The film removes the pantomime and supernatural elements that are commonly associated with the Cinderella tale and instead treats the story as historical fiction, setting it in Renaissance-era France. It is considered to be a modern, post-feminist interpretation of the fairy tale.[4]
Ever After was well received by critics[5] and was a box-office success.[3]
Plot
The Brothers Grimm are invited to an audience with the dying Grande Dame, who expresses her disappointment in their version of Cinderella. She produces a glass slipper and recounts Cinderella's true story.
During the French Renaissance, ten years after the death of Auguste de Barbarac, his daughter, Danielle, has been forced to become a servant to her stepmother, the Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent, and stepsisters, Marguerite and Jacqueline. One morning, Danielle has an unexpected confrontation with Prince Henry as he is attempting to flee in order to avoid an arranged marriage to Princess Gabriella of Spain, at first mistaking him for a thief. Henry gives Danielle some coins to keep their interlude secret. He is eventually caught by the Royal Guard after stopping bandits from robbing Leonardo da Vinci, whom King Francis has invited to the French court.
Danielle, going disguised as a noblewoman, heads to the palace to buy back a family servant, Maurice, who was sold by Rodmilla. Henry witnesses her arguing with the jailer and, impressed by Danielle's passion and intelligence, orders the jailer to release Maurice. When he asks for her name, Danielle gives her mother's name, Countess Nicole de Lancret. King Francis strikes a deal with Henry later that night. He will hold a masquerade ball at which Henry will announce his engagement to the woman of his choosing at midnight, or else marry Gabriella. Hearing this news, Rodmilla accelerates her efforts at getting Henry to notice Marguerite, while being increasingly neglectful to Jacqueline. Meanwhile, Danielle begins secretly spending time with Henry. After an outing at the library of the Francian monks, a gang of gypsies ambushes them, but they offer to help them when Danielle bids the leader and attempts to carry Henry away. At the gypsy camp, they share their first kiss.
Rodmilla and Marguerite plan to take Nicole's wedding gown and glass slippers for Marguerite to wear at the ball. When Marguerite insults Nicole's memory, Danielle attacks and chases her. Marguerite retaliates by destroying the copy of Utopia that Auguste had given to Danielle. Jacqueline expresses sympathy for Danielle and criticizing Marguerite for her cruelty.
Queen Marie holds a luncheon with Marguerite and Rodmilla and expresses curiosity about the mysterious girl who has taken Henry's fancies. Rodmilla, recognizing the name of Nicole, deduces that the girl is Danielle and reveals she's engaged.
Danielle cannot bring herself to tell Henry the truth so when he tells her she has changed him as a man, inspiring him to build a university. Rodmilla confronts Danielle about her deception and the whereabouts of the dress and slippers, unaware that the servants hid them. Danielle strongly refuses to return them and Rodmilla locks her in the pantry. Maurice approaches Gustave in going to the ball to recruit Leonardo who helps Danielle escape. Leonardo, Paulette and Louise help prepare her in Nicole's attire. Danielle arrives determined to tell Henry the truth, but Rodmilla exposes her before she can. Furious at her dishonesty, Henry rejects her. Danielle runs away, leaving a slipper behind. Leonardo reproaches Henry for his callousness towards Danielle and leaves him the slipper.
Henry agrees to marry Gabriella, but realizing that she is miserable as she loves someone else, he calls off the marriage. Maurice and Jacqueline tell Henry that Rodmilla sold Danielle to Pierre Le Pieu. Henry rides off to rescue her, only to find that she has freed herself. Henry apologizes, professes his love for her, and proposes marriage by fitting the slipper onto her foot. Danielle happily accepts.
Rodmilla is summoned before the royal court and confronted for lying to Marie about Danielle; she is stripped of her title and threatened with exile along with Marguerite unless someone speaks for her. Danielle appears and instead asks that Rodmilla be shown the same "courtesy" she had shown her. Rodmilla and Marguerite are reduced to servants in the palace laundry. Leonardo gifts Danielle and Henry with a portrait of Danielle that hung in the university until the French Revolution.
The Grande Dame reveals to the Brothers Grimm while her great-great grandparents did live happily ever after, the point is that they lived.
Cast
Drew Barrymore as Danielle de Barbarac, the only child of the deceased Auguste de Barbarac and Nicole de Lancret
Anna Maguire as Young Danielle
Anjelica Huston as Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent, Danielle's wicked stepmother and Auguste's second wife
Dougray Scott as Prince Henry of France, Danielle's love interest and son of King Francis and Queen Marie
Though the main portion of the film takes place in early 1500s France,[7] the royals shown are most likely not meant to be the historical figures for which they are named. King Francis I summoned Leonardo da Vinci to his court around 1516, three years before King Henry II was born; neither of King Francis I's wives was named Marie (the first was named Claude and the second Eleanor). King Henry II was married to Catherine de' Medici at the age of 14 and had no known children with Diane de Poitiers, a French noblewoman of great influence and the historical figure most likely represented by Danielle.
