Musical Mondays Week 54 Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

Apparently that slipper was made out of safety glass.  (Seriously, it never broke no matter how big a foot was jammed in it!)

We watched...

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

Serious question.  Why did the slipper survive when everything else vanished at midnight?  I admit I never considered that until watching this yesterday.  I was wondering how Whitney was going to explain the midnight limitation,  To the writers' credit she effectively said "It's a movie.  Relax."  I liked that but it got me wondering.

[SaraK 1980]

I’m not sure how much I can pop in this week, but I love this movie a lot so I HAD to watch it. I wrote a bunch of notes while watching so I figure I’ll just dump them here and then check in later to see if they sparked anything  sorry in advance 

Why does no one recognize the prince? He’s not even wearing a hat.  Shouldn’t all of these people recognize him instantly?

 

I always forget how much I love Whoopi

 

Bernadette Peters’ ball dress is amazing

 

The impossible song is so catchy - it still pops in my head randomly and I haven’t seen this movie in ages.

 

I’m not sure about the ethics of making mice into human beings 

 

This seems like the worst ball ever to attend, but I love the color scheme

 

Does the clock say 11:15? Man, her fairy godmother really cut it close

 

You two had a conversation less than 12 hours ago in the street. You’re both idiots. Especially since he looks exactly the same. 

 

This prince’s energy is way too desperate. 

 

I know the answer is ‘magic’ but why didn’t both shoes turn into boots or both shoes stay slippers?

 

Feels like they could cut down on their search if they narrowed focus to the right ethnicity 

 

Why is she wearing house slippers to run away 

 

I think town square is the same one from Hot Fuzz 

 

Did Whitney spend one day on set and was just CGI’d the rest of the time?

 

Should have had another song with Whoopi and Victor Garber. 

[AlmostAGhost 2718]

42 minutes ago, Cinco DeNio said:

Serious question.  Why did the slipper survive when everything else vanished at midnight?  I admit I never considered that until watching this yesterday.  I was wondering how Whitney was going to explain the midnight limitation,  To the writers' credit she effectively said "It's a movie.  Relax."  I liked that but it got me wondering.

Yea this happens in every version of Cinderella I've seen (and I watched 6 different ones this weekend haha) so it's just part of the lore.  I keep waiting for at least one version to explain it.

[Cameron H. 23786]

Personally, I really enjoyed this version far more than the animated version - even with the distracting “Nineties-bass.”

Regarding the slipper, I think that’s a holdover from versions of the tale that weren’t based on magic. However, as far as this telling goes, I think it just says that the Fairy Godmother actually had the power to keep Cindy a princess if she wanted to, but if she did, there might always be a question as to whether the Prince’s love was unconditional or if it was only because she was princess. The fact that Cindy is of a lower station is an important part of the story, so it’s important that the Prince accepts her for who she really is. Also, placing the shoe in his hand forces him to be proactive. Like, he could have just been like, “That sucks. Oh well...” The shoe shows to what lengths he’s willing to go to find his one and only.

At least, that’s my rationale  

[grudlian. 4725]

Here's the thing that really jumped out to me:  How does the prince not recognize Brandy? How does no one recognize her?

Normally, I always chalk that up to being a fairy tale or maybe there are some similar looking women in the village or "magic" of some kind. But Jason Alexander makes a point to say to Bernadette Peters something like "We think she was probably younger than you." That line really broke the immersion for me because you can get a general age for her but you haven't narrowed it down "definitely not a white woman"? You could have went down the line and easily eliminated 90% of the women in city. I commend the movie for having an interracial romance on a mainstream television show in the 90s but it's really silly in a movie with a mystery woman.

[AlmostAGhost 2718]

7 minutes ago, grudlian. said:

That line really broke the immersion for me because you can get a general age for her but you haven't narrowed it down "definitely not a white woman"?

I think there was probably a conscious decision that race doesn't exist at all, which just goes to show that it does matter to some extent

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

12 minutes ago, grudlian. said:

Here's the thing that really jumped out to me:  How does the prince not recognize Brandy? How does no one recognize her?

Normally, I always chalk that up to being a fairy tale or maybe there are some similar looking women in the village or "magic" of some kind. But Jason Alexander makes a point to say to Bernadette Peters something like "We think she was probably younger than you." That line really broke the immersion for me because you can get a general age for her but you haven't narrowed it down "definitely not a white woman"? You could have went down the line and easily eliminated 90% of the women in city. I commend the movie for having an interracial romance on a mainstream television show in the 90s but it's really silly in a movie with a mystery woman.

I saw a trailer this weekend for DC's Shazam! movie.  (Not to be confused with the HDTGM classic Kazaam.)  It's a early teens boy (or maybe younger) when he's normal but when he transforms he pulls a Big and becomes a fully-muscled, taller, older man.  That's the only way I could see the mystery working for Cinderella, interracial or not.  It also would probably prevent the slipper from fitting so the mystery continues...

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

5 minutes ago, AlmostAGhost said:

I think there was probably a conscious decision that race doesn't exist at all, which just goes to show that it does matter to some extent

That sounds right to me.  I was commenting while watching on how they had a Filipino actor playing the interracial son.  Unfortunately he doesn't appear to be related to Ricardo Montalban so the prince's carriage probably doesn't have rich, Corinthian leather.

 

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

25 minutes ago, Cameron H. said:

Personally, I really enjoyed this version far more than the animated version - even with the distracting “Nineties-bass.”

