Cinderella
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When her father unexpectedly passes away, young Ella finds herself at the mercy of her cruel stepmother and her daughters. Never one to give up hope, Ella's fortunes begin to change after meeting a dashing stranger in the woods.
What critics thought
Branagh's live-action Cinderella won over most critics with its earnest, unironic commitment to the source material — Blanchett's performance as the stepmother and the lavish production design were near-universally admired. Where critics diverged was on whether that old-fashioned sincerity was a strength or a limitation, with some finding its refusal to engage with modern fairy-tale revisionism quietly radical and others finding it a little square.
“It's all a bit square, big on charm, but lacking the crackle of Enchanted or The Princess Bride. But though this Cinderella could never replace Disney's animated classic, it's no ugly stepsister either, but a deserving companion”
Peter Debruge·Variety
“While it might have been nice to see the new-model Cinderella follow Frozen's progressive, quasi-feminist lead, the film's naff, preserved-in-amber romanticism is its very charm”
Guy Lodge·The Guardian
“anyone nostalgic for childhood dreams of transformation will find something to enjoy in an uplifting movie that invests warm sentiment in universal themes of loss and resilience, experience and maturity”
David Rooney·The Hollywood Reporter
“This version has more psychological depth than usual and answers questions we may always have had. Branagh's Cinderella does something extraordinarily rare among fairy-tale adaptations: It leaves out nothing we want and adds nothing we don't”
Lawrence Toppman·The Charlotte Observer
“he set a tone of lushly sustainable fantasy that's often affecting, frequently witty, seldom cloying, nearly free of self-comment and entirely free of irony”
Joe Morgenstern·The Wall Street Journal
Accolades
Genres
Adventure, Drama, Family
Cast & Crew
Kenneth BranaghDirector
Lily JamesCinderella
Cate BlanchettStepmother, Lady Tremaine
Richard MaddenPrince
Stellan SkarsgårdGrand Duke
Holliday GraingerAnastasia Tremaine
Sophie McSheraDrizella Tremaine
Derek JacobiKing
Helena Bonham CarterFairy Godmother
Nonso AnozieCaptain
Ben ChaplinCinderella's Father
Hayley AtwellCinderella's Mother
Richard McCabeBaron
Patrick DoyleComposer
Chris WeitzWriter
Charles PerraultWriter
Haris ZambarloukosCinematographyCinderella
When her father unexpectedly passes away, young Ella finds herself at the mercy of her cruel stepmother and her daughters. Never one to give up hope, Ella's fortunes begin to change after meeting a dashing stranger in the woods.
What critics thought
Branagh's live-action Cinderella won over most critics with its earnest, unironic commitment to the source material — Blanchett's performance as the stepmother and the lavish production design were near-universally admired. Where critics diverged was on whether that old-fashioned sincerity was a strength or a limitation, with some finding its refusal to engage with modern fairy-tale revisionism quietly radical and others finding it a little square.
“It's all a bit square, big on charm, but lacking the crackle of Enchanted or The Princess Bride. But though this Cinderella could never replace Disney's animated classic, it's no ugly stepsister either, but a deserving companion”
Peter Debruge·Variety
“While it might have been nice to see the new-model Cinderella follow Frozen's progressive, quasi-feminist lead, the film's naff, preserved-in-amber romanticism is its very charm”
Guy Lodge·The Guardian
“anyone nostalgic for childhood dreams of transformation will find something to enjoy in an uplifting movie that invests warm sentiment in universal themes of loss and resilience, experience and maturity”
David Rooney·The Hollywood Reporter
“This version has more psychological depth than usual and answers questions we may always have had. Branagh's Cinderella does something extraordinarily rare among fairy-tale adaptations: It leaves out nothing we want and adds nothing we don't”
Lawrence Toppman·The Charlotte Observer
“he set a tone of lushly sustainable fantasy that's often affecting, frequently witty, seldom cloying, nearly free of self-comment and entirely free of irony”
Joe Morgenstern·The Wall Street Journal
Accolades
Genres
Adventure, Drama, Family
Cast & Crew
Kenneth BranaghDirectorLily JamesCinderellaCate BlanchettStepmother, Lady TremaineRichard MaddenPrinceStellan SkarsgårdGrand DukeHolliday GraingerAnastasia TremaineSophie McSheraDrizella TremaineDerek JacobiKingHelena Bonham CarterFairy GodmotherNonso AnozieCaptainBen ChaplinCinderella's FatherHayley AtwellCinderella's MotherRichard McCabeBaronPatrick DoyleComposerChris WeitzWriterCharles PerraultWriterHaris ZambarloukosCinematographyStream
Rent & Buy