Review: Disney's CINDERELLA DVD is Gorgeous but Troubling Film and Informative, Entertaining Features

When Disney's new live-action CINDERELLA came out in March, the reviews were reserved, but positive. Most critics praised the style, performances, and design of the film, while admitting that it did little to add to the tale's long history on screen. While not every retelling needs to be a reinvention, there were aspects of the film that I felt might have actually set Cinderella back a bit, however, the Blu-Ray/DVD extras included in last week's release are incredibly fun and informative.

Beloved Shakespearean and Asgardian steward Sir Kenneth Branagh helms an absolutely beautiful production. With the animated Disney classic as a starting point, the colors of both the settings and costumes are deep and lush. Throw in a collection of very attractive actors with distractingly defined cheekbones, and from a visual standpoint, it is tough to imagine a better looking film.

One nice addition to the traditional tale is an enhanced backstory for Ella (DOWNTON ABBEY's Lily James) and her widowed father (Ben Chaplin). The new prologue shows a happy marriage for Ella's parents that tragically ends when her mother (AGENT CARTER's Hayley Atwell) becomes ill. Her dying instructions to her daughter are to "have courage and be kind," a theme that is carried forth throughout the movie, likely to its detriment.

While no one would ever blame someone for being genuinely kind, the one major complaint that I have with this CINDERELLA, is that it seems to confuse kindness with passivity. After her father dies and she is left to the wicked devices of her bitter and angry stepmother (the always wonderful Cate Blanchett), the movie seems to celebrate Cinderella's refusal to stand up to her abusers.

Now, if the movie purported to be a version faithful to the original tale, or a period-appropriate retelling, I could understand Ella being unable to confront the people that physically and emotionally abuse her, but, nearly all recent Disney movies, especially those about princesses, have contained a thread of feminism; a trend that will do good for untold generations of girls and young women. So, I think it is appropriate to analyze the message that this CINDERELLA movie is communicating; whether consciously or not.

Ella continually repeats her mother's words to "have courage and be kind," even as she is accepting the fact that after years of emotional abuse, her stepmother is now locking her in their home's attic to prevent the prince from finding her. While Ella gives some flimsy rationale for the decision not to fight back, I couldn't help but be uncomfortable with the idea of the film telling young girls that if someone treats you poorly, the best thing to do is to hide your pain and accept the inevitably escalating punishment. While the prince does eventually find Ella in the attic, it is not because she mustered the confidence to confront her abuser, or decided to be courageous and get out of her terrible situation, instead it was simply because the prince heard her singing, even though she didn't know he was there.

Others have written more elegantly, and at length, on this subject, so I will leave it there. However, in terms of the movie itself, I was also disappointed that it contained so little of Helena Bonham Carter's delightfully scatter-brained Fairy Godmother. Overall, it was a touching, romantic tale that will likely be a family favorite for many for years to come, but I can't help but wish that they had done more to address the dated damsel-in-distress storyline, like many other recent versions have (EVER AFTER, Rodgers & Hammerstein's, INTO THE WOODS, etc.).

In general, DVD extras are often fairly informative, but limited, or simply an afterthought. However, the CINDERELLA bonus content is extremely entertaining and educational. While there isn't much involvement from the cast, Branagh and his production team detail many aspects of the technical production.

First in "A Fairy Tale Comes to Life," the team chronicles the nearly 2,000 year history of the Cinderella legend. While no mention is made to Rodgers & Hammerstein, it was informative to see how they drew on previous iterations to craft this new version. That is followed by "Costume Test Fun;" just some silly behind-the-scenes looks at the actors testing out their costumes.

The third feature is by far my favorite; "Staging the Ball." On screen, the ball takes five or so minutes, but the amount of detail that went into designing and constructing the palace set, dressing and preparing the extras, choreographing the dances, etc. is remarkable.

The set is absolutely gorgeous, and if you had told me that it was filmed either in an actual European palace or on a green-screened soundstage, I would have believed you. However, Branagh's crew painstakingly worked for months to create the perfect look, and the attention to detail is evident. One hundred seamstresses, 50 make-up artists, and 50 costumers worked to make the 400 extras look fantastic; and the live orchestra playing period-authentic instruments was a nice touch.

We all understand how much effort and money goes into these big-budget movies, but to see the level of coordination and vision required is truly impressive.

The DVD also includes an "Alternate Opening," which shows more of Cinderella's childhood. In my mind, anything that results in more Haley Atwell is good by me. Also, in the "Ella's Furry Friends" feature, there is footage of CINDERELLA's animal trainers preparing the ducks, chickens, horses, mice, and other animals for their star-turns. This is another example of the level of planning and forethought that goes into these projects, trainers spent six weeks preparing animals for one scene, just so they could interact naturally on screen.

Also, Sir Kenneth makes a few sly references to the challenges of dealing with the "gifts" and "accidents" that the animals leave behind.

The final feature is the Disney short, FROZEN FEVER. The follow-up to 2013's smash animated musical shows Queen Elsa preparing to celebrate Anna's birthday. After years of keeping her distance, Elsa wants to show her little sister just how much she loves her by giving her the best birthday ever. Unfortunately, the queen has a bit of a cold, which, given her powers, results in the creation of mischievous baby snowmen with every sneeze; fortunately Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf are there to keep them under control.

While the short's song "Making Today a Perfect Day," by Oscar-winners Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, doesn't rise to the level of some of the tunes in the original, it is a fun extension that hopefully will bridge the gap to the sequel.

In short, the CINDERELLA DVD is a delightful way to spend an afternoon, if you don't allow yourself to get too far into the potential politics of it.

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Were you swept away by CINDERELLA's beauty and grandeur? Let me know in the comments below, or on Twitter@BWWMatt. If you want to follow along with my "366 in 366" articles, you can check out #BWW366in366 on Twitter. Also, make sure to follow @BWWMoviesWorld on Twitter for all of the biggest news from the world of movies.

Photo Credit: Walt Disney Pictures and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

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