Ever After - A Cinderella Story | 
| Director: Andy Tennant
Actors: Drew Barrymore, Anjelica Huston, Dougray Scott, Patrick Godfrey, Megan Dodds
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
Buy Used: $2.28
You Save: $12.70 (85%)
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Rating:  909 reviews
Sales Rank: 1512
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd, Widescreen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 121 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: FOXD2005782D
UPC: 024543057611
EAN: 0024543057611
ASIN: B00006ZXSK
Theatrical Release Date: July 31, 1998
Release Date: January 14, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Against remarkable odds, wise, beautiful, and independent Danielle stands up to her scheming stepmother and works miracles on the lives of everyone around her, including the crown prince of France, in this revamping of Cinderella.
Amazon.com
Take away the Fairy Godmother, and what have you got left from the Cinderella fable? The story of a girl for whom a bad stroke of luck is no match for her internal strength and purity of heart. Drew Barrymore plays Cinderella's alleged inspiration, Danielle, in this romantic drama that purports to tell the "facts" behind the Grimm brothers' story. One of three daughters of a man (Jeroen Krabbe) who dies and leaves her fate in the hands of a conniving stepmother (Anjelica Huston), Danielle is cast into the lowly role of a servant. Meanwhile, her sisters are evaluated as possible mates for a French prince (Dougray Scott), but he's far more intrigued with Danielle's intelligence and beauty--not to mention her way with a sword and fist. Directed by Andy Tennant (who directed Barrymore in TV's The Amy Fisher Story), Ever After has that rare ability to win the heart and mind of a viewer simply by being committed to its own innocence, particularly where Barrymore's luminous performance is concerned. A contemporary take on an old, virtually forgotten Hollywood convention--the costume adventure with middling artistic ambition but real audience appeal--Ever After is a surprisingly delightful film. --Tom Keogh
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| Customer Reviews: Read 904 more reviews...
Destined to be a classic June 9, 2009
Laura Alethea (Casselberry, FL USA)
I must say, as one who always disliked fairy tales (even as a child), I probably would not have even watched this if I had realized it was another re-telling of the Cinderella story.
This, however, is just about perfectly done. The characters' actions are psychologically consistent (and no magic wands!), the acting and casting are superb, and the script is just about perfect.
Regarding the script, there are several very interesting twists: Leonardo da Vinci fills the role of "fairy godfather"; an interesting side-plot of the romance of the nice stepsister with the captain of the guard; a hilarious (although probably the only really unlikely-to-have-possibly-happened) scene involving the Spanish princess; and several absolutely priceless one-liners, including the one where the servants remarked that as far as the Baroness (the evil stepmother) was concerned, they were probably going to end up "paying her to work"!
Add to all this the fantastic scenery of the French countryside and the lavish costumes and the perfect "poetic justice" ending, and you have a movie that won't be forgotten any time soon.
My Favorite Movie of All Time May 8, 2009
shegy (massachusetts)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I'lll never be able to explain it, but this is my absolute favorite movie of all time. I know every word by heart...and if I'm feeling sad, or happy I can pop it in the DVD player to make my day. I think that says something about a movie, most of us don't know why we pick it, just how it makes us feel. And this movie does it for me!
A PERFECT TALE March 12, 2009
Waitsel Smith (Atlanta, GA USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I don't know how this one ever got past my radar, but I'm glad I finally discovered it. It was quite by accident. My mom and I were sitting watching one of her ladies' channels (Oxygen or CO2 or some such silliness), and I remarked how much the story was like Cinderella. (We had missed the beginning, when the narrator, a female descendant of Cinderella's, explained to the Brothers Grimm that this was the real story behind their fairy tale.) Well, it was delightful. It had humor, adventure, romance, villainy, gorgeous sets and costumes, a top-notch cast - pretty much everything. If it hadn't been for Shakespeare In Love and Saving Private Ryan dominating the Oscars in 1999, Ever After probably would have taken some of the statuettes for cinematography, art direction, sets and costumes.