Regarding the slipper, I think that’s a holdover from versions of the tale that weren’t based on magic. However, as far as this telling goes, I think it just says that the Fairy Godmother actually has the power to have keep Cindy a princess if she wanted to, but if she did, there might always be a question as to whether the Prince’s love was unconditionally or if it was only because she was princess. The fact that Cindy is of a lower station is an important part of the story. Placing the shoe in his hand forces him to be proactive. Like, he could have just been like, “That sucks. Oh well...” The shoe shows to what lengths he’s willing to go to find his one and only.

At least, that’s my rationale  

So how did the pumpkin get turned into a carriage if magic wasn't involved?

[AlmostAGhost 2718]

My deep dive into Cinderella adaptations led me to this, which so far is my favorite.  It's a silent version from 1914 starring Mary Pickford

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Cinderella_(1914).webm

[taylor anne photo 11311]

I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!

This is absolutely my childhood in a nutshell. Every girl I knew in school watched this and I'm pretty sure we watched it every year in middle school choir, and then once in high school choir for nostalgia. What I love is that there's literally no questioning about the racial choices of which actors play which role. I think I do remember questioning how Bernadette could have two birth daughters of different races but then just shrugged and accepted it because THIS MOVIE IS FUCKING GREAT!

I think any problems anyone could actually have with this movie stem back to the actual Cinderella story itself rather than something this movie actively did. It's a great movie y'all, and if it weren't for how much I actually genuinely loved the newest live action remake this might have been my top of all the adaptations.

[gigi-tastic 2322]

3 hours ago, Cinco DeNio said:

Apparently that slipper was made out of safety glass.  (Seriously, it never broke no matter how big a foot was jammed in it!)

We watched...

In some versions of the story there are three nights of balls and Cinderella goes to each and leaves before midnight. On the third night the Prince is so desperate to keep her he had his servants smear tar on the stairs and when she flees one of her shoes gets stuck.I

Which... Rude. You don't know how much those shoes cost or where she has to be! 

[gigi-tastic 2322]

I just want to let everyone know today is my birthday and so there's a half a chance your gonna meet drunk Gigi tonight! Enjoy her. She's even more talkative then sober me. I'm supposed to go to dinner and the movies with friends tonight.

[AlmostAGhost 2718]

1 minute ago, gigi-tastic said:

I just want to let everyone know today is my birthday and so there's a half a chance your gonna meet drunk Gigi tonight! Enjoy her. She's even more talkative then sober me. I'm supposed to go to dinner and the movies with friends tonight.

Quick someone set up a rabbit screening of something for right when Gigi gets home

[gigi-tastic 2322]

Just now, AlmostAGhost said:

Quick someone set up a rabbit screening of something for right when Gigi gets home

Ha! I have no idea what time the movie ends or I would!

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

7 minutes ago, gigi-tastic said:

I just want to let everyone know today is my birthday and so there's a half a chance your gonna meet drunk Gigi tonight! Enjoy her. She's even more talkative then sober me. I'm supposed to go to dinner and the movies with friends tonight.

 

[gigi-tastic 2322]

This movie is a delight! But man is it an utter 90's fest! From the golden squiggly spirals, to the iridescent sari like colored fabrics of the costumes, to the color choices for Cinderella 's house.  So very 90's. I loved every second of it but I was also a bit shocked by the intensity of it all. 

[taylor anne photo 11311]

Happy Birthday Gigi!!! I didn't know you were a fellow Sag!

[gigi-tastic 2322]

1 hour ago, grudlian. said:

Here's the thing that really jumped out to me:  How does the prince not recognize Brandy? How does no one recognize her?

Normally, I always chalk that up to being a fairy tale or maybe there are some similar looking women in the village or "magic" of some kind. But Jason Alexander makes a point to say to Bernadette Peters something like "We think she was probably younger than you." That line really broke the immersion for me because you can get a general age for her but you haven't narrowed it down "definitely not a white woman"? You could have went down the line and easily eliminated 90% of the women in city. I commend the movie for having an interracial romance on a mainstream television show in the 90s but it's really silly in a movie with a mystery woman.

The thing that got me about this one is they actually meet BEFORE the ball.  Like I would have enjoyed a twist with that where Cinderella and the Prince do fall in love because of a previous series of encounters so it's not just on first sight. Or it is but first it's as peasants then as fancy pants people . 

[gigi-tastic 2322]

3 minutes ago, taylorannephoto said:

Happy Birthday Gigi!!! I didn't know you were a fellow Sag!

Yep 28 today! When is yours? (If I missed it I'm so sorry have a happy unbirthday!)

[taylor anne photo 11311]

2 minutes ago, gigi-tastic said:

Yep 28 today! When is yours? (If I missed it I'm so sorry have a happy unbirthday!)

Lol it was the 3rd! I'm exactly a year older than you!

[Cameron H. 23786]

29 minutes ago, gigi-tastic said:

I just want to let everyone know today is my birthday and so there's a half a chance your gonna meet drunk Gigi tonight! Enjoy her. She's even more talkative then sober me. I'm supposed to go to dinner and the movies with friends tonight.

[gigi-tastic 2322]

ok so I NEED to talk about the fashion in this movie! Especially whatever the hell Jason Alexander's wearing. 

This is.... Upsetting. Giant purple cuffs are upsetting . Is this the palace staff uniform? If it Queen Whoopie needs to rethink her choices (We all know who runs that kingdom )

Also on the topic of Jason Alexander that ACCENT! Did anyone else notice it start to fade sometimes?

[gigi-tastic 2322]

13 minutes ago, taylorannephoto said:

Lol it was the 3rd! I'm exactly a year older than you!

Well happy birthday!!!