Dear friends,
**
This is a review I did a long time ago, on the 28th of January 2011, and published in my previous blog "Paint The Sky". But as you did not read this before, I thought I may share my thoughts with you. Pay attention to spoilers, as I shall be telling you about Ella Enchanted **
… I won’t go breaking your heart! :) If you want an easy and fun movie to watch on a Saturday/Sunday – or any moment and day in which you would be free ;)) – than I would sincerely recommend “
Ella Enchanted” – the movie from 2004, with
Anne Hathaway.I know… I know… I am writing about another Cinder
ella story :) but trust me, this is a really good one: funny and somehow resembling with a musical… queer combination but most enchantingly made :) if I may say so myself :p
***
Based on
Gail Carson Levine’s award winning novel, this is the story of
Ella, a young woman who was given a “gift” of obedience by a fairy named
Lucinda. Anything anyone tells her to do, she must obey. When her mother passes away, Ella is cared for by her thoughtless and greedy father who remarries a loathsome woman with two treacherous daughters. This modern-day, fantasy Cinderella features fairies, ogres and elves…as well as a hero in the guise of
Prince Charmont, whom Ella falls in love with. Unlike Cinderella though, Ella must depend on herself and her intelligence to get her through her troubles and find Lucinda in order for her “
curse” to be broken!
Written by M. C. GomezBeing a love story and a story for children differently told attracted me very much, but when all the modernist bits and pieces came tumbling in I was starting to reconsider… what made me love the movie was the scene in the middle of the movie, when
Ella and
Prince Charmont are at a giants wedding. Why? It is simple as 1-2-3 or A-B-C :) when Ella was ordered to play… and she did start playing… guess what song she did play? YES! A
Queen song, and indeed one of my favs: “
Somebody to love“… and to a great wonder, Anne played it quite nicely!!! :) To the same wedding I had another shock: one of the giants was portrait by
Heidi Klum – that also sings at the end of the movie a bit :) I find her presence in this movie as a giant female quite refreshing and idea tumbling, as everyone states giants are awful :)
Another of my fav scenes is portrait in the still above: the moment where love conquers all and Ella disobeys her final command – not killing thus the prince – and breaks the spell of her “gift of obedience”.
The Hall of Mirrors somehow remembers me of the story of
Snow White and the room her stepmother had… the room for
The Mirror…
A great and beautiful and appreciated surprise was
Cary Elwes, as
Edgar – the princes tutor and “
good” uncle – and
Minnie Driver, as
Mandy – Ella’s house fairy :) Their appearance on the screen is always mostly refreshing and makes one smile, no matter what.
Of course you will recognize Edgar as the wonderfully dashing Robin Hood from the epic movie “
Robin Hood – Man in Tights“. Here, Cary Elwes plays the bad guy – although he does it very very very good I cannot help myself seeing him as Robin ;)) I must admit!!!
Minnie Driver has very short “stage entrances” but she is sparkling each time :) just remember her in “
The Phantom of the Opera” if you ever watched it, and you will truly know what I am talking about ;)
The visual part of this movie is beautiful! The scenery if pleasant to the eye of the beholder and the wardrobe of each and every character suits them. The soundtrack is indeed SMASHING!!! :) and it keeps the ones who watch the movie wide awake and wanting to jiggle and move around and sing and dance like the characters on the screen :)
The finale is simply adorable, when everyone sings and dances…
Now don’t go breaking my heart…
I shall have to think more over the acting that
Mr. Hugh Dancy presents us… he is a British actor that promises much :) The first time I had seen him was several years ago… I do think that it was on Hallmark channel. But what I surely know is the fact that he was playing “
David Copperfield”… and he played it very nicely… he would be truly fit for some more period movies :) I do have faith in him ;)
Yours truly,
A LadyBug In Love :)
