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Magic that lasts well after midnight

Last Updated 20 March 2015, 20:18 IST
Cinderella
English (U) Cast: Lily James, Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter
Director: Kenneth Branagh

Classic stories have an undiminishable charm. They almost demand to be passed on for centuries from one generation to the next, never losing their eternal quality.

In 1950, Walt Disney told an ancient European folktale from 1634 with the unforgettable cartoon musical fantasy film Cinderella. Nearly 60 years later, Walt Disney Studios decided to reimagine it as a live action movie. Retelling a story can be tricky if you change up the background, or mash up different versions of it to create your own.

Cinderella (2015) succeeds in having an independent plot; although with a background heavily borrowed from the 1950 film and little bits of the Brothers Grimm rendition of the tale. For someone who has watched the cartoon musical, particularly as a wide-eyed child, Cinderella would bring back a strong sense of nostalgia that very few films can. Quite unlike the original, there is a lot less singing and talking animals, but somehow the magic is still kept alive.

Like Maleficent (2014), Disney’s reimagination of its 1959 film Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella provides a more profound background.

There is a shadow of empathy that one might feel for the evil stepmother, whose story is not completely left out in this film like it was in the cartoon musical.

The film tries to send across the message of the importance of hope in a world that so often seems bereft of it. Of course, the running theme in all Disney movies has been the power of believing in something, and Cinderella is no exception. It probably won’t be the ideal movie for sworn cynics.But it is perfect for those who’d like to escape hard realities with a little bit of magic and fantasy. 

If not for a two-hour getaway from the real world, watch it for the beautiful cinematography, the ridiculously intricate clothing and the exceptional performance of Cate Blanchett as the evil stepmother.

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(Published 20 March 2015, 20:18 IST)

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