Synopsis
Danielle, a vibrant young woman is forced into servitude after the death of her father when she was a young girl. Danielle's stepmother Rodmilla is a heartless woman who forces Danielle to do the cooking and cleaning, while she tries to marry off the eldest of her two daughters to the prince. But Danielle's life takes a wonderful turn when, under the guise of a visiting royal, she meets the charming Prince Henry.
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Cast
- Drew BarrymoreDanielle de Barbarac
- Anjelica HustonBaroness Rodmilla de Ghent
- Dougray ScottPrince Henry
- Patrick GodfreyLeonardo da Vinci
- Megan DoddsMarguerite de Ghent
- Melanie LynskeyJacqueline de Ghent
- Timothy WestKing Francis
- Judy ParfittQueen Marie
- Lee InglebyGustave
- Kate LansburyPaulette
Recommendations
- 88
Rolling Stone
The radiant Barrymore energizes Cinderella with a tough core of intelligence and wit. - 75
Chicago Sun-Times
Here, as the little cinder girl, she is able to at last put aside her bedraggled losers and flower as a fresh young beauty, and she brings poignancy and fire to the role. - 75
Christian Science Monitor
There's no reason for stretching this tale to more than two hours, but Huston is amusingly tart as the stepmom, and it's hard to resist a movie that substitutes Leonardo da Vinci for the traditional fairy godmother. - 75
ReelViews
Tennant takes this familiar material and crafts a charming, captivating motion picture. - 70
Chicago Reader
Their blossoming love is thwarted at every opportunity by wicked stepmother Anjelica Huston, whose practical motive -- she wants her own daughter to become queen -- is part of an unusually nuanced characterization. - 67
Austin Chronicle
The playful and well-meaning spirit of the film carries it through its shakier moments of awkward narration and inscrutably busy camerawork. - 67
Entertainment Weekly
Between bouts of decisive action, the characters mill around the French countryside (in lovely costumes, to be sure, by Jenny Beavan) as if unsure of which sexual stereotype to bust next. - 60
Empire
Not an altogether unsuccessful adaptation of the timeless Cinderella story, it certainly scores well in terms of lavish scenery, snappy repartee and brightly-coloured mayhem.
