Cinderella
2015  PG  FANTASY  1h 45min
CAST— Cate Blanchett, Lily James, Richard Madden, Stellan Skarsgård, Holliday Grainger, Derek Jacobi, Helena Bonham Carter
MUSIC— Patrick Doyle  DIRECTOR— Kenneth Branagh

     A lush adaptation of a classic Disney franchise. Ella is a happy young woman, despite the loss of her mother at an early age. Now her father has remarried, and this one’s a piece of work; her wild revelries and mean-spirited daughters bring shame to what was once a beautiful home. Now Ella’s father has died and her steps treat her as a slave. They won’t even allow her to attend the royal ball, the guest list including every maiden in the land. But a little help from her fairy godmother (plus the added generosity of various farm animals and rodents) is all Ella needs to make a night of it in style. She woos the prince, loses a shoe and becomes the envy of all. After the ball Ella’s identity remains a mystery. The prince begins a massive search for the foot that belongs to the lost slipper; said foot should probably still be attached to the rest of fair maiden. Sumptuous sets and scenery are the main attraction in this somewhat hollow interpretation. The casting is fine as is the now familiar story but there’s nothing here that’s Bibbidi Bobbidi new.
OUR RATING— ** ½
ORIGINAL— Cinderella (1950)