Ever After

 

Okay, love birds. I admit. Any story which is even remotely similar to the legendary Cinderella never fails to get my attention. The only thing is, it has been used a tad too much. Her story seems to be every director and screen writer’s template, be it a telenovela tearjerker, or a romantic comedy--from a sweet, rich girl, to an underdog with a stepmother and wicked sister/s, to ending up with the most handsome boy in the land.  But the formula actually works on us, the gullible celluloid fans.

Why do you think Mara Clara is still a hit, although it is on its nth rehash?

Movie Recall: Ever After (1998) 

The Story:   With the sudden death of her loving father, Danielle is made a servant by her new stepmother. She also has two new stepsisters, one quite kind but the other one really horrid. Still, Danielle grows up to be a happy and strong-willed young lady, and one day her path crosses that of handsome Prince Henry, who has troubles of his own at home. Luckily the nice Leonardo da Vinci is on hand to help all round.

My Review:

 

With the timeless tale of Cinderella as a reference story, what is there to not like? But there’s a twist. The young Drew Barrymore here plays the not your ordinary damsel-in-distress heroine because she gets to save the Prince this time. Awesome 20^th century modern Cindy!

Trivia:

The glass slippers were made by Salvatore Ferragamo.

When Danielle is swimming in the lake, she is using the inverted breaststroke. It was popular in medieval and Renaissance Europe, and is still commonly taught as a survival stroke. In Australia, it is called the "Survival Backstroke."

The Mona Lisa was painted on wooden panel, so it would be impossible to roll it up into a tube.

At one point Queen Marie tells Prince Henry to choose a wife wisely, because "divorce is only something they do in England." This is obviously a reference to the infamous Henry VIII of England, who caused an immense scandal when he divorced Catherine of Aragon for Anne Boleyn in the early 16th century.