Ella
All of the characters get an expansion in this version of the story, but the most important character is of course Ella. Lily James was enchanting and delightful and portrayed a girl that I really liked. Ella’s mother encourages her daughter to always “have courage and be kind,” and Ella takes that to heart throughout the entire film. She has the kind of quiet strength that is undervalued all too often. She does in fact treat everyone with kindness (even people who don’t deserve it, which is an incredibly difficult task) but is forceful in her convictions and will always do what she thinks is right. When Ella first meets the Prince in the woods, it’s obvious that she likes him, but she also tells him that she thinks he’s wrong for hunting a stag that’s never hurt anyone. There’s a moment when Anastasia and Drisella insinuate that Ella is too stupid to understand French, and she awesomely puts them in their place by rattling it off beautifully. After lady Tremaine figures out that Ella is the mystery girl that the Prince wants to marry, she tries to threaten her stepdaughter into accepting a shady arrangement. But our heroine is not having it. I kind of want to be best friends with her.
Prince Kit
What about Ella’s other half, Prince Kit? The one word to describe him in this movie is YES. Handsome and dashing as hell? YES. Perfect hair and voice and demeanor and everything? YES. Charming personality? YES. He is so obviously smitten with Ella when they meet in the woods and was not at all put off by the fact that she was covered in ash and windswept and giving him a hard time about going hunting. Ella tells Kit that “just because it’s what’s done doesn’t mean it’s what should be done,” and not only does he remember that, but he says it himself later in regards to everyone pressuring him to marry for political gain. Even when Ella runs out of the palace at midnight on the evening of the ball, when he runs after her he’s not so much desperate to catch up with her as he is baffled and delighted by her. I texted my friend after the movie, “SO MUCH SWOON,” which sums up my thoughts pretty well. But he’s not relegated to only romantic scenes, and one of the nicer additions to this version is the story between Kit and his father. One of their scenes in particular is incredibly touching, and Richard Madden is absolutely beautiful in it. Between Thor and now Cinderella, Kenneth Branagh has proven that when it comes to casting men, he knows what he’s doing. Ken, please come to my house and hold auditions to cast the role of my husband, because I’m convinced you can find me somebody good.
Chemistry
The most critical aspect of a movie like this is the chemistry between the two leads, and Lily James and Richard Madden have it in droves. They’re so sexy together- a sweet kind of sexy, it’s Disney- that it makes your heart all fluttery. Cate Blanchett said in an interview that their chemistry was so palpable that it made her cry. Me too, Cate. (Kenneth Branagh is actually going to direct Richard and Lily together again in Romeo and Juliet on the London stage.) I had a huge, goofy smile on my face for every single one of their scenes together, and I had to hold in excited little squeal noises so as not to freak out Bekah’s sister, who was sitting next to me. After you’ve all seen the movie I can do another post that analyzes every single glance, touch, and conversation, but for now I won’t say anything more. Sorry Jasmine and Aladdin, you had a good run, but I’ve found my new favorite Disney couple.
Step-monster
Cate Blanchett is as fantastic as you’d imagine her to be, which is no surprise. She’s able to provide complexity to a character who could’ve so easily been one dimensional. There’s a speech by Lady Tramaine towards the end of the movie that gives us a bit of an explanation as to why she is the way she is. It doesn’t make you like her any more, but it’s still a nice touch. Helena Bonham Carter as the Fairy Godmother is so much fun. She’s a tad unsure of her spell work and has a hilariously nervous, bumbling way about her. She also narrates the film, so even though we only see her in one scene, we get bits of her throughout the movie.
The Music
Some people may really miss the musical numbers from the animated version, but I definitely didn’t. As a matter of personal taste, I can’t deal with musical numbers outside of animated movies. They just totally take me out of the moment. There is some singing though, and Ella singing actually alerts everyone that she’s trapped in the attic when the Grand Duke and the Captain are at her house trying the glass slipper on her stepsisters. I thought Patrick Doyle’s score was very fairy tale-y and Disneyesque, so I absolutely did not long to see Ella and Kit sing “So This is Love” while they were dancing together at the ball. But if that’s more your thing then you may be disappointed that they decided not to go that route.
The Costumes
All of the costumes were gorgeous, especially Ella’s blue ball gown. It’s what I’m going to imagine I’m wearing every day for the foreseeable future. The color palate for all of Lady Tremaine’s costumes was particularly striking, and even Prince Kit’s military inspired costumes were incredibly intricate. The locations were beautiful, especially the palace ballroom and Kit’s secret garden (that’s not a euphemism, there’s actually a lovely little garden on the palace grounds that Kit tells Ella he’s never shown anyone else.) It’s also a safe bet that everyone will adore all of Ella’s animal friends, who got an audible “aww” every time they were on screen.
Bottom line: I loved Cinderella while it was happening, and when it was over I wanted it to keep going. I’d call that a successful movie. Well done to everyone involved. Go see it!
Not So Fast
Bekah here, and I have to admit: I have some problems with the movie. Big, Big problems
Smelly Feet
Cinderella is locked in the tower for God-knows how long. And when she finally comes down to see the prince, and he slips off her ratty shoe to try on the glass slipper, he should have FALLEN OVER from the stench. She’s been LOCKED IN A TOWER FOR DAYS/WEEKS ON END. Her feet most definitely smell
Smelly Breath
Same thing about her BREATH. While they don’t kiss in that moment, there is a lot of close talking and staring and SHE HAS BEEN LOCKED UP FOR AWHILE. Her breath is rank. Where is my realistic movie, DISNEY?
Perfect Prince
NO ONE IS THAT PERFECT. HE IS PERFECT. Those teeth (so white). That face (so hot). That Attitude (not snotty/typical prince behavior/wants to be good) NOT REAL
The Cat would have caught the mice
And even after her mom died and dad died and Ella was hated by the people in her life, I wouldn’t have been able to handle if the cat caught the mice, but CATS CATCH MICE. MICE NEVER WIN. This was a problem. BIG problem
Okay, so I really had no problems with the movie. It was perfect with typical Disney perfection. The feet didn’t smell, the teeth were too white, Ella’s spirit wasn’t broken despite losing everyone she loves and being left with people who HATE her… and it was perfect. So so perfect.
And for the mothers who keep asking if it’s appropriate for children: I think so. It’s sad when the parents die, but I thought Frozen was sadder. The step-monster is mean, but I don’t think she’s scary. I think little girls will love this film!
