Talkie Tuesday: Cinderella

Hello everyone!

Back to my movie blog routine, seeing as I still have so many to go through, I hoarded quite a bit of them for my three week vacation (or was it almost a month?) and ended up sometimes watching two per night while I was on my own, because what better way can you imagine of relaxing than by settling down, all cozy, with your favourite snack and drink, the air smelling of salt and pine needles, and watching some of your favourite left-behind movies? 

You're right, sounds about perfect to me!

Which is why I did a lot of it, and after finishing with The Longest Ride, I went with not so much of an alphabetic list through my movies, but mostly through the ones I couldn't bear to wait for until I watched, and the next one of the list was Cinderella.

I had heard different reviews for this one prior to leaving for vacation, and since I didn't have any internet connection before seeing it myself, I could only rely on what I would personally feel, but I was inclined to hope for the best. After all, you can't mess up much with an original Disney Princess, right?

Now, to be quite honest with you: Cinderella is probably the only Disney Princess I actually know how to hate. It's not that I have something against her personally in terms of how she looks or her luck or whatever, that's not the point. The point is, while watching the Walt Disney movie, I honestly thought she didn't deserve what she got. Most of the time through the cartoon, she's either singing or mooning around, not really DOING anything to achieve her dream, which is to live a better life. Her inactivity probably irked me the most since, while I may not be all over the place myself all the time, I tend to get itchy feet if I see something that could be done, but can't do it.

Ahem.

Back to the movie in itself, shall we?

I loved the slightly expanded background story for Ella, with her loving parents (and Hayley Atwell is ALWAYS a pleasure to watch, always) and her life growing up in such an environment, basicaly being the princess of her own little kingdom, taught to always be brave and kind. Sadly, her mother passes away and it takes a while for her father to get over his grief to marry again, this time not so much for love, I thought, as it was for practicality sake: he wants and needs someone to be there for his daughter when he, a travelling merchant, can't be.

Of course, this would be the evil step-mother and her step-sisters. I never thought I'd see the day when I enjoyed watching Cate Blanchett in her role as the villain, or pseudo-villain, but it arrived as soon as her true colours came out! And she was fabulous, might I add.

Another tragedy strikes when Ella's father passes away from illness on his journey back, and she soon becomes more or less the main servant to her overbearing step-relatives. This is also a time when she earns her name 'Cinderella' for sleeping close to the ashes of the fire, the cinders, which stick to her skin. In desperation, she tries to run away one time, and accidentally disrupts the royal hunt, and meets the prince - not that he tells her he's the prince. Richard Madden is quite handsome when out of the North furs, but honestly, the best part? Nonso Anozie. Because, that man can make you laugh with just once lifting an eyebrow and sarcastically not calling his young charge 'Your Highness' but 'Sir Whatshisname' (I can't remember which surname it was, sadly).

By this point, we are introduced into the point of view of the castle, where the king is ailing, and wishes for his son to marry and secure the succession. Stellan Skarsgard is absolutely fantastic in playing the Grand Duke, and another pseudo-villain, as we will find out later. Anyway, our prince is captivated by Ella and can't stop thinking about her, but he does agree to the ball to find him a bride, hoping she would come if they open it to every eligible maiden in the kingdom.

The plan almost fails to bring Ella, since she is humiliated and her dress torn, but luckily, Helena Bonham Carter appears in the role as Fairy Godmother and fixes her all up!

"I'm fabulous with shoes. You'll find they're quite comfortable."

Fairy Godmother

This right after the famous glass shoes make an appearance, and I comment loudly into my screen that those are probably the LEAST comfortable shoes in the history of mankind.

Word.

So, off to the ball to charm her prince, and midnight coming too soon (and me missing the 'So This Is Love'), from where the action quickens pace as the King passes, and the Prince-turned-King is now seeking the maiden whose foot will fit in the glass slipper left behind. But the stepmother has found out the truth, and locks Ella away, intending for one of her daughters to marry the new King, or, failing that, she and the Grand Duke agree that they will just say the girl has disappeared.

Their plan WOULD have worked, if not for the fact that Ella is singing when the entourage arrives, and the King himself is hidden under the cape of one of the soldiers - okay, I did NOT see this coming. Sue me.

Obviously, the shoe fits, they marry, and they live happily ever after.

I really, really liked this one. Probably because Ella was by far more proactive than her cartoon counterpart, and there were also additional little details with the mice and the cat and such which tied it all neatly together, with a modern twist to it. And just, maybe I should have seen the cartoon when I was younger, not now, but the movie resonated much better with me, and I am definitely going to be watching it again, probably in the near future!

Also, I want those shoes!

xx

*images not mine