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Once upon a time...we all know the familiar story of a poor upstaged girl, mistreated by her step-mother, who eventually receives a beautiful gown and a chance to go the ball where Prince Charming is, thanks to her fairy godmother; true beauty can outshine even her ribald stepsister and she becomes a true princess.
Of course, since we live in the nineties where either a film is truly original
or a repeated update, we are shown why the story does not do Cinderella (Danielle/Barrymore)
justice. She may have lived happily ever after but no one saw her truly live.
Drew Barrymore plays the title character in this fantasy and Angelica Houston
is her wicked stepmother. These two actresses do such a fine job on the screen;
Barrymore, with her hopeful eyes and sensual mouth which sprouths poetry and
endless peels of laughter, is prefect for this role. She totally convinces what
inner beauty will bust through the raggy shell. Angelica Houston is the Baroness
who barely married Danielle's father before he died of a heart attack. She is
ruthless ad clever enough to help her own daughter marry the Prince, not Danielle.
In this film, blood is truly thicker than water and the Baroness, who shows
a loving scene with Danielle - a scene where a tinsel of affection once drove
her to love Baron, and what also drove her to be jealous of Danielle.
Prince Henry is a spoiled brat who never was taught how to treat people. It is fun and delightful to have Barrymore cut him down to size. Henry is a young man who is unsure of himself; radiant, yet loyal, he's at war with his own demons. Danielle helps him soul-search and there the love blossoms.
A truly human love story brought wondrously to life. A few qualms: the actors' accents for starters, but this is a good cinematic approach in which, if you never enjoyed Cinderella, Disney or non-Disney, you shall in this film.
Once
Upon a Time there was a cold, ruthless stepmother in a film with some
qualms and wonder. Starring Drew Barrymore, Angelica Houston.