Cinderella

Lily James Director: Kenneth Branagh Kenneth Branagh

Overview

Kenneth Branagh directs Disney's 2015, live-action take on the classic fairy tale Cinderella, which stars Lily James as the put-upon young women forced to endure a life of labor at the hands of her stepmother (Cate Blanchett) after her father dies unexpectedly. Forced to do every menial chore imaginable, Ella maintains her good spirits and eventually strikes up a friendship with a stranger in the woods who turns out to be the prince. When the royal court holds a gala ball, Cinderella wants nothing more to attend, and although her stepmother won't allow it, she gets help from a surprising source.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/15/2015
UPC:	0786936842845
Original Release:	2015
Rating:	PG
Source:	Walt Disney Video
Sound:	[DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound, Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound]
Sales rank:	2,116

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Lily James	Ella
Cate Blanchett	The Wicked Stepmother
Richard Madden	Kit
Helena Bonham Carter	The Fairy Godmother
Sophie McShera	Drisella
Holliday Grainger	Anastasia
Stellan Skarsgård	Grand Duke
Derek Jacobi	King
Nonso Anozie	Captain
Ben Chaplin	Ella's Father
Hayley Atwell	Ella's Mother
Rob Brydon	Master Phineus
Jana Perez	Princess Chelina of Zaragosa
Alex MacQueen	Royal Crier
Tom Edden	Lizard Footman
Gareth Mason	Goose Coachman
Paul Hunter	Farmer
Eloise Webb	Ella (10 Years)
Joshua McGuire	Palace Official
Matthew Steer	Halberdier
Mimi Ndiweni	Slipper Lady
Laura Elsworthy	Slipper Lady
Ella Smith	Slipper Lady
Ann Davies	Slipper Lady
Gerard Horan	Lord Veneering
Katie West	Cook
Daniel Tuite	Gardener
Anjana Vasan	Maid
Stuart Neal	Stable Roy
Adetomiwa Edun	Trooper
Richard McCabe	Baron
Joseph Kloska	Royal Crier's Assistant
Andy Apollo	Prince Retinue Member
Craig Mather	Prince Retinue Member
Jonny Owen-Last	Prince Retinue Member
Nari Blair-Mangat	Prince Retinue Member
Michael Jenn	King's Doctor
Josh O'Connor	Ballroom Palace Guard

Technical Credits

Aline Brosh McKenna

Chris Weitz

Kenneth Branagh	Director
Rob Ashford	Choreography
David Barron	Producer
Lucy Bevan	Casting
William Dodds	Asst. Director
Patrick Doyle	Score Composer
Hamish Doyne-Ditmas	Camera Operator
Dante Ferretti	Production Designer
Samir Foco	Sound Editor
Cordelia Hardy	Asst. Director
Clive Jackson	Camera Operator
Ruth Key	Casting
Simon Kinberg	Producer
Tim Lewis	Executive Producer
Jed Loughran	Sound Editor
Aline Brosh McKenna	Screenwriter
Roger Pearce	Camera Operator
Sandy Powell	Costumes/Costume Designer
Luke Redgrave	Camera Operator
Stuart Rose	Art Director
Tom Sayers	Sound Editor
Allison Shearmur	Producer
Martin Walsh	Editor
Dave Watkins	Special Effects Supervisor
Chris Weitz	Screenwriter
Richard Whelan	Asst. Director
Tim White	Sound Mixer
Stuart Wilson	Sound Mixer
Haris Zambarloukos	Cinematographer

Editorial Reviews

Think of Kenneth Branagh's Cinderella as Disney's own response to its hit live-action adaptation Maleficent. Whereas the Angelina Jolie film tried to find a new take on an overly familiar story, Branagh and company whip up a handsome slice of old-fashioned family entertainment. The opening scenes find the young Ella (Eloise Webb) living an idyllic life with her mother (Hayley Atwell) and father (Ben Chaplin). As in every Disney film, her mother dies, but not before imparting to her the lesson of the movie with her final words -- be kind and have courage. Years later, Ella (now played by Lily James) must exemplify that kindness as she accommodates her new stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and her selfish stepsisters after her father remarries. When her father passes away during a trip abroad, she relies on her inner courage as her cruel new family force her to be their servant. She must persevere through this ordeal in order to fulfill her father's final wish -- that she care for the house he and her mother loved so dearly. Dubbed Cinderella by her stepfamily for her oft-dirty appearance, she meets a handsome young man (Richard Madden) in the forest one day, and he claims to be an apprentice who lives in the royal court. They form a quick bond, but she leaves without learning that he's actually the prince of the kingdom. Meanwhile, the prince's father (Derek Jacobi) is in ill health and wants his son to marry before he dies. In the hope of finding an acceptable future queen, a royal gala is held to size up all of the potential marriage material -- think of it as regal speed dating. Cinderella, denied access to the ball by her stepmother, gets some unexpected assistance from a fairy godmother (Helena Bonham Carter) and wows everybody at the event. However, she must leave before midnight, and in her haste she leaves behind a glass slipper -- which the prince uses to locate the woman he loves. Branagh, his generation's most renowned director of Shakespeare adaptations, shows a respect for this well-known tale that's quite welcoming. He doesn't feel that this material, or its likely audience, is beneath him. He receives able support from Oscar-winning production designer Dante Ferretti, whose stellar sets find the perfect balance between Masterpiece Theatre ornateness and dreamlike, fairy-tale lushness; and Oscar-winning costume designer Sandy Powell, whose playful work includes not only Cinderella's spectacular blue gown, but a number of chilly monstrosities worn by the stepsisters and the wicked stepmother. It should come as no surprise that the performances are all solid, but first among equals is the great Cate Blanchett. She could have hammed it up, but instead she finds the emotional truth at the center of her character; her wickedness comes not from a joy of being wicked, but from her desire to protect herself and her daughters. She's frighteningly cold and thoroughly believable, with just enough outsized cruelty to remind us that she's a mythic figure. She finds the perfect tone and never wavers from it. The same is true of the entire cast, as well as the production as a whole. This version of Cinderella works so well because everyone involved has lived up to the story's moral. They are kind to the story and the material, and are courageous enough to make something with great craft and complete earnestness.

All Movie Guide - Perry Seibert