EVER AFTER
A film review by Mark R. Leeper
Capsule: It may be a very 1990s retelling of
the Cinderella story, but the real show is the
sumptuous recreation of 16th Century France. Drew
Barrymore is not the most desirable Cinderella, but
Angelica Huston gives depth to the evil stepmother.
This film would be acceptable down to age 7 or so
but would not be boring for Mom and Dad. Rating: 6
(0 to 10), +1 (-4 to +4)
New York Critics: 10 positive, 1 negative, 2 mixed
One thing the world did not need was yet another telling of the Cinderella story, particularly one that gives Cinderella the values and qualities of a 1990s woman. Given that that is true, and that the story has been much revised, this is at least a watchable version that benefits from a sumptuous production. Normally it is bad policy for a filmmaker to adapt a famous story and then to revise it. However, in this case there is a framing sequence in which an old woman, a Grand Dame, is telling the Grimm Brothers what really happened and proving it by showing them the actual glass slipper that apparently had been in her family for a long time. Saying that she is going to tell "what really happened" covers a multitude of revisions to the classic story and even a few anachronisms. While a film like ROBIN HOOD, PRINCE OF THIEVES claims to be the story of Robin Hood and then tells its own story, EVER AFTER starts right out by saying the Grimm Brothers had it wrong. There is even a nod to the historical fact that in the original Grimm story the shoe is a fur slipper. The story was mistranslated to English and "fur" became "glass," words that I am told sound similar in French.
Once we are past the framing sequence the scene shifts to 16th Century France where a widower father, Auguste (played by Jeroen Krabbe) very deeply loves his precocious eight-year-old daughter Danielle (Anna Maguire). So that his daughter will have a family he marries the enigmatic Rodmilla (Angelica Huston). Very soon after the marriage Auguste dies. Flash forward ten years and the household under Rodmilla's rule has a very definite pecking order. Danielle (now Drew Barrymore) is basically just a servant. In a rather nice variation on tradition only one of the stepsisters, Marguerite, is beautiful, vain, and cruel. The other sister, Jacqueline, is rather plain, but decent and sympathetic to her stepsister. Her heart is good though she rarely has the courage to say anything. Jacqueline is just one position above Danielle in the house pecking order. Everything in the house is ruled over by Rodmilla, who sees things her own way. As she goes back on a promise she says, "Nothing is final until you are dead. And then I am sure God negotiates."
To rescue a house servant, Danielle must pose as a woman of the court and in that guise she captures the attention of Prince Henry (Dougray Scott). He is amazed that this woman is willing to argue with her prince. And he is more amazed that when she argues she invariably wins. For once it seems that what a prince finds stimulating is a woman's intellect, not her looks. This variation on the traditional fairy tale has among its revisions that there is no fairy godmother protecting Cinderella. Instead, visiting court is none other than Leonardo da Vinci (Patrick Godfrey) and he comes off nearly as magical. I guess that Leonardo was about as close as you could get to wizardry in the 1500s without it actually being wizardry.
Drew Barrymore is reasonable as Danielle, though neither the director nor the camera really coaxes much deep pain or emotion from her. She has a sort of hurt-child look that might be acceptable for this role, but does not quite work in the scenes in which she is supposed to be a formidable fighter or look stunning. Speaking of stunning, the stepmother is also supposed to be attractive according to the script and while Angelica Houston is a good character actor, it is never clear why Auguste is so taken with her. Her acting does have the fairy tale villain feel, however, an artifact of films like THE WITCHES. And she does qualify as one of the better features of this film. Dougray Scott is something of a surprise. Initially he comes off as just a handsome hunk without a lot of acting talent. But he does have a very expressive face, when he bothers to use it. That could make him a very enjoyable comic actor in the style of Hugh Laurie. Also along for the ride is Timothy West, one of those solid British actors who will always turn in a quality performance. Having Jeanne Moreau in the framing sequence does a lot for the film. She certainly is one of the great ladies of French cinema.
EVER AFTER is something of a surprise. Nothing great here, but it is a pleasant film to watch and is nicely visualized. I give it a 6 on the 0 to 10 scale and a +1 on the -4 to +4 scale.
Mark R. Leeper
mleeper@lucent.com
Copyright 1998 Mark R. Leeper
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