By Gizem Yetim Special to The Chronicle
A glass slipper, a mean step-mother, a couple of jealous step-sisters and a fairy godmother. Any of this sound familiar? Yes, “Cinderella” is in theaters once more. It is 2015’s live-action version and it is as magical as Walt Disney’s 1950s animated classic.
It all started 65 years ago with a glass slipper that inspired millions of viewers for decades. The fairytale has been retold many times, but now everyone’s excited about the revision with this live-action version directed by Kenneth Branagh.
Many are excited to see Lily James as Cinderella, Cate Blanchett as Lady Tremaine, Richard Madden as Prince Charming and, of course, Helena Bonham Carter as the well-known Fairy Godmother.
Critics are astonished with the color vibrancy shown on screen through the trailers. Some have bragged about the costumes and the warm feeling the whole film lends to its viewers. Some say that this “Cinderella” could be the “Cinderella” for the new generation and generations to come.
Meanwhile, critics on the opposite side say that the script is a bit too “cheery” and “sugary.” Some say that they wished the story could have circled around the evil stepmother to make it more interesting, especially since Cate Blanchett fit her role so perfectly.
I went opening night and I’ll share with you my own ideas. The film had a classic touch to it – but sometimes we need classic, instead of totally losing the point of the story we already love.
My favorite part was the dream-like ball gown and the one-and-only glass slipper. The costumes were done very well to portray each character’s personality.
Lily James truly deserved the role of Cinderella and she played the character wonderfully. Cate Blanchett was a fantastic Evil Step-mother and wore the role like a perfect fit. I wished I would have seen Helena Bonham Carter’s character a bit more, but she was only there for her Fairy Godmother debut. She saved Cinderella and left, but in doing so was astonishing as always.
The animation for the mice, lizards and other animals was well done, however the mice could have seemed a bit cuter rather than realistic. I really couldn’t agree with Cinderella when she was laughing with the mice and saying, “Aww, Gus, Gus.” Other than that, the special effects for the changing of the pumpkin carriage, the horses, the footman, the ball gown and slippers were marvelously done.
When Cinderella runs away because it’s midnight, the camera is on its side so it appears as if she’s running and the ground is coming with her.
I did find one mistake, which I couldn’t believe they missed. The Fairy God Mother tells Cinderella to take off her worn out shoes so she can change them, but in the next shot there are shoes on Cinderella’s feet while they change into the glass slippers.
Once they are turned into glass slippers, we are still looking at the old shoes that are no longer on her feet. The discrepancy threw me off when watching the movie.
Even though it was such a classic “Cinderella,” there were parts that were very different from the animated “Cinderella.” The first is when Cinderella and the prince meet in the woods on horseback before the ball started. They then continued the classic story where they are unfamiliar and he does not tell her that he’s the prince.
Branagh stepped away from the classic storyline again when Lady Tremaine finds out about Cinderella’s glass-slipper adventure and tells her to marry the prince, but also helps her and her two daughters so that they can become rich, which Cinderella does not agree to.
The message for young kids starts with the wonderful back-story of Cinderella’s mother telling her to always be kind and have courage in life. Cinderella keeps her promise throughout the film. Cindarella also gives another message of her own: if something is being done, it doesn’t mean that it’s right. All the messages the film gives were great for the young children watching.
Overall, it was a very successful film and I congratulate Kenneth Branagh for having us live through a wonderful “Cinderella” classic one more time with an extra bit of flair. I recommend you go see the always loved and well-known fairytale. Don’t forget your glass slipper!