Review of Cinderella (2015) by Foxgrove — 01 Apr 2015

After the success of last year’s ‘Maleficent’, both commercially and artistically, another fairy tale gets the revisionist treatment although with far less success. This Cinderella lacks any sense of originality, magic or wonder and is a disappointingly prosaic affair. The finger must be pointed fairly and squarely at director Kenneth Brannagh whose direction is by turns both lack lustre and uninspired. Early scenes of Cinderella enjoying time with her father are painfully saccharine and set the tone for the rest of the movie in which composer Patrick Doyle is unfortunately complicit. His cloying score must be one of the worst of his career and never comes close to equalling the brilliant work he has done in collaboration with Brannagh before on films like ‘Much ado about Nothing’.

The cast also, in the main, offer limp or insipid characterisations. Lily James and Richard Madden, as Cinderella and the prince respectively, are desperately lacking any chemistry together and it is ultimately left to Cate Blanchett as the wicked stepmother and, in particular, Helena Bonham Carter as the fairy godmother to keep any interest alive. Eventually even their amusing moments are engulfed by the dull proceedings and the sea of treacle that drowns any initial enthusiasm an audience may have. Ultimately, It is left to the visuals to provide almost all the enjoyment, and in this area the production design excels as do Sandy Powell’s beautiful costumes. These two branches of film making are the true stars of what is otherwise a very safe and ordinary adaptation of a classic fairy tale that deserved a lot better.