Friday, March 13, 2015

Cinderella

Last night was Girls Night Out with my mom and sister for the first screening of Cinderella.  Kenneth Branagh's lovely film is a live action version of the classic fairy tale and it is very much informed by the 1950 Disney animated version.  If you are at all offended by the someday-my-prince-will-come notion that a girl needs to be rescued from an unpleasant situation by a man, then this might not be the movie for you.  But if you are open to it, this film is absolutely enchanting and there is such a great message about having courage and being kind.  I loved everything about it:  the performances, the costumes, the set and art direction, the special effects, and even the choreography in the ball scenes.  Lily James (from Downton Abbey) and Richard Madden (from Game of Thrones) are perfect as Cinderella and Prince Charming and I especially love the fact that he falls in love with her when he first sees her as she really is (a common farm girl) rather than at the ball.  I also really enjoyed all of James' interactions with the mice (including Gus-Gus).   Cate Blanchett is delightfully wicked as the stepmother.  She is, without question, a villain but I liked Blanchett's vulnerability in the role.  The audience certainly understands her motivation for treating Cinderella so badly. My favorite performance was definitely Helena Bonham Carter as the Fairy Godmother.  This role was tailor-made for the quirky Bonham Carter and I may or may not have giggled out loud when she said, "Bibbity-Bobbity-Boo."  The costumes are beautiful, especially Cinderella's dress at the ball, and those glass slippers (made of Swarovski crystal) are spectacular!  I also loved all of the over-the-top dresses worn by the stepmother and the stepsisters.  Branagh's aesthetic in this movie is so beautiful.  Cinderella's house, the surrounding forests, and the palace all conspire to transport the audience to a magical time and place while the ball is everything that a young girl could ever dream of and more.  The special effects are incredible.  Again, I was literally giggling (so was my mom) when the Fairy Godmother turned a pumpkin into a coach and the mice into horses.  It is just as impressive, if not more so, when the spell is broken at midnight and the coach is turned back into a pumpkin.  I would recommend this movie for the first dance at the ball alone!  I was spellbound by the choreography and the camera angles when Cinderella and the prince dance together.  It looks like James is floating on a cloud of blue silk and organza.  It is so incredibly romantic and it almost makes you believe in magic!  The whole time I was watching this movie, I felt like I did when I was a little girl watching the animated version.  Cinderella is so much fun and I especially enjoyed watching it with my mom and sister.

Note:  Stay through the credits so you can hear Helena Bonham Carter sing "Bibbity-Bobbity-Boo."  It is worth it! 

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