Welcome to the Galactic Theater, where we'll explore the works of master manipulators of light waves, examine the themes brought to play, and critique the final products of months of hard work.
Welcome to the Galactic Theater, where we'll explore the works of master manipulators of light waves, examine the themes brought to play, and critique the final products of months of hard work.
This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the movie.
That said, on to the review!
Take a young maiden whose widower father remarried, then died himself. Add a mean and uncaring stepmother and two spoiled, selfish stepsisters and mix well. Stir in dashed and broken dreams, sprinkle it with a bit of magic and stuff it all into a giant pumpkin. Decorate with seven enchanted mice and garnish with cinders from the fireplace. What do you have? Cinderella, of course! Now take a young man wandering through the village. Add two parents determined that he should marry very soon and give them a grandson. Mix in every eligible maiden in the kingdom. Stir in dancing, music, and food. Stuff it all into a castle. Decorate with starlight and moonlight. Garnish it with high ideals and long-sought dreams. Top it with a princely crown. What do you have? The Prince of the Kingdom! Now, take one Cinderella and sprinkle her with fairy godmother's well-wishing hands. Add one lonely, court-weary prince. Mix well with beautiful music, wonderful dancing, and a kiss of true love. Top with one injunction to watch the time. What do you have? Only the best, most wonderful love story the world has ever known!
There's no need to go over the story, is there? So let's cut right to the chase. In its recent tradition of producing live-action remakes, Disney has scored with this terrific hit. While some might look askance at the multiethnic casting, I personally think each charcter is eminently suited to their roles. I'm not a big fan of Brandy's music--I prefer her acting--but she lends the songs she sings in this movie a pathos and delicacy that I can't imagine anyone else imbuing them with. These are terrific ballads filled with truth and honest emotion that add so many dimensions to the movie that it's easy to forget everything except the beauty of it all.
Some things I found especially impressive were the characterizations of Cinderella's stepsisters and stepmother. With one sister tall and "willowy and the other hefty and "big-boned" and both with unusual faults and lacking inborn grace and beauty, it becomes very easy to see why they should both despise Cinderella so much. And with a stepmother who can plainly see the faults in her daughters when they're daily compared to Cinderella, it's easy to see why she would take such an intense dislike to her stepdaughter. Not to diminish the accomplishments of the actresses, however. Veanne Cox and Natalie Desselle played the two sisters excellently, giving the faults assigned to them a true believability. Bernadette Peters also has the malicious scowl down perfectly for this role. She seemed a bit too pale, but perhaps that's to highlight the flush of indignation that rose in her cheeks each time Cinderella asked something preposterous.
I shouldn't devote this entire review only to Cinderella and her family; they're only half the story. Whoopi Goldberg did a terrific turn as the queen, big alternately pushy and compliant, headstrong and persuadable. Jason Alexander made an excellent servant, suffering from the mishaps only the absolutely devoted would ever endure. My biggest praise, though, must go to Paolo Montalban, who debuts as the Prince. I originally encountered his work on late-night television on Mortal Kombat: Conquest, which was airing at 12:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings and 11:00 or 10:00 p.m. on Monday nights (two different stations). He did a good job as the monk-turned-Mortal Kombat-survivor Kung Lao on the show. Getting to see him in this movie, however, was great. Not only can he act in action shows, it seems he can also sing. That is, if he really is singing with Brandy and it isn't someone else doing a voice over. But the singing voice sounds like his speaking voice, so I'm assuming he does both. Great!
And I'd better not neglect to mention Whitney Houston, who does a splendid turn as Cinderella's fairy godmother. She adds a whole new dimension of character to this role, only part of which are, no doubt, merely affected mannerisms. I'm not certain what role she played as an executive producer (I have no idea how that works) but the end result was stupendous, so good job, lady!
You can purchase Cinderella on videotape at just about any video store you go to, or you can try ordering it directly from Disney Videos. Either way, go and get it: the movie is definitely worth it!
Interested in buying this video? You can! Just follow the link to order the VHS version or the DVD version. You can also visit the Stellar Video Store for other titles.
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