Cinderella

There's a great sense of humor in this retelling of the oft-told Cinderella tale with Jean Stapleton as the sassy Southern fairy godmother and Eve Arden as the horrific stepmother coming close to walking away with every scene they're in. Jennifer Beals and Matthew Broderick are both adorable as Cinderella and her prince and the effects and costumes are just magical enough. Excellent music score, too.

Here is one the entire family will enjoy... even those who consider themselves too old for fairy tales. Shelley Duvall outdid herself with this unique, imaginative take on nearly all of the popular fairy tales of childhood. The scripts offer new twists on the age-old fables we grew up on and they feature a handful of stars in each episode. "Cinderella" is no exception to Duvall's standard and in my opinion it's one of the top five of the series, highlighted by Jennifer Beals (remember her from "Flashdance"--and she's still in Hollywood today making a movie here and there) in the title role, Jean Stapleton as the fairy godmother with a southern accent and Eve Arden as the embodiment of wicked stepmotherhood. Edie McClurg ("Ferris Bueller's Day Off") and Jane Alden make for a hilarious duo as the stepsisters. Matthew Broderick is an affable Prince Henry. You'll all keep coming back for this one!

There is a lot to like about the 'Faerie Tale Theatre' series. Many of their adaptations of various well-known and well-loved fairy tales are charming, clever and sometimes funny, a few even emotionally moving. 'Faerie Tale Theatre' puts its own magical spin (whether playing for laughs or straight) on the best of the episodes while still capturing the essence of the stories, while also giving further enjoyments in seeing talented performers in early roles or in roles that are departures from their usual roles.

Based on Charles Perrault's magical story, rather than the much darker but still great Brothers Grimm version, "Cinderella" is quintessential 'Faerie Tale Theatre' and one of the best of the series in a show full of great episodes and few if any misfires (though a few minor disappointments). It is let down a little only by the sometimes charming but a little bland and wooden Matthew Broderick and the admittedly very funny but slightly misplaced comedic scene with Steve Martin that added little. Other than that, it is a show highlight and one of the better adaptations of this timeless story, which is admittedly one of my favourites.

However, "Cinderella" is one of 'Faerie Tale Theatre's' better-looking episodes. 'Cinderella' as a story should enchant, and it does absolutely here. The production values are sumptuous, with a dazzling ballroom sequence which bursts with colour and a transformation scene that epitomises pure magic, for non-big dollar budget this is pretty nigh impressive in terms of visuals. Photography is never drab or garish. The music score is touchingly romantic and whimsical.

Love the writing in "Cinderella" too. This is a fairy-tale that lends itself very well to either being played straight or with humour, both approaches are present here and both are effective individually and well balanced together. The humour is wonderfully wry, with hilarious moments from the step-sisters and the fairy godmother, without resorting to out of place innuendos or smut. The romantic moments charm and touch, really believed in the chemistry between Jennifer Beals and Broderick, and one really relates to Cinderella and wants her to succeed and overcome adversity.

Storytelling is close in spirit to what one is familiar with while still with enough new for it to have its own identity. Nothing dull here and never does it feel padded or over-stuffed.

Jennifer Beals is affecting in the title role and radiates in charm. Other than her, the standouts are Jean Stapleton as the funniest Fairy Godmother there ever has been and Eve Arden's deliciously wicked step-mother. Edie McClurg and Jane Alden have a lot of fun as the step-sisters.

Overall, great fun and very charming, a must watch for fans of the show and the original story. 9/10 Bethany Cox

its a great movie. It also shows that my theory (the one i told my teacher) is right so far. In every Cinderella story, one stepsister is skinny and the other is fat. I havn't really seen the cartoon, so im assuming that one is fat.

In this edition of Faerie Tale Theatre, the classic story of "Cinderella" is retold in traditional fashion. A little bit of humor is indeed present, but otherwise it's pretty true-to-form.

Guest stars include Jennifer Beals, Matthew "Ferris Bueller" Broderick, and Jean "Edith Bunker" Stapleton (whose fairy godmother is easily the highlight).

The humor is nice, but the terribly wooden performance from Broderick takes some of the starch out, rendering this one good but not great.