Cinderella

I almost feel like this movie has become underrated in the last few years. This was the only “live action” Disney remake that I thoroughly enjoyed. In an era of fairytale revisionism, this was a refreshingly traditional version of the classic Cinderella story. Fairytales often contain sexist tropes, and many older films even push it further with racism. Feminism aside, it can sometimes feel jarring to readapt fairytales with modern ideals, when these stories are often a glimpse into the societies and time periods in which they were originally conceived. The female protagonists in fairytales are often faced with sexist tropes that were pervasive in early modern history. I don’t feel like there is necessarily anything wrong with making Snow White into a warrior, or fairytales that abandon idealized romance. They can be fun, but in the end, they don’t remain true to the original stories - whether or not we agree with their messages living in the 21st century. This is where I feel like Cinderella excelled. This film balanced Cinderella’s unfortunate life circumstances by showing her inner strength, because what strength is greater than optimism, sacrifice, choosing to be a kind person, and being a dreamer in an unkind world. Many older fairytale films have bland protagonists that are often a reflection of the time period they were made in (the original Snow White was released almost 40 years before the Equal Credit Opportunity Act!). In this Cinderella, the protagonist is still a maid for her stepsisters and stepmother. The story dives into a theme of grief, how we move on (or don’t), and gives us a morally courageous Cinderella navigating all this. This story felt Ike the classic Cinderella story that is known, but beefed up with more compelling characters and themes. The production values are top notch, and the performances were wonderful - especially Cate Blanchett as Lady Tremaine. Up there with Ever After in quality modern spins of fairytales, and surpasses the original 1950s film in every way.