You will think "the girl is now completely gone"- instead in preparing on sending one more duckling off through the Baccalaureate and then on to university (now only one to go!), she goes and watches in the movies a film for children, with talking mice, mad godmothers and a very evil, but admittedly, very well dressed stepmother. The godmother is less well dressed. I do not even speak about the horrid stepsisters, they simply look and behave ridiculous all the time.
But oh, let me start about the interior of the house!!! This alone is worth watching the film at least 5 times, as well as the stunning costumes and set. Even if during the last years the choice of Kenneth Brannagh in films has been a bit odd at times ( Thor, anybody?) it is simply the fact, that after Henry V and after Hamlet, there is little left to him.. therefore his odd choices of themes are fully and utterly excused and we, i.e., the not so small children and their even older and older mother, all the time rush and see his latest film, be it Thor or Cinderella. (I do not like the dark thrillers and crimes series, therefore, admittedly, have not seen them.)Here, with Lily James being a charming Cinderella, all is set for magic and fairy tales.
But back to the film. All is there. Wonderful Derek Jacoby as the dying and clever old king, who understands that his son, called "Kit" needs to marry for love, whoever it might be. Sounds like Will and Kate. Then the prince, albeit having an appaling seat on his poor horse and far too white teeth, seems to be a rather simple but good guy, starting to know what HE likes and being not only a yes man. This does not like our friend the Great Duke, who wants to sell him off to a very lovely princess from far away - very becoming in time like ours nowadays. But the stubborn lad wants to stay with his own people, not having a queen who tells him that she thinks his "tiny kingdom" quite charming. Bloody foreigners.Well done.
All works as prescribed in the book, with less horrid details, no hacking of of feet and doves eating first and then vomiting the good beans into the plate, instead a charming goose and heaps of nice and caring mice. But here things go for me a bit awry and something gets on my nerves very quickly: her mother tells her to be "good and courageous" always. This as such is not bad. But the girl is all the time so sweet and enduring, and the step mom and the ugly sisters so definitely cruel and vile, so much that at times one wants to start to vomit all the popcorn out again. Is this the message? The yes girl becoming the prince for being good and enduring and never ever say no and never rebel and only sob when every body is gone? I feel uneasy here.
Of course, the recently acquired stepmother is herself, wonderfully beautiful and heavenly dressed Cate Blanchet, a poor devil in her quest for a safe position for herself and the silly daughters - one has a moment of pity for her too - but then, she knows how to get what she wants ( for herself at least, it being almost impossible to sell of the two super silly daughters she has).
For Cinderella, it takes a long time and her mothers' a bit childish dress being ripped that the lovely kindness is ripped as well (I would have been so angry much earlier...) and here and there she does not want to be a good girl any more. Finally!! And voila, in comes the fairy godmother. Poor Helena Bonham Carter is definitely starting to get a bit weird. I wonder how she can walk in THAT dress?
Then we have the pumpkin, mice becoming horses etc etc and ensuite the best part of the film, the ball - dresses and wonderful interiors, though mostly done by the computer, but the feeling is good , even hilarious, and I become a little girl again wanting to have such a dress and waltz around with my darling prince who is riding around the country on a white horse and has good teeth and apparently can dance.
All ends well, of course, the shoe is horrid but fits after the girl starts to sing and gets noticed after all, forgives the bad stepmom, but is clever enough to avoid having her moving in with them in the palace. So, not completely stupid, but good and courageous. All perfect. Lovely wedding dress!!!
The first time I thought this is ridiculous and not really helpful for the girls and boys in our times - you cannot send children nowadays in the cinema and tell them the message: endure, do and ask nothing for yourself, hope the that the prince is coming and if you are good and kind, and all will end well. I am not even speaking of the appalling lack of books in Cinderella's life...
But then my wise children told me the truth. The film is aimed not at old mums like me, but at young children (really???), who still have a heart, where magic is true and live is good, full of promise. For them the message of being always good and courageous sounds very different. And yes, why not? No need for the suffragette in me to get up the walls but why not let the child in me dream on and have a moment of utter bliss, magic and good and happy ending?
In times of hopeless politicians and other terrible unspeakable horrid people blaring on our faces on a daily basis, perhaps this will help us to keep that magic going, being stronger than reality? Because this is true: we human beings are stronger than reality and our lives do not have to be lived on automatic pilot, but we can chose and dream - or chose and not dream. I for this time do not want to reasonable and clever. I want to dream about wonderful houses and a rather nice palace, dresses to long for, lovely woods, talking mice, a rather dotty godmother who really can do some magic, good and just kings and queens, and a happy ending. Written in stone and to rely on.
Tomorrow then back to BBC, FT, FAZ and the depressing reality - let's be courageous and good and do something about it.
