Branagh recreates a fairy tale free of cynicism and snark; Director Kenneth Branagh's recreates fairy tale free of cynicism and snark.

AuthorBahr, Lindsey
PositionLiving - Movie review

Byline: Lindsey Bahr

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Everyone knows the tale of Cinderella.

The story of the beautiful girl who is forced into servitude by a wicked stepfamily, transformed for a night by magic, and saved by a nameless prince has been around for centuries. But while "Cinderella'' is ingrained in the world's consciousness, it's also as outdated as a fairy tale can be.

So why are audiences now getting an expensive retelling of the passe bedtime story, 65 years after Disney released its animated classic and just months after the screen version of "Into the Woods'' poked fun at the idea of insincere princes and delusional princesses?

For one, Disney's live-action adaptations of its animated properties have become big business for the studio. Between "Alice in Wonderland'' (2010) and "Maleficent'' (2014), Disney has grossed nearly $2 billion worldwide from mining their archives for material to update. The studio already has a live-action "Beauty and the Beast'' and an "Alice'' sequel in development.

And yet, despite the too-obvious business objectives, there is nothing cynical about the latest "Cinderella,'' which hits theaters today.

"I wanted Cinderella, without being entirely a dreamer, to see life not as it is but what it could be,'' says director Kenneth Branagh, who was excited to get the heroine out of a "time warp.''

To cast his leads, Branagh applied the same theory as he did when helping to pick Chris Hemsworth for "Thor'': Choose relative unknowns. He landed on Lily James of PBS' "Downton Abbey'' and Richard Madden, a vet of HBO's "Game of Thrones.''

Instead of making "Cinderella'' dark and gritty or dystopian, which Branagh believes have become cliched, he and screenwriter Chris Weitz ("About a Boy'') imagined a world where she's guided by a steadfast belief in kindness. It's a message that Ella learns as a child and holds dear as things worsen under the rule of her spiteful stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and vain, doltish stepsisters (Holliday Grainger and Sophie McShera).

The film succeeds because of its sincerity.

"We couldn't ever jump out of the movie and say, 'You know, this is a bit silly and we're much cooler than this, by the way.' We're daring to take this seriously,'' Branagh said in a joint interview.

Branagh encouraged James to read Mohandas Gandhi's works and other writings on spiritual journeys to prepare for her role, hoping that she could incorporate the idea of nonviolent resistance into the character.

"We...

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