Ever After: A Cinderella Story is a 1998 film adaptation of the fairy tale Cinderella, directed by Andy Tennant and starring Drew Barrymore and Anjelica Huston. The screenplay is written by Tennant, Susannah Grant, and Rick Parks. The original music score is composed by George Fenton.
The usual pantomime and comic elements are removed and the story is instead treated as historical fiction. It is often seen as a modern, post-feminism interpretation of the Cinderella myth.[2]
Plot
The movie begins with the Grimm Brothers visiting an elderly woman, the Grande Dame of France (Jeanne Moreau), who questions their version of the Cinderella story. The Brothers reply that there was no way for them to verify the authenticity of their story as there were so many different versions. After one of the brothers expressed curiosity about a portrait showing a young woman, the Grande Dame replies that the woman was Danielle De Barbarac (Drew Barrymore) and proceeds to tell her story.
In Renaissance France, Danielle de Barbarac was raised by her father in a small manor after her mother's untimely death. Her father remarried a baroness with two young daughters, and shortly after he died of a heart attack, leaving Danielle with a stepmother and stepsisters she barely knows. The Baroness Rodmilla De Ghent (Anjelica Huston) resents Danielle, jealous of the love Danielle's father felt for her. By the time Danielle is eighteen, the estate has fallen into decline and Rodmilla's elder daughter Marguerite (Megan Dodds) has grown to be as cruel and arrogant as her mother. The younger daughter, Jacqueline, (Melanie Lynskey) is sweet-tempered and down-to-earth.
Danielle has a series of chance meetings with Henry, the Prince of France (Dougray Scott), who becomes intrigued with her wit and intelligence. Danielle disguises herself as a countess to intercede with Henry for the freedom of one of her servants; Henry is thus unaware of her true identity.
The king and queen are upset that Prince Henry refuses to marry. Delivering an ultimatum, Henry's father tells him that he must announce his engagement at masquerade ball--either to a girl of his choosing or, if he does not choose a fiancee of his own, to the Princess of Spain. Danielle, her stepmother, and stepsisters all receive invitations to the ball.
On the evening of the ball, Danielle's stepmother locks her in the larder. The servants manage to free her, and she dresses up in her mother's old gown and goes to the ball. There, her stepmother humiliates her by telling Henry that she is not the countess that he thinks she is. Henry publicly rejects Danielle and she runs away, leaving one slipper behind which is discovered by Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo reprimands Henry for abandoning Danielle when she had risked everything to come and tell him who she really was.
Danielle is sold to a repulsive landowner, Pierre Le Pieu (Richard O'Brien) in exchange for the return of household goods that Rodmilla had pawned to Le Pieu. Henry, through a fortunate twist of fate, is freed from his betrothal to the Spanish princess, and sets off to regain Danielle. Before he arrives, Danielle manages to free herself from Le Pieu's service by her own abilities. Henry asks for her forgiveness and her hand in marriage.
The Baroness's schemes are revealed, and she and Marguerite are punished by being sent to work in the royal laundry. Jacqueline, who was always kind to Danielle, is not punished. Danielle and Henry are presumed to live happily ever after; Leonardo da Vinci paints Danielle's portrait. As the story ends, the elderly lady reveals to the Brothers Grimm that she is Danielle's great-great-granddaughter, and still has the portrait and the glass slipper.
Cast
- Danielle De Barbarac, portrayed by Drew Barrymore
- Prince Henry, portrayed by Dougray Scott
- Baroness Rodmilla De Ghent, portrayed by Anjelica Huston
- Grand Dame, portrayed by Jeanne Moreau
- Marguerite De Ghent, portrayed by Megan Dodds
- Jacqueline De Ghent, portrayed by Melanie Lynskey
- Leonardo Da Vinci, portrayed by Patrick Godfrey
- Maurice, portrayed by Walter Sparrow
- Louise, portrayed by Matyelok Gibbs
- Paulette, portrayed by Kate Lansbury
- Gustave, portrayed by Lee Ingleby
- King Francis and Queen Marie of France, portrayed by Timothy West and Judy Parfitt respectively
- Pierre Le Pieu, portrayed by Richard O'Brien
- Auguste de Barbarac, portrayed by Jeroen Krabbé
Production
Head of a Young Woman with Tousled Hair
Ever After was filmed in Super 35 mm film format, but both the widescreen and pan-and-scan versions are included on the same DVD. This is also the only Super 35 mm film ever directed by Andy Tennant. The Tennant-directed films before this were filmed with spherical lenses. The ones after it were filmed with anamorphic lenses.
The castle shown in the film is the Château de Hautefort. Filming also occurred in Dordogne, France at the Château de Fénélon and the Château de Losse.
The painting of Danielle seen in the film is based on Leonardo's Head of a Young Woman with Tousled Hair.
Critical reception
The film received mainly positive reviews from critics. It currently holds a 92% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes although it holds only favorable reviews of a 66% on Metacritic. Both Newsweek and Rolling Stone magazine praised the movie's intelligence and wit, although some critics also noted its "confusing switch between humor and seriousness."
DVD release
The film was released on DVD with minimal extras. It is currently unknown if there will be another DVD release with more substantial content.
Musical Adaptation
A musical version of the film is currently in the works, with the book and lyrics by Marcy Heisler and music by Zina Goldrich. The musical was scheduled to have its world premiere in April 2009 at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco, but the pre-Broadway run has been postponed.[3]
Trailer
The theatrical trailer was noted for its use of contemporary dance music with images of a classic Fairy tale. This signaled to the public that this would be a modern interpretation of a traditional story. The two pieces of music used in the trailer are The Mummers' Dance by Loreena McKennitt and Fable by Robert Miles.
See also
- Ever After, the novel by Wendy Loggia, based on the screenplay by Susannah Grant, Andy Tennant and Rick Parks
References
- ^ Ever After: A Cinderella Story at boxofficemojo.com
- ^ Haase (ed.), Donald (2004). Fairy Tales and Feminism: New Approaches. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3030-4.
- ^ Hetrick, Adam (2009-01-28). "South Pacific Revival to Play San Francisco; Pre-Broadway Ever After Run Postponed". Playbill.com. http://www.playbill.com/news/article/125696.html. Retrieved 2009-01-28.
External links
