The Slipper and The Rose
The story of ‘Cinderella’ has been told and retold for centuries in various styles and media. The plot itself has become one of a handful of basic story types that the majority of narratives follow. While the Disney animated version of the story (1950, dir. Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, Ben Sharpsteen) cemented itself as the most popular variation of the fairy tale, the story has lent itself to a plethora of innovative and relevant adaptations, such as Steven Sondheim’s 1986 musical Into the Woods and the racially diverse 1997 TV adaptation that aired on The Wonderful World of Disney, itself an adaptation of the Rodgers & Hammerstein 1957 TV musical that was broadcast live on CBS. Despite all of these (and more) offerings that the story of ‘Cinderella’ has provided in its history, I am surprised to discover that The Slipper and the Rose might be my favorite of all of the story’s adaptations! While it left me with a few questions, and some head tilts along the way, the story, humor, and style of the film left me delighted.
While the film generally follows the Charles Perrault telling of the story, The Slipper and the Rose includes certain elements that felt entirely original to the ‘Cinderella’ with which I was familiar. Most notably, the film possessed an almost Wildean sense of quick and satirical humor. This film is not merely a fairy tale for children; The Slipper and the Rose appeals to a wider audience in its hilarious dialogue that jabs at the traditional monarchy and, in a subtler way, modern government.The scenes with the king and the royal court echoed the calamitous and often frivolous meetings of the Continental Congress in 1969 Sherman Edwards musical, 1776. An interesting additional plot that I have never before seen explored to such a degree is the consideration of the prince marrying outside of royalty. The questions of love versus social and political standing continue to be played with today, with the successes of Netflix’s The Crown and Bridgerton being evidence. However, once this consideration enters into the plot, after the traditional “happily ever after,” my own questions begin to arise. What became of Cinderella’s request that the prince be told she didn’t love him? Did the prince simply refuse to believe it? Was he not told at all? Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad they didn’t go down that route of self-sacrificial dishonesty, but it just made the entire “Tell Him Anything” song feel out of place.
The Slipper and the Rose takes a cast of familiar characters and breathes a new life into them. The character who seems to take the shortest leap from the source material is Cinderella herself, played by Gemma Craven. However, while being as standard of a Cinderella as they come, I couldn’t help but enjoy her performance. Everything about her – her look, her poise, and even her RP accent – reminds me of another former ‘Cinderella’ herself: Julie Andrews, who starred in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical version. I love me some Julie Andrews, and I get the feeling that the creative team behind this film did too, because the two actresses could be long-lost cousins. As for the leading man, Prince Edward (Richard Chamberlain) rubbed me the wrong way at first. Of course, I know the prince is written to be frustrated and restless by the restrictions and frippery of palace life, but he also had this initial arrogant air about him, like the most important voice in any room was his. While I did warm up to him a bit as the film progressed, he never particularly charmed me. Those who did charm me, on the other hand, were the prince’s family, particularly the utterly ridiculous caricature of the British ruling class, the King (Michael Hordern), and the aged and slightly dotty Dowager Queen (Edith Evans, who, speaking of Wilde, will always be Lady Bracknell from Anthony Asquith’s 1957 The Importance of Being Earnest in my heart). Annette Crosbie provides another enjoyable character in her zany Fairy Godmother. Long story short: the film has a pretty darn strong cast!
Stylistically, the film is equally as impressive. The costumes through the entirety of the film are exquisite, especially the ball gowns. When I saw the three beautifully-colored ball gowns finished for the stepmother and stepsisters, of all people, I realized that the bar was raised for the rest of the costuming, and the film did not disappoint. The outdoor scenery and lighting were nothing short of gorgeous, and the grand and imposing indoor sets were used to great effect in combination with the blocking and choreography. Speaking of choreography, I neglected to catch the choreographer’s name in the opening credits, but was thoroughly impressed by it from the beginning. By the time I got to “Position and Positioning” and saw the section in which three dancers clumsily balance on top of a banister only to jump into perfectly precise kicks with outstanding balance, I knew this film had to be choreographed by either Dee Dee Wood or Marc Breaux, as that exact same set of steps is used in their other work, including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and my beloved Mary Poppins. Spoiler alert: It was Breaux! Further speaking of Mary Poppins, the film’s music and lyrics are composed by the fantastic Sherman brothers. While I can’t say this film’s soundtrack contains the best of the Shermans, I was pleasantly entertained by the wit behind the lyrics and the vivacity of much of the music. Hats off to the trademark Sherman nonsense lyric with the song “Protocoligorically Correct.” It’s strong number two in their oeuvre.
Overall, The Slipper and the Rose was a hilarious breath of fresh air. While some story choices were a bit out of place, the quality of the wit, visuals, characters, and dance all more than made up for its shortcomings. It’s a film that deserves to be more well-known, and that I encourage others to check it out! I know I will be coming back to it many more times in the future. Although, I will leave you with one final question: What the heck kind of life-sized human chess, complete with a giant die, were the king and queen playing in their opening scene? And does Hasbro sell it? I must know! — Bailey 🎲
So… I may, or may not, have watched this film club pick more than once this month… Both with and without director Bryan Forbes’ commentary… Okay, fine! I watched it three times! What can I say? (I blame the pandemic…) I had forgotten just how magical and enjoyable this version of ‘Cinderella’ truly is! The Slipper and the Rose: The Story of Cinderella is unique, in my mind, in that the plot is centralized around the point-of-view of our Prince, played by Richard Chamberlain, which is not a particularly common way to present this classic fairy tale. However, this ‘twist’ makes for some delightful commentary and opportunities to explore greater issues surrounding class and the existential problem of dealing with one’s place in life. This is made all the more apparent through the wonderful songs of the Sherman Brother, particularly "Why Can't I Be Two People?," "What a Comforting Thing to Know," and "Position and Positioning."
