The Slipper and the Rose

The Cinderella story, told this time from the prince's side as well. Prince Edward has to marry; the court is trying to find him a politically suitable wife and he wants none of them. The ball is arranged as a solution. Cinderella lives as a servant with her stepfamily and goes to it. The film does not end when the slipper is found; the real matter begins there, because a prince marrying a servant is an affair of state. Bryan Forbes directs. Richard Chamberlain plays the prince and Gemma Craven plays Cinderella, with Michael Hordern, Margaret Lockwood and Kenneth More. The songs are by the Sherman brothers, who wrote Disney's musicals in the sixties. What distinguishes it is that it tells the political side of the tale. The calculations of the court, an alliance with a neighbouring country and the continuation of the crown are inside the narrative, and the happy ending snags on them. It was made in Britain as a large budget musical and had a Royal Command performance in 1976. It runs over two hours and some passages are long; the balance between the dances and the songs does not hold everywhere. The design and costume are its strongest side; the exteriors were shot in Austria. Who it is for: viewers who like classical musicals and fairy tale adaptations. Who it is not for: it is very long, the pace is low, and some of the songs do not advance the narrative.