On Rotten Tomatoes, 91% of 65 reviews were positive, with an average score of 7.60/10.[5] The critical consensus states: "Ever After is a sweet, frothy twist on the ancient fable, led by a solid turn from star Barrymore".[5] On Metacritic it has a score of 66 out of 100 based on 22 reviews.[12] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "A" on scale of A to F.[13]
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"".[14] 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"".[14]
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".[15]
Home media
On March 2, 1999, the film was released on VHS & DVD.[5]
On April 11, 2003, the film was released on DVD with the movie Never Been Kissed—another film starring Drew Barrymore—in a combo pack. On May 26, 2006, the film was released in The Drew Barrymore Collection Celebrity Pack, which also contained DVDs of Never Been Kissed and Fever Pitch. On March 2, 2010, the film was released in a DVD combo pack with the movie An Affair to Remember—a double feature celebrating 20th Century Fox's 75th anniversary; two months later, the film was then released in a DVD combo pack on May 4, 2010 with the movies Anna and the King and Australia—a triple feature celebrating the same thing.
On January 4, 2011, the film was released on Blu-ray.[16] On September 4, 2012, it was released with the movie Never Been Kissed in a combo pack on Blu-ray. On October 7, 2014, the film was released in a 4 Drew Barrymore Favorites DVD set with Never Been Kissed, Fever Pitch, and Whip It.
On January 6, 2015, the film was released in a Blu-ray / Digital HD combo pack, region-free. The film was also released on Blu-ray in the UK on August 6, 2018. Then, on January 1, 2019, the film was again released in a Blu-ray / Digital HD combo pack but for Region A.
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.[17] 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.[18] In May 2012, the project was back on track with Kathleen Marshall signing on to direct a Broadway run.[19][20]
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.[21] The musical made its world premiere at the Paper Mill Playhouse from May 21, 2015 – June 21, 2015.[22]Christine Ebersole played the role of Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent.[23] Alongside Ebersole, Margo Seibert starred as Danielle, James Snyder as Henry, Charles Shaughnessy as King Francis, and Tony Sheldon as Leonardo da Vinci.[24] Another production of the musical played at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre from January 15, 2019 to February 19.[25] The production was directed by Susan V. Booth and starred Sierra Boggess as Danielle de Barbarac, Terry Burrell as Queen Marie, Todd Buonopane as Captain Laurent, David Garrison as Leonardo da Vinci, Chris Kayser as King Francis, Jeff McCarthy as Pierre Malette, Tim Rogan as Prince Henry and Rachel York as Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent.[26][27][28]
Related Research Articles
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Amboise is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France. Today a small market town, it was once home of the French royal court.
Cinderella is a 1950 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Based on Charles Perrault's 1697 fairy tale, it features supervision by Ben Sharpsteen. The film was directed by Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, and Clyde Geronimi. The film features the voices of Ilene Woods, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton, Rhoda Williams, James MacDonald, and Luis van Rooten.
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Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance painter and polymath who achieved legendary fame and iconic status within his own lifetime. His renown primarily rests upon his brilliant achievements as a painter, the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, being two of the most famous artworks ever created, but also upon his diverse skills as a scientist and inventor. He became so highly valued during his lifetime that the King of France bore him home like a trophy of war, supported him in his old age and, according to legend, cradled his head as he died.
Marguerite de Navarre, also known as Marguerite of Angoulême and Margaret of Navarre, was a princess of France, Duchess of Alençon and Berry, and Queen of Navarre by her second marriage to King Henry II of Navarre. Her brother became King of France, as Francis I, and the two siblings were responsible for the celebrated intellectual and cultural court and salons of their day in France. Marguerite is the ancestress of the Bourbon kings of France, being the mother of Jeanne d'Albret, whose son, Henry of Navarre, succeeded as Henry IV of France, the first Bourbon king. As an author and a patron of humanists and reformers, she was an outstanding figure of the French Renaissance. Samuel Putnam called her "The First Modern Woman".
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Ever After is a 2015 musical, with book and lyrics by Marcy Heisler and music by Zina Goldrich, based on the 1998 film of the same name written by Susannah Grant, Andy Tennant, and Rick Parks. It is loosely based on fairy tale Cinderella. The musical premiered at the Paper Mill Playhouse in May 2015.
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1 2 Schwarzbaum, Lisa (August 10, 1998). "Ever After (1998)". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
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