You, of course, have all the usual ‘Cinderella’ characters within this film, plus some fun additions, such as Cinderella’s (played by newcomer Gemma Craven) dog (aka Fred, aka the director’s daughter’s dog) and the Prince’s flamboyant cousin the Duke of Montague (Julian Orchard). But the star of this show is most certainly the music provided by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. I had trouble getting their songs out of my head after watching this movie. The ‘earworms’ just would not leave, so I thought it best to give in and re-watch the film, in the hopes that I could get the songs out of my system (spoiler: it didn’t work!). I enjoy the music of this film so much that I’d have to say it wins out over a certainly wildly popular Disney musical that the Sherman Brothers are most well-known for (sorry Mary Poppins fans, but several of the numbers in that movie are superfluous to the storyline… just saying). It seems criminal to me that several of the musical numbers from The Slipper and The Rose were cut when this British musical made it across the pond and landed in US theaters, and eventually on TV screen! The songs and orchestrational music are such vital parts of the storyline, which drives the plot forward, to cut any number would be to the detriment of the story.
In this sense, I believe that The Slipper and the Rose elevates the Sherman Brothers to the likes of Stephen Sondheim or even Andrew Lloyd Webber, as their music within this film is so nuanced, well-written, and seamlessly integrated to the plot (albeit a tad ‘lighter’ in tone than the works of Sondheim and Webber). My favorite numbers would have to be "What a Comforting Thing to Know" and "Protocoligorically Correct" (especially where I now know that Forbes intended this number as an all-male homage to The Rockettes!). Although, I do also love the emotional punch and change in mood of Cinderella’s lamenting "Tell Him Anything (But Not That I Love Him)" number, as she is forced to leave the Prince out of love and a sense of duty. This number is hauntingly beautiful, and differs from the otherwise peppy lyrics found throughout the rest of the film. The entire movie is then neatly tied together through the work of Angela Morley, who provided the orchestration for the film. This blended and incorporated so seamlessly with the Sherman Brothers’ work that it is of no surprise for me that The Slipper and the Rose received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for "The Slipper and the Rose Waltz (He/She Danced With Me).” From the score to all the songs, the wittiness of the lyrics, and the way each number seamlessly moved the plot along, The Slipper and the Rose is a cinematic musical masterpiece.
In case you didn’t already get how much I love this film, here are some other elements that I find absolutely delightful. In watching the commentary, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the choreography used in the waltz (a variation of a traditional European folk dance known as a Ländler) is also found in a certain other musical, The Sound of Music (1965), as both films just happened to feature the talents of choreographer Marc Breaux. This builds upon a certain level of intertextuality that The Slipper and the Rose shares with both prior and subsequent cinematic and artistic works. For example, the end scene in which Cinderella sings, "I Can't Forget the Melody," whilst sitting on a swing is a direct visual re-interpretation of Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s famous painting “The Swing” (or “The Happy Accidents of the Swing”). This painting has become a visual homage that has been referenced many times throughout cinema history (and was seen most recently in a couple of Disney’s animated musicals, like Tangled, 2010, and Frozen, 2013). I even feel that there are visual echoes of The Slipper and the Rose that can be seen in more recent films, like Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (1991), particularly when you closely analyze the visual similarities between Cinderella singing "Once I Was Loved" in a field to Belle singing the reprise to “Belle,” also in a field. (The ballroom backdrops within both films are also very visually similar… but I digress.)
All in all, I find Chamberlain and Craven to be well-matched leads, as their respective performances as the Prince, Edward, and Cinderella, blend well with the rest of the cast, which allows for others to steal scenes and provide countless witty asides. This can be seen in some of the delightful secondary characters, especially the King (Michael Hordern) and Fairy Godmother (Annette Crosbie), who are always full of witty quips. I also really liked that added plot element of making Cinderella a wedding crasher, in that she ultimately has all the power in their relationship; rules, protocols, and social classes be damned! The Slipper and the Rose is the kind of film that I can watch repeatedly and pick up something new with each subsequent re-watch. From the way the Prince and Cinderella ‘crossed’ paths in the snowy opening sequence (even though those scenes were shot without either of the leads early on in the film’s production…), to the absurdly droopy candle in the stepmother’s (Margaret Lockwood) bedroom (seriously, it is hilarious), and even to the abundance of roses displayed and hidden throughout nearly every scene (admittingly placed in each scene after being picked from Forbes’ own garden!). The Slipper and the Rose was the upbeat, visually stunning, and entertaining musical that I so very much needed this month! – Sarah 🌹
What did you think of The Slipper and the Rose? How many of the songs did you get stuck in your head? What film(s) would you like to see us review next? Share your thoughts in the comments below and remember that they must be "Protocoligorically Correct!" 🎵
Copyright © 2021 Sarah Crane & Bailey Lizotte
