The movie is gloriously cheesy, with deliberately
unrealistic sets, giving it the look of a filmed play for children. Lesley Ann
Warren is adorable as Cinderella, in her first scene telling the Prince she
can’t come outside. “No one is at home, and my stepmother will beat me if I
speak to anyone while she is away.” Of course, this is a film aimed at
children and families, so there is no beating. (There is also no cutting off of
toes to fit the slipper later, as in the Grimm version.) And after the Prince
leaves, Cinderella sings the first song of the film, about waiting for love.
Jo Van Fleet is perfect as Cinderella’s stepmother, and
upon her entrance asks Cinderella if she’s done a long list of chores. After
Cinderella answers “Yes, ma’am” to each, the Stepmother asks, “Well,
couldn’t you find anything else to do, child?” And the two stepsisters are
excellent when they argue, each boasting about her better qualities. The
Stepmother stops this by saying, “Now, now, there is room for improvement in
both of you,” which is great.
There is a goofy song in which the people of the kingdom
express excitement over the news that the Prince is giving a ball and looking
for a bride. The line that makes the song work is when a little girl suddenly
appears, singing, “And me, I’m in the seventh grade.” It’s a funny
moment.
Perhaps the most delightful song is a very short one sung
by the Fairy Godmother, with lines like, “All dreamers in the world are
dizzy in the noodle.” I love Celeste Holm’s delivery. And it leads to a
longer song about “fools who don’t believe in sensible rules/And won’t
believe what sensible people say/And because these daft and dewy-eyed dopes
keep building up impossible hopes/Impossible things are happening every day.”
That’s a wonderful message.
It is by the cheapest effect imaginable that the pumpkin
becomes a carriage and so on. And check out the goofy animation as the carriage
makes its journey to the ball. It’s impossible to dislike it because it is so
ridiculous.
I love that the film allows for a nice long moment as
Cinderella descends the staircase when she arrives at the ball, before she and
the Prince wordlessly begin to dance. It’s one of my favorite moments.
Oddly, when Cinderella runs out of the castle, the glass
slipper is already there, as if it had come off her on her way in. And where is
the other shoe? She is clearly barefoot. Also, there is that magical effect
over the shoe, yet it doesn’t change back to anything. When the magic effect
appears over her dress, it changes back to her more homely attire. So what
about the shoe? Also, wouldn’t a glass slipper be terribly dangerous to wear,
especially to dance in?
I did not see this film during my childhood, so it holds
no nostalgic appeal for me, as it likely will for many. For me, it’s the cheap
effects and the silly sets and tone, and some of the humor, which make it worth
watching. But the main appeal is seeing a young Lesley Ann Warren.
For those who are wondering, yes, the overture is
included on this DVD. But the DVD also offers the option of watching the film
without the overture. (The overture is approximately five minutes.) Also, the
CBS station identification is included partway through.
Special Feature
The DVD includes A Cinderella Story, a ten-minute
featurette with interviews with cast members Lesley Ann Warren, Stuart Damon,
and Celeste Holm. Lesley Ann Warren talks about her audition. Stuart Damon
talks about how he had to borrow money for the plane ticket to get to Los
Angeles. They both talk about how Richard Rodgers was demanding, wanting every
note sung exactly as he’d written it. Celeste talks about the difficult shooting
schedule. This featurette was created in 2001.
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella is
scheduled to be released on DVD on September 9, 2014 through Shout! Factory.
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