Branagh's Cinderella Enchants

There’s a seven-minute Frozen short on the front-end of Disney’s new Cinderella, so as the parent of a six-year old, resistance was futile. Frozen Fever was cute enough, but Cinderella was nothing short of spectacular. Kenneth Branagh has had a fascinating career as a director, from lavish adaptations of Shakespeare (his Henry V debut is staggering) to Marvel’s Thor. He’s got a romantic classicist’s sensibilities and knows how to keep the storytelling tempo moving at a vigorous pace. With screenwriter Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass), Branagh has mounted a lavish new version of the timeless fairy tale for a new generation of viewers that’s fresh, yet feels delightfully old fashioned. 

I admit I was leery of Lily James’ casting – her Lady Rose on Downton Abbey can be annoyingly cloy in the extreme. But that’s the character, and James makes Ella (the “Cinder” is a stepsister add-on) a completely charming and earnest fairy tale character, moving her from innocence to grief, and onward to determination. The cast is full of Downton Abbey and Game of Thrones vets. Downton’s Daisy (Sophie McShera) is a loopy and mean-spirited stepsister, with Winterfell’s Robb Stark himself (Richard Madden) as the Prince. Cate Blanchett shines with icy venom as the wicked Stepmother, manipulative and venal via Prada. 

Cinderella remains a powerful myth for children, beyond the mere “Someday my Prince will come” veneer, speaking to children about surviving tragedy and the finding of self. Growing up in an idyllic country home with the household mice as friends, born out of her innate kindness. The Eden of childhood is fractured by the loss of a parent, which leaves the door open for the phantom of a replacement mother, a potent childhood fear. Try as she might to connect with her new siblings and Stepmom, they’re immediately put off by Ella’s beauty and grace and commence their campaign of humiliation. Which in turn leads Ella to daydream and wander, leading to a completely delightful chance encounter with the local King in training. A sequence of Ella tearing off across the countryside on horseback is breathtaking. 

The Prince is smitten, and when covetous resentment threatens to keep Ella a prisoner from all possibilities and dreams, the notion of magic – of belief – comes front and center, where Branagh unleashes a marvelous, delirious transformation sequence and a Royal Ball that will launch the dreams of legions of young girls and boys alike. Helena Bonham Carter has unhinged fun as the Fairy Godmother, and Branagh makes sure that sense of fun keeps Ella aloft throughout the entire film. Hayley Atwell, Derek Jacobi and Stellan Skarsgård round out the excellent cast. Branagh is a sensational choice to direct here, and this refreshed edition of such a beloved classic is a splendid achievement on every level. Cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos serves up a visual feast of environments and moods, which captures the characters and makes the idea of magic seem completely reasonable. A note to costume enthusiasts – Sandy Powell blows the cover off the ball here. Cinderella’s gown, and wedding dress (spoiler alert) are beyond stupefying. No prom will ever be the same. 

In perhaps their deftest touch, Branagh and Weitz’s most gratifying nod to the times has Ella’s victory come less from dependence on being rescued by a hero, and more on her own self-reliance, embodied by her determination to hold fast to her values – that bravery tempered with kindness can vanquish any foe and capture any dream.