Ever After (known in promotional material as Ever After: A Cinderella Story) is a 1998 American romantic drama film inspired by the fairy tale Cinderella. It is directed by Andy Tennant and stars Drew Barrymore, Anjelica Huston, and Dougray Scott. The screenplay is written by Tennant, Susannah Grant, and Rick Parks. The original music score is composed by George Fenton. The film's closing theme song "Put Your Arms Around Me" is performed by the rock band Texas.
The usual pantomime and comic/supernatural elements are removed and the story is instead treated as historical fiction, set in Renaissance-era France. It is often seen as a modern, post-feminism interpretation of the Cinderella story.
Video Ever After
Plot
In the 19th century, a Grande Dame summons The Brothers Grimm to her palace; the brothers discuss their interpretation of the Cinderella story. She shows them a glass slipper and tells them the story of Danielle de Barbarac.
In 16th-century France, Auguste de Barbarac is a widower and the father of eight-year-old Danielle. Auguste marries Rodmilla de Ghent, a haughty baroness with two daughters, Marguerite and Jacqueline. Auguste gives Danielle a copy of Thomas More's Utopia. Two weeks later, Auguste dies of a heart attack. By the time Danielle is eighteen, the estate has fallen into decline, and Danielle is forced to be a servant to Rodmilla and her daughters.
One day, Danielle stops a man from stealing her father's horse, but then realizes he is Prince Henry. He buys her silence with gold because he is fleeing an arranged marriage to the Spanish Princess Gabriella. But he is caught after he recovers and returns the Mona Lisa, which had been stolen by gypsies, to Leonardo da Vinci. Meanwhile, in order to buy back the servant Maurice using the gold Henry gave her, Danielle dresses as a noblewoman but is warned that she will be severely punished if discovered. Henry overhears Danielle arguing with the Cargomaster and orders Maurice's release. Henry insistently begs for Danielle's name until she finally gives him the name of her deceased mother, Nicole de Lancret, with the added title of comtesse (countess). King Francis tells Henry that he is throwing a masquerade ball, where he must choose a bride or wed Gabriella. Rodmilla schemes to marry Marguerite to Henry.
While Danielle is talking to her friend Gustave, Henry rides up and asks for directions; she runs and hides. Gustave tells Henry where Danielle lives. Danielle runs home, changes clothes, and spends the day with Henry. They share their first kiss. Later, Danielle catches Rodmilla and Marguerite stealing her mother's dress and slippers.
Rodmilla discovers that Danielle is the Countess whom Henry is interested in; she lies and tells Queen Marie that Danielle is engaged. Meanwhile, Danielle meets with Henry to tell him the truth, but he interrupts her and reveals to her that she has transformed his life and given him a sense of purpose. Later, Rodmilla locks Danielle in the pantry but Da Vinci helps free her, and makes her a pair of wings to wear to the ball with her mother's dress and slippers. When Danielle arrives at the ball and tries again to tell Henry the truth, Rodmilla exposes her identity. Henry angrily rejects her; Danielle bursts into tears and runs away, leaving her glass slipper behind. Da Vinci finds the slipper and sternly reprimands Henry, leaving him with the slipper.
Henry decides to wed Gabriella, but calls the wedding off after realizing he still loves Danielle. He discovers that Rodmilla has sold Danielle to landowner Pierre le Pieu. Pierre makes sexual advances towards Danielle, but frees her after she threatens him with his own weapons. Henry finds her and proposes to her by placing the glass slipper on her foot.
King Francis accuses Rodmilla of lying to Queen Marie about Danielle. Queen Marie strips Rodmilla of her title. Danielle is introduced as Henry's wife, and per her request, Rodmilla and Marguerite are sent to work as servants in the palace laundry. After Da Vinci gives Henry and Danielle a painting, the newlyweds share a kiss. The Grande Dame informs The Brothers Grimm that Danielle was her great-great-grandmother.
Maps Ever After
Historical context
While the story is fictional, it involves several historical figures, places and events. The film is set in the 16th Century and features the presence of Francis I, Queen Marie, Prince Henry, Leonardo da Vinci, the explorer Jacques Cartier, the Grimm brothers, Charles Perrault, the French colonies in the New World, the University of France, the "ruins" at Amboise, and the French Revolution.
Cast
Production
Ever After is filmed in Super 35mm film format. This is the only Super 35mm film directed by Tennant. However, both widescreen and pan-and-scan versions are included on DVD. Tennant's previous films are filmed with spherical lenses, while his subsequent films use an anamorphic format.
Locations and sets
The castle shown in the film is the Château de Hautefort in the Dordogne region of France. Other featured châteaux are de Fénelon, de Losse, de Lanquais, de Beynac as well as the city of Sarlat-la-Canéda. The painting of Danielle is based on Leonardo Da Vinci's Head of a Woman (La Scapigliata).
Reception
Rotten Tomatoes reports that 91% of critics gave the film a positive review based on 64 reviews, with an average score of 7.5/10. The critical consensus states: "Ever After is a sweet, frothy twist on the ancient fable, led by a solid turn from star Barrymore." Metacritic calculated a favorable score of 66 based on 22 reviews.
Lisa Schwarzbaum from Entertainment Weekly gave the film a B-, saying: "Against many odds, Ever After comes up with a good one. This novel variation is still set in the once-upon-a-time 16th century, but it features an active, 1990s-style heroine--she argues about economic theory and civil rights with her royal suitor--rather than a passive, exploited hearth sweeper who warbles 'A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes'." She also praised Anjelica Huston's performance as a cruel stepmother: "Huston does a lot of eye narrowing and eyebrow raising while toddling around in an extraordinary selection of extreme headgear, accompanied by her two less-than-self-actualized daughters--the snooty, social-climbing, nasty Marguerite, and the dim, lumpy, secretly nice Jacqueline. "Nothing is final until you're dead", Mama instructs her girls at the dinner table, "and even then I'm sure God negotiates."
Chicago Sun-Times film critic, Roger Ebert, praises the film with three out of four stars and writes, "The movie [...] is one of surprises, not least that the old tale still has life and passion in it. I went to the screening expecting some sort of soppy children's picture and found myself in a costume romance with some of the same energy and zest as The Mask of Zorro. And I was reminded again that Drew Barrymore can hold the screen and involve us in her characters. [...] Here, as the little cinder girl, she is able to at last put aside her bedraggled losers and flower as a fresh young beauty, and she brings poignancy and fire to the role."
The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:
- 2002: AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions - Nominated
Home media
On March 3, 1999, the film was released on DVD. On January 4, 2011, the film was released on Blu-ray.
Musical adaptation
A report in 2012 indicated that a musical theatre production was in the works, with the book and lyrics by Marcy Heisler and music by Zina Goldrich. The musical was originally scheduled for its world premiere in April 2009 at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco, but the pre-Broadway run was postponed. In May 2012, the project was back on track with Kathleen Marshall signing on to direct a Broadway run.
A workshop of the musical was held from April 25, 2013-May 15, 2013 with Sierra Boggess as Danielle, Jeremy Jordan as Prince Henry, and Ashley Spencer as Marguerite. The musical made its world premiere at the Paper Mill Playhouse from May 21, 2015-June 21, 2015. Christine Ebersole played the role of Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent. Alongside Ebersole, Margo Seibert starred as Danielle, James Snyder as Henry, Charles Shaughnessy as King Francis, and Tony Sheldon as Da Vinci.
References
External links
- Ever After on IMDb
- Ever After at Box Office Mojo
- Ever After at Rotten Tomatoes
- Ever After at Metacritic
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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