Many of us grew up enjoying Disney’s animated classic, “Cinderella.” As a kid, I was spellbound by singing mice, Cinderella’s sweetness, and, of course, the magic of the Fairy Godmother’s “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo.” But when Kenneth Branagh started production of a live-action remake of the fairy tale favorite, I was a bit skeptical.
To be honest, “Cinderella” was never my favorite Disney fairy-tale movie — I have always been much more interested in “Sleeping Beauty,” “Aladdin,” and “Beauty and the Beast” — besides the fact that remakes of beloved classics don’t always turn out so well. (I could mention “Footloose” as a prime example.)
But Branagh’s “Cinderella” rounds out the flat characters of the 1950 animation, sparkles with gorgeous CGI, delicately promotes virtue and innocence, and causes viewers to fall in love with Disney’s favorite princess all over again.
The film, narrated by Helena Bonham-Carter (who doubles as Cinderella’s quirky Fairy Godmother), opens by describing little Ella’s happy family and the premature death of her mother (Hayley Atwell). On her deathbed, Ella’s mother teaches Ella (portrayed by the darling Lily James) the importance of kindness, before finally commanding her to “have courage and be kind.”
This command becomes the theme of Ella’s life and the film itself, as the viewer sees that sometimes life requires an extraordinary amount of courage, and sometimes the simplest act of kindness is extremely selfless. Branagh wastes no time in showing viewers how difficult it is to be courageous — especially if you are Cinderella. To risk a spoiler, for example, when Ella’s last chance at happiness is threatened near the end of the film, she chooses to protect those whom she loves instead of indulging her own desires.
Rather than seeing the mistreated orphan as a pathetic creature who doesn’t stand up for herself (which one was often tempted to think of the Cinderella in the 1950 animation), the viewer respects Ella’s self-control and remarkable kindness to animals, strangers, and her cruel step-family. Instead of lashing back at her family’s mean-spiritedness, Ella continues to bless them with her hard work, determined to remain in the house in which she was raised to respect her parents’ dying wishes.
Even when Ella is rewarded for her goodness and given the opportunity to exact revenge on those who hurt her (a la Drew Barrymore in the Cinderella story “Ever After”), she turns to her stepmother (a delightfully wicked Cate Blanchett) and says, simply and honestly,
“I forgive you.”
This moment is just one example of Branagh’s mission to promote virtue in the film. The lack of oversexualized relationships between characters is particularly refreshing, especially between Ella and the prince (they share one chaste kiss at the very end of the film). Branagh is definitely making a point: you don’t need make-out sessions and sex to portray a beautiful romance between two people. In fact, the purity of the relationship between Ella and the prince (Richard Madden) makes even the idea of steamy sex scenes seem trashy and out of place.
Vibrant colors, sweeping scenery, and decadent ballroom scenes that are nothing short of magical are the icing on the cake. The Fairy Godmother’s transformation of Ella and her pumpkin is a special scene filled with good humor and flawless CGI (watching the lizards squirm and writhe into green, scaly footmen was particularly entertaining). The real treat, however, is watching Lily James spin slowly amid a cloud of sparkling fairy dust and butterflies into a gorgeous blue gown and glass slippers, then descend innocently and unassumingly upon the ball.
In a film-making age where troubled heroes are praised and virtue is undermined, Branagh’s “Cinderella” stands apart from the rest like a beacon, and gives me hope. Virtuous heroes will always be more powerful than heroes that justify dishonesty and knavery, and fairy tales can still be as fresh and cherished as ever.
