Cinderella in Paris

Cannes Camera d'Or winning director, Fina Torres gives us one of the most eclectic, visually and ethnically rich takes of the Cinderella story ever, in a modern, realistic (I'm serious) setting. A hit at Sundance in '95, Ms. Torres announced here at its post-Sundance premiere, that the film had not only picked up US distribution, but remake rights had been bought by Disney. By all means, SEE THIS ONE. Don't wait for the Disney remake! A co-production in the broadest sense(Venezuelan-French-Belgian-Portuguese-Spanish), CELESTIAL CLOCKWORK, manages to add to this melange Cuban, Afro-Caribbean, Italian, gay, and operatic elements and characters. European stars, the French Arielle Dombasle(as Celeste) and the Spanish Ariadne Gil ("Cinderella") both showing off credible Latin American Spanish accents are excellent as the leading rivals.(The film also has extensive French and English dialogue.) Buy or see the movie for its visuals and hilarious plot, and don't forget the soundtrack (the first thing I bought), featuring some of the best Latin sounds of any movie this decade, not to mention the beautiful arias from the opera "La Cenerentola" (Cinderella) on which the movie is loosely based. The Ariadne Gil character is an opera singer, Arielle Dombasle's is a gorgeous techno-pop performer, while their entourage dances to salsa and party music. Sounds too far-fetched? It's not. It all makes sense and satifies all your senses. To round out its far-reaching cultural diversity, the film's Spanish speaking characters have a happy Hollywood ending, in fluent French.