl by the name of Ella, and her recently widowed father. Although her father was devoted and caring to Ella, as well as gave his beloved daughter every luxury and pleasure, he still believed that she needed a mother figure in her life. For that reason he conscientiously remarried a woman who came from a good family and had two daughters who were Ella’s age, by the name of Anastasia and Drizella.
While her new sisters were selfish and self-obsessed, Ella on the other hand was always placing others above herself and cared about the well-being of those around her. Before her mother passed away, Ella vowed that no matter what the circumstance she would “have courage and be kind.” This stuck with Ella throughout the rest of her life and her new family took advantage of it after the unexpected death of her beloved father.
As a result, Ella was forced into servitude. Her stepmother and stepsisters treated her inhumanely and as if she was a creature without emotions. After her chores were completed, Ella would curl up by the fireplace and often wake up with cinders on her face, thus giving her the name Cinderella. But being the kindhearted lady she was, Cinderella dared not to speak up and took the abuse patiently.
"Where there is kindness, there is goodness, and where there is goodness, there is magic." #Cinderella pic.twitter.com/zwrZbRbjZy
— #Cinderella (@CinderellaMovie) March 18, 2015
One day, the Prince invited all the young ladies of the land to a ball, planning to choose a wife among them. While her stepmother, Anastasia, and Drizella planned their extravagant wardrobe for the ball, Cinderella sewed a simple dress that belonged to her mother. Her actions were constantly taunted by her two stepsisters, saying that “maids weren’t invited to the ball.”
As her sisters headed to the ball in a horse driven carriage, Cinderella cried in despair. During this time her Fairy Godmother magically appeared and transformed her from a house servant into the beautiful princess she was born to be. She was told to have fun by her Fairy Godmother but warned to be back by midnight since that was when the spell wore off and everything would return to normal.
Upon arrival at the ball, all eyes were instantly drawn to Cinderella. The Prince greeted her and immediately fell in love with her, but she was forced to flee the ball at midnight and during the sprint to the carriage, she lost one of her glass slippers.
Although the Prince’s father forbade marriage between his son and women who held no titles in the community, he granted his son the ability to marry whoever he chose no matter what status she held.
The Prince tried the glass slipper on all of the women in the kingdom, and as the fairy tale goes, Cinderella’s foot naturally fit into the shoe and was asked by the Prince for her hand in marriage.
Cinderella is an exceptional movie, that is enjoyable and appropriate for all ages. The film has an intriguing way of reinterpreting an older version of Cinderella and transforming it into something new and creative, while staying true to the plotline of the original classic.
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Background Photo Credit: Walt Disney Pictures
