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Leanna Smith
Professor Blackie
ENG 1010 CRN # 11656
21 Aril 201!
"P 5
"or# Co$nt% 10!0
E&er After% 'he 'r$e Cin#erella 'ale
"hat if Cin#erella (as a real erson) Ever After: A Cinderella Story is a ne(* more
realistic &ersion of the classic* Cinderella+ ,n this film* she is a (oman (ho cat$res the heart of
a rince (itho$t the hel of ma-ic $mkins or fair. -o#mothers+ /irector An#. 'ennant -i&es
this stor. ne( life as a historical fiction instea# of m.th+ 'he characters* m$sic* an# scener.
com0ine to t$rn Ever After: A Cinderella Story into an entertainin- an# enchantin- ne( fair.tale+
Ever After starts off (ith the Gran#e /ame of 1rance meetin- (ith the Brothers Grimm*
to #isc$ss their stor. of Cin#erella+ ,t t$rns o$t the tale is 0ase# on a real (oman (ho li&e# in the
16
th
cent$r.* /anielle /e Bar0arac 2/re( Barr.more3+ As the Gran#e /ame 0e-ins the stor.* the
film fa#es to a little -irl rearin- to meet her ne( stemother an# stesisters (ho (ill 0e
arri&in- (ith her father+ "hen her father m$st lea&e a-ain on 0$siness* the ho$sehol# all -ather
to sa. -oo#0.e+ "hile ri#in- o$t of the -ate* he has a heart attack+ 4e #ies -a5in- into /anielle6s
e.es instea# of his ne( (ife* incitin- a 7ealo$s. that (ill affect their relationshi fore&er+ 'he
scene c$ts to 10 .ears later+ 'he stemother* Ro#milla /e Ghent 2An7elica 4$ston3* is no( hea#
of ho$se alon- (ith her #a$-hters 8ar-$erite an# 9ac:$eline+ /anielle is re#$ce# to a ser&ant
li&in- in the attic+ 9ac:$eline sho(s a comassion for /anielle that is not share# 0. her sister*
(ho refers to her as Cin#erella an# treats her no 0etter than her mother #oes+ Ro#milla sells one
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of the ser&ants to the kin- to rea. her #e0ts+ "hen /anielle fin#s o$t* she #resses $ as a no0le
(oman to a. the #e0t an# free him+ "hile tr.in- to free her frien#* she r$ns into Prince 4enr.
2/o$-ra. Scott3 (ho hels her free the sla&e+ Prince 4enr. 0ecomes enrat$re# 2o0sesse#
almost3 of this ne( (oman in his life+ 'he Prince an# /anielle* after se&eral meetin-s 0e-in to
fall #eel. in lo&e+ 'he ro0lem is* he is arran-e# to marr. the Princess of Sain+ 'he la#ies of
the ho$se are in&ite# to a 0all (here the Prince (ill anno$nce his en-a-ement+ "hen Ro#milla
fin#s o$t of /anielle6s #alliances (ith the Prince* she locks her $ for0i##in- her to -o to the
0all+ "ith a little hel from some frien#s an# Leonar#o /a ;inci* she makes it o$t an# is a0le to
sto the Prince 0efore anno$ncin- his en-a-ement to the Princess+ ,n retaliation* Ro#milla
anno$nces to the Prince an# cro(# that /anielle is an imoster+ Prince 4enr. feels 0etra.e# an#
at this test of lo&e* he #enies her+ She r$ns a(a. cr.in-* heart0roken an# #etermine# to $t this
all 0ehin# her+ At the (e##in- of 4enr. an# the Princess* he reali5es his mistake an# -oes after
/anielle+ 'he mo&ie en#s (ith Ro#milla an# 8ar-$erite 0ein- s$07ecte# to the same life the.
force# $on /anielle* (hile Cin#erella an# Prince 4enr. li&e hail. e&er. after+
'he stren-ths of this film far o$t(ei-h the (eaknesses+ Characters are an essential art of
an. -oo# mo&ie+ ,n or#er for an actor to #o their 7o0 (ell* the character has to 0e one (e (ant to
(atch+ 8. fa&orite (as the $se of Leonar#o /a ;inci (ho a##s a m.stical asect to the stor.+
4e 0ecomes a <fair. -o#father= (hen he resc$es /anielle from her #$n-eon an# con&inces
4enr. to -o after her+ Ro#milla an# her #a$-hters on the other han#* are so atrocio$s> (e can6t
hel 0$t root for /anielle from the 0e-innin-+ 'he actors #o a erfect 7o0 h$mani5in- these
characters an# $ttin- moti&es an# feelin-s 0ehin# e&er. character* -oo# an# 0a#+ Ne?t* the
m$sic #oes its 0est to l$ll $s into the 16
th
cent$r.+ 'he comoser* Geor-e 1enten $ses strin-
instr$ments thro$-ho$t the film a##in- a fair.tale feel to the mo&ie+ 'here is one scene in
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artic$lar that t$--e# at m. heartstrin-s+ Ri-ht after Prince 4enr. sen#s /anielle a(a. she is
r$nnin- as fast as she can in the o$rin- rain tr.in- to -et a(a. from the re7ection+ "e can hear
her ain thro$-h the m$sic* the 0ea$tif$l* tra-ic notes emhasi5in- e&er. tear#ro+ Lastl.* the
scener. sets the tone for the film+ Al# (orl# 1rance* (ith its castles an# rollin- hills are the
0ack#ro to this lo&e stor. ro&i#in- the a$#ience (ith a look 0ack in time+
'he (eaknesses in this mo&ie are mostl. ett.+ 'here are se&eral historical inacc$racies
in this mo&ie+ Ane e?amle is* in real life Leonar#o /a ;inci #ie# the same .ear Prince 4enr.
(as 0orn+ Another e?amle is* Prince 4enr. an# /anielle la. rock* aer* an# scissors in a
scene+ 'his seems innocent eno$-h* 0$t the -ame ha# not .et 0een intro#$ce# into E$roean
c$lt$re+ 'he so$n# in the mo&ie is another (eakness+ 'he m$sic an# most of the #ialo-$e is
0ea$tif$l an# clear+ ,n ar-$ments an# lo$# #isc$ssions* one can hear an echo as if recor#e# in a
room some(here+ "hile* (e kno( this is common ractice to rerecor# certain arts of a film* it
#oes for 7$st that secon# take the &ie(er o$t of the 16
th
cent$r.+ Last 0$t not least* the accents in
this film #on6t make m$ch sense+ 'he film an# all the characters are set in 1rance* .et e&er.
accent in the mo&ie is En-lish+ 'he. are all consistent accents* an# if it (ere set in En-lan# ,
(o$l# 0e ala$#in- them* 0$t <alas= (e are in 1rance+
All in all* , hi-hl. recommen# this film+ 'he characters* m$sic* an# scener. com0ine to
tell an entertainin-* enchantin- ne( take on this o$lar fair.tale+ 'he (eaknesses are easil.
o&erlooke# thanks to the man. stren-ths of the film+ 'he characters transform from a oneB
#imensional -oo# or 0a# to threeB#imensional (ith real (orl# feelin-s an# moti&ations+ 'he
m$sic is 0ea$tif$l an# -i&es the film a fair.tale :$alit.+ Scener. 0rin-s it all to-ether* -i&in- the
a$#ience a feel of (hat it (o$l# 0e like to 0e in the 16
th
cent$r.+ 'he stor. of Cin#erella ne&er
mo&e# me $ntil , sa( it from a $rel. h$man ersecti&e+
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