"Cinderella"
American fantasy romantic film directed by Kenneth Branagh for Walt Disney Pictures. The film's story is inspired by the fairy tale Cinderella by Charles Perrault. The film's events revolve around a young girl who, after her father remarries, finds herself living with a cruel stepmother and half-sisters. After her father's death, she is subjected to harsh treatment and forced to play the role of a maid in her house.
One day, in the forest, she meets Prince Charming and feels that she has met a kind person who can change her life. The prince extends an invitation to his family's party, but her stepmother refuses her the opportunity to attend. However, with the help of the kind fairy, she was able to attend the ball. The film is a modern adaptation of the animated film
“Cinderella” was produced by Disney in 1950. It stars Lily James, Richard Madden, and Cate Blanchett. The film premiered on February 13, 2015, at the Berlin International Film Festival, and was released worldwide on March 13, 2015, receiving mostly positive reviews.
the legend:
The legend of Cinderella is an ancient legend, with many similar stories dating back to the first century BC. The modern version of the Cinderella story, as it is widely known, was written by French writer and poet Charles Perrault and published in 1697.
Since then, the story has become an inspiration for many works, including films, television series, plays, and ballets. The first seven-minute film based on the story of Cinderella, directed by Georges Méliès, was released in 1899. The first Hollywood film on the subject was produced by Paramount Pictures, a 1914 silent film starring Mary Pickford.
Disney produced an animated film of the same story in 1950, which was internationally acclaimed and won many awards. This film is a re-imagining of the previous film but in a lively format.
Cast:
- Lily James as Ella (Cinderella).
- Richard Madden as Prince Charming (Kit).
- Cate Blanchett as Lady Tremaine.
- Helena Bonham Carter as the Fairy Godmother.
- Stellan Skarsgård as the Grand Duke.
- Derek Jacobi as the King.
- Hayley Atwell as Cinderella's Mother.
- Holliday Grainger as Anastasia, Lady Tremaine's younger daughter.
- Sophie McShera as Drizella, Lady Tremaine's elder daughter.
Casting Choices:
Kate Blanchett was the first to join the cast, announcing in November 2012 that she would play the role of Lady Tremaine. Negotiations were held with Emma Watson for the lead role, but an agreement couldn't be reached, and the attempt failed. Discussions were also held with Gabriella Wilde, Saoirse Ronan, Alicia Vikander, Bella Heathcote, Margot Robbie, but all proved unsuccessful. Later, in April 2013, Lily James was confirmed for the lead role.
A week later, Richard Madden joined to play the role of the Prince. In June 2013, Holliday Grainger and Sophie McShera joined to play the roles of the step-sisters Anastasia and Drizella. In July 2013, Helena Bonham Carter was cast as the Fairy Godmother. In September 2013, it was announced that Stellan Skarsgård would play the role of the Prince's assistant, and Derek Jacobi would be the King. In August, Hayley Atwell joined the cast to play Cinderella's mother.
Movie success
Following the success of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, which was re-imagined in 2010 and became the second highest-grossing film worldwide that year, with box office receipts exceeding $1 billion, Disney began developing a new film based on Cinderella. This Time as direct adaptation.
Allen Brosh McKenna has been commissioned to write the script, and Simon Kinberg to produce. However, Chris Weitz later revised the script written by Allen. Originally, Mark Romanek was scheduled to direct the film, but he left the project in January 2013 due to creative differences with Disney. Later that month, negotiations took place with Kenneth Branagh to replace him.
Special costumes:
Costume designer Sandy Powell, a three-time Academy Award winner for Best Costume Design, designed the film's costumes. I started working on the designs two years before principal photography began, with the goal of making the costumes look like they were from the 19th century. It made the stepmother and sisters' costumes look extravagant on the outside and hideous on the inside. Powell stated that designing wedding dresses was the most challenging.
She was looking for a different and simple design at the same time. It took a team of 16 people approximately 550 hours to create one of the dresses. It is worth noting that disaster struck the dress when the outer layer caught fire due to Lily James approaching the heater. The team had to sew a new dress because they did not have a spare dress due to time constraints and budget constraints.
Critical Reception:
The film received generally positive reviews from critics worldwide, praising the performances of the lead actors, visual effects, and the musical score. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an 84% approval rating based on 187 critics, with an average rating of 7.2. It was described as a traditional and enjoyable film, proving that Disney had not lost any of its old magic. On Metacritic, the film scored 67 out of 100 based on the opinions of 47 critics, who considered it a good film overall.
Film Sequels:
Following the success of the new version of Cinderella, along with previous successes like Maleficent and Alice in Wonderland, Disney announced its plans to remake several of its classic films with live-action adaptations. Since then, Disney has revealed plans for live-action adaptations of Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, Dumbo, Winnie the Pooh, and Pinocchio.