Cinderella

Let me start off by saying that Cinderella has never been one of my favorite princesses. I'm no feminist, but I think it might have something to do with the fact that I always saw her as someone who kinda got everything handed to her. There was an era, I think, of Disney princesses just being girls who were found by men and swept off their feet. I think Disney has gone away with that with more "go get 'em" type attitudes in the heroines of their movies.

Disney's new "real people" version of Cinderella changed my about her. I really loved it. I thought the costumes where impeccable (I'm pretty sure I started hyperventilating when she ran around in her gorgeous blue ball-gown--that thing moved like cascading water), I loved the casting, and I thought it was beautifully shot with lots of vibrant visual interest. But honestly, I loved the story and the things it made me feel and think about. It went much deeper than the typical story which I loved. 

Now for the important part:

I came away uplifted. Seriously. I need to go watch it again because there were so many thoughts in my head about what was going on. I think the best way to break this all down a bit. **Spoiler alert**

What I loved:

• I loved Cinderella's goodness and kindness
• I loved the anthropomorphic mice who were "realistically" unrealistic.
• I loved the prince, and how he and Cinderella were attracted to one another because of their mutual goodness. kindness, and maturity
• I loved, loved, loved the costumes
• Seriously, Cinderella's ballgown is swoon-worthy. The whole time she was wearing it I was just imagining how much fun that would be to wear/make and wondering where they find fabric that moves like that.
• Oh, and the stepmother's dresses were also fabulous. Let's bring back the column dress with the whole pseudo-bustle-train thing.
• I loved the respectful, loving relationship between the King and the Prince
• I loved Cinderella's kindness and strength even with so. many. sad things happening to her
• I loved the fairy godmother played by Helena Bonham Carter. I usually just see Bellatrix when I see her, but blond hair and poofy silver dresses kinda do away with that image
• I loved the song "Strong" at the end during the credits
• I loved that there was much more to this story than a picked on girl who rides a pumpkin to a ball because her fairy godmother came along
• I loved that I honestly came away uplifted
• I loved that the main message of the movie was to "Have courage, and be kind"

What I didn't love:

• I didn't love the lizard-turned-footman. Seriously, he was creepy
• I didn't love how many times I cried because someone died
• I didn't love when it ended

Now that I've got the basics down, I'm gonna do a little run through of each character and what I like about them:

Mother:

I loved the mom, it was a shame she had to go so early. I thought she portrayed a sort of free spirit, love all, type of person who loved her family and just wanted them to all be happy. I loved that her words to her daughter before she died were "Have courage, be kind."

Father:

I also liked the dad. I liked that the movie didn't portray him as someone that was stupid enough to marry this evil woman. It was basically a marriage of convenience with a shot in the dark of bringing him happiness after being sad for so long. I thought he realistically showed us a man who was really just broken by his wife's death and reached out for something that had a chance of bringing him happiness again. I also thought it was interesting that when he realized she wouldn't bring him happiness, he drew away. I think in trying to remain respectable and to keep from hating his "wife" he had to stay away.

Cinderella:

Holy smokes, guys. Lily James is awesome. She had a really beautiful quality of true goodness and sweetness that couldn't be argued, and you could really believe in her kindness even when her step-mother and step sisters were cruel to her. I like how near the end, she asks her stepmother how she can be so evil, and you really feel that she just can't comprehend that kind of nastiness because of her purity and true kindness which was refreshing. Her hardships didn't make her colder and harder, they made her tougher and stronger and I think the difference between the two came across beautifully as she continued to remain happy and kind--unlike her stepmother--without seeming naive. I really, really, loved that her goodness and kindness was emphasized and how those were qualities that led the prince to fall in love with her, not just her beauty.

Stepmother:

Man, I'm just saying she was good. Cate Blanchett truly was excellent in her part. So often in movies these days, we are manipulated by the villains story to feel sorry for them. You never want to feel bad for the villains, and it's kind of refreshing to just hate fictional character, but with this stepmother, you really don't know what to feel. Because of what she shares, you can't totally hate her, but you can't get all the way sympathetic either. Because she is never really redeemed or condemned, it's up to you to decide what happens to her which is really nice. The juxtaposition of Cinderella and stepmother is excellent and enthralling. Both experienced sadness and heartache and fear because of what life handed them yet they each ended up in very different places emotionally and mentally. Like I mentioned above, Cinderella decides to be made tough instead of cold and hard while the stepmother chooses just the opposite. 

Stepsisters:

There wasn't a whole lot different here, except that they did make me believe that they were really just kind of dumb girls who were following in the pathways of a mean mother. Everyone has the choice how to act in situations of course, but you really just get the feeling that they've got no thoughts of their own. They provided some good humorous moments of course and were perfectly over-the-top.

The Prince:

Ah, the prince. I can't say how much I loved him. Seriously, he was so cool. My favorite thing about him is that he wasn't a jerk who met a beautiful girl and suddenly changed. Because in real life, that doesn't happen. Kindness attracts kindness and good people are drawn to other good people. His dad balks at the fact that he loves a girl after meeting her once, and the prince says something to the effect of "I could sense her goodness." I like that because I think you really can see true goodness in people without really knowing them. I loved how he has a good, kind, respectful relationship with his father. One of the scenes that touched me most was right before the king dies and the prince is shown all tucked up on the bed hugging his father. I was an honest and beautiful shot and I loved that this boy had respect for his father, but also had his own opinions and thoughts and was able to communicate with his father maturely. Again, I loved him.

The King:

I loved the king. Man, it was just refreshing to see such a loving and mutually respectful father-son relationship. I mean, he had his ideas for what he wanted but is able to communicate with his son in a loving way that shows how he respects him. I love that Derek Jacobi could masterfully represent a king who was good and strong, but who saw the importance of being a good father over being a good ruler. 

The Advisers:

I loved the two men that were advisers to the throne. It was good to see the one who genuinely cared for the prince and truly wanted to help him be happy. It was nice to have someone I could hate in the other adviser who just made me angry. I had to keep reminding myself that I knew how this movie would end because he was so rude and manipulative that I kept getting worried he was going to foil the plans.

Overall, this movies was mostly wine with just a teeny bit of cheese but it's Disney, what can you expect? The expanded story really resonated with me and I loved this new retelling of the old class Cinderella. Be sure to go and watch it. This will definitely be one that I get on DVD.