Movie: Cinderella (1950)

OK, I was three years old when this was made, and I suppose there’s not a single person old enough to read this review that hasn’t seen it, probably several times.  But do you remember all the fantastic details?  And have you shared it with your grandchildren yet?

A few fun things I had forgotten:  how Gus — the chubbiest mouse — started in Cinderella’s home by being trapped in a mouse trap which was a humane trap that didn’t actually hurt him.  How the house is really Cinderella’s, and not her step-mother’s: she inherited it from her kindly father, who simply made a very, very bad choice for a second wife.  How Cinderella sings along with her step-sisters’ music lesson, and then her reflections in the bubbles from her scrubbing sing along with her in harmony — very trippy indeed.  How the fairy godmother conjured up the coach first, then the horses (from four mice), the driver (from a horse), the footman (from the dog), and finally noticed that Cinderella’s dress was not suitable.  How the Grand Duke’s monocle got shattered, but he apparently had at least one spare.  How many times the glass slipper was almost broken, then finally was broken, but Cinderella had the matching slipper, which of course fit her foot.

Certainly it’s a very old-fashioned story, the whole prince and beautiful girl love story, and the girl mouse who tells the boy mice to leave the sewing to the girls while he should go and find supplies.  Turns out when she stabs the needle in, there’s a boy mouse in the interior to turn it and pass it back, thus making a stitch out of their combined efforts.  Still, if you remember it was made in 1950, when every cell was painted by hand, and it took thousands of cells for a full-length movie, you can appreciate that this is a precious part of our movie heritage.  Enjoy it!

Statements in this review do not necessarily express the thoughts or opinions of the Ethical Society of St. Louis or its leadership.