BLANCHETT. Memorably malevolent portrayal.
The latest “Cinderella” movie to be produced, starring “Downton Abbey’s” Lily James as the lovely but terribly mistreated kitchen slave, is directed by Kenneth Branagh as a straightforward, fairy-tale narrative, with no modern tweaks of “experimental” deconstruction to frustate escapist viewers who just want to have a fantasticatingly good time at the flicks.
Whenever the fantasy elements kick in, digital filmmaking advances are resorted to in order to transform a squash into an amazing carriage, mice into gallant white steeds, etc.
This time around, more details are provided: Little Ella grew up in the warm and loving embrace of both her mother and father, who gave her the happiest childhood possible—until her mother fell ill and died.
Before she passed away, however, Ella’s mother left her with the earnest instruction to be both courageous and kindhearted at all times. It is this maternal maxim that sees the poor girl through the worst vicissitudes that come her way.
At first, her father does his best to bring the smile back to her face—but, when he feels lonely, he gets married again. Unfortunately, his new wife may be lovely and sophisticated, but she has a venomous heart that poisons Ella’s existence, especially after her father also dies!
Downright ugly
To make things worse, Ella now has two stepsisters who are even harder to like, let alone love, than their mother. She at least is lovely, while they are plain or even downright ugly, both within and without.
Not long after Ella becomes an orphan, she realizes that they have made her their servant! They hate her beauty and goodness so much that they make her work from morning till night, until she’s too tired to even wash her face, thus earning the insulting name, Cinder-ella!
It’s a good thing that this is a fairy tale, where Ella has a Fairy Godmother to magically turn her fortunes around—and, boy, does she! We all know the drill: The prince, the ball, the glass slippers, but precious few surprises are added to genuinely delight and inspire.
Most predictable of all is the characterization of Ella’s handsome prince, who looks like a live version of Barbie’s boyfriend, Ken. The actresses who play the ugly stepsisters are similarly bereft of originality and invention. Helena Bonham-Carter as the Fairy Godmother does better, but she’s too petite to really fit the yummy and larger-than-life role.
What about Lily James as Cinderella? She’s truly lovely and can summon up the vulnerability and pathos that her character requires, but she still falls short of coming up with a truly exhilarating and definitive portrayal.
So, is the film fated to end up as an inherently limited production, with no real highlight to cap its storytelling? Happily, Cate Blanchett saves the day with her memorably malevolent portrayal of Ella’s elegantly beautiful but egregiously evil stepmother!
Plugging into the nasty side of her performing psyche, Blanchett clearly has a great time being as nasty as can be—and the film’s viewers enjoy themselves along with her!