Nevertheless, it's two stars, Drew Barrymore and Anjelica Huston, did win awards for their acting (not at the Oscars, but at other award ceremonies), which were well deserved because both women are terrific. Ms. Barrymore is the perfect Cinderella (Disney's 1950 animated version notwithstanding), although in this tale she is known as Danielle. And Ms. Huston (The Royal Tenenbaums, Mists Of Avalon) is perfectly mean, in a delectable sort of way, as the step mother. As with the Brothers Grimm version, there is no fairy godmother in the story; but there is Leonardo da Vinci, who, in my opinion, serves a much better purpose: he provides magic without it being unbelievable, and it is Patrick Godfrey (The Count Of Monte Cristo) who does the honors. I mean, pumpkins turning into coaches and mice becoming footmen? What was Charles Perrault, the 18th Century inventor of those fantastic elements, thinking?!
Prince Henry, who is smitten by and then pursues Cinderella, is played by newcomer Dougray Scott. (He later starred in Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde and The Ten Commandments.) Scott does an admirable job balancing swashbuckling tendencies with boredom. It is his boredom that Cinderella challenges. She can't believe how complacent he is, considering how much responsibility he will have as the future king of France; and he can't get over how passionate, committed and alive she is. Writers Susannah Grant, Andy Tennant and Rich Parks have done something at which most modern screenwriters fail miserably: they've given us a compelling story about characters that are full of wit and charm, whom we honestly care about, and whose fortunes are in the balance until the very end.
Like most classic fairy tales, Cinderella contains a timeless lesson that we never tire of hearing: that virtue wins over circumstances. Even though Cinderella is persecuted by her step mother and one of her step sisters, she overcomes this through perseverance, her concern for other people and her love of life and living. I like this version of the tale far better than Perrault's, which uses magic to rescue Cinderella, and is therefore difficult to relate to real life; and that of the Brothers Grimm, which contains some very grim elements indeed (like the step sisters cutting off parts of their feet in order to fit them into the glass slipper, and birds pecking out their eyes), making it equally unbelievable.
Cinderella has been made into countless stage and screen productions, including the 1957 Rogers and Hammerstein TV musical starring Julie Andrews; the 1965 TV musical starring Lesley Ann Warren; and Stephen Sondheim's 1987 stage musical, Into The Woods, starring Bernadette Peters (based on the Grimm version and encompassing other fairy tales as well) - not to mention all the operas and ballets. But this latest version is, in my opinion, one of the best.
The director of Ever After, Andy Tennant, has done a remarkable job weaving all the fascinating elements of both story and production together. Even more remarkable is the fact that most of his work has been for television, and this does have a certain made-for-television feel to it. But not only is it far, far better than most made-for-television movies, it out-shines most theatrical films. As a comparison, I think most viewers will find it to be at least one star better than Princess Bride, a film that is similar only in its storybook nature. I actually found myself reminded of First Knight more than any other film; although, again, this one is far better. For a good story that will capture your imagination and heart, and which the whole family can enjoy, Ever After is a charmer.
Waitsel Smith
The most beautiful Cinderella story ever told March 10, 2009
John Robie (California)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Andy Tennant has done a marvelous job in creating a very moving strong storyline about Cinderella. Drew Barrymore has put in her best performance. The well written script and superb cast ensure this movie's place as one of the best romantic stories in many years. You will not be disappointed. Enjoy!
THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE VERSIONS OF CINDERELLA! A VERY BEAUTIFUL STORY! February 21, 2009
Teresa (NORTH CAROLINA, USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a wonderful, retelling of the classic Cinderella story, with a new twist! I loved it! This movie had a all-star cast of outstanding actors!
One of my favorite things, that I liked about the movie was the breathtaking outdoor scenes, and I loved the way, the movie people shot some of the scenes, during the early morning hours, when the light is at it's very best for capturing moments on film; It was outstanding!
I would love to know where this movie was filmed, they chose a very pretty place to make the movie, and also know, the history of the house Cinderella lived in with her step family, and I would just love to know the history of the castle, and the surrounding area!
I highly recommend this movie for all us ladies out there, who fell in love with the Cinderella story, when we where little girls! This movie will not disappoint you, if you are a true Cinderella fan, and a hopeless romantic!
And you will just love the man who played Prince Henry, (Cinderella's Prince) he is very, very, handsome! I loved his hair, and his pretty, bedroom eyes! One of my favorite scenes in the movie, was when Prince Henry went to see Cinderella, and invited her to spend the day with him! And I loved the special, wonderful scene, where Prince Henry kneeled down to asked Danielle (Cinderella) to marry him!
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