It’s over a decade since we first saw - and liked - the DVD of ‘Ella enchanted’. I remembered that it was based, fairly loosely, on the classic story of Cinderella, but that was about all. We thought it would make a pleasant, undemanding (and not too long) film to watch.
Anne Hathaway stars as Ella, and she is perfect for the role. She’s feisty, athletic, and has excellent comic timing. She can also be very romantic. But the film doesn’t open with a grown-up Ella. It starts with a scene that could almost have been from Sleeping Beauty rather than Cinderella. Baby Ella is adored by her parents, and by the not-very-competent household fairy Mandy (Minnie Driver).
Then with a magical swirl, Lucinda arrives. Ella’s mother doesn’t quite manage to hide the baby, although she would like to, because Lucinda is reputed to give unhelpful gifts. Not that she’s a bad or evil fairy - but her gifts tend to backfire. And she becomes offended if anyone asks her to take them back. She decides to give Ella the gift of obedience. She assures the household that this will make her a very easy baby…
I often like variations on traditional stories, and someone recommended this to me a year or two back. It went on my wishlist and I was given it for Christmas nearly two years ago. It’s taken this long to watch it, but we decided on something light and undemanding for a free evening - and ‘Ella Enchanted’ certainly fit those requirements.
It’s loosely based on the story of Cinderella, with the added twist, Snow White style, of a gift bestowed at birth by a fairy on baby Ella. Lucinda (Vivica A Fox) isn’t exactly a bad fairy, but her gifts are renowned for being rather problematic. And Ella is given the gift of obedience. This isn’t such a bad thing when her only family are loving parents, and a rather bumbling house fairy (Minnie Driver), although she sometimes finds it tedious. But then her mother dies and her father remarries, and her step-sisters soon discover that Ella always does what she’s told to do….
The early part of the story is fairly brief, and Anne Hathaway plays the teenage/young adult Ella. She’s outspoken, and also thinks for herself in a way that’s not expected from young women in this pseudo-Mediaeval era. I say pseudo because although the castles and most of the scenery are from this era, there’s also modern pop music and some far more up-to-date touches which are mostly quite amusing. For instance, the Prince (Hugh Dancy), is plagued with a screaming fan club headed by Ella’s step-sisters.
Since it’s a fairytale setting, other characters include elves, giants and ogres, all of whom (we learn) used to live peacefully alongside the humans. But recently the Prince’s uncle (Cary Elwes) has taken power from his deceased brother, and new rules have been drawn up. The giants are treated as slave labour, the elves required to sing and dance on demand. Life is terrible for an elf wanting a more academic career.
So there’s a lot more than the simple story of Cinders and the Prince. Ella isn’t treated like a servant, at least not in the traditional sense, and she’s far from enamoured of the Prince when she first bumps into him. Her main aim, from her teenage years, is to find Fairy Lucinda and ask her to withdraw her gift - only when that happens does Ella believe she will be free.
We thought it very well-made, on the whole. The elf scenes are a bit silly at times, and the outside scenery not entirely believable. But the ogres are wonderfully nasty and the giants mostly amusing in their love of partying and entertainment. The inevitable romance between the Prince and Ella is fraught with difficulties, even more so when her secret is discovered. There’s some tension and low-key violence and suspense but nothing gory or frightening. The rating is PG and we thought that probably right.
There are a few extras: we watched a documentary about the making of the film, which was quite interesting: it showed how the ogres were made up, and why Anne Hathaway was chosen as Ella. There’s a game of sorts, too, accessible via the remote control - but either we didn’t understand how it worked, or it was remarkably difficult. We didn’t persevere.
All in all, a pleasant evening’s viewing which would be appropriate for the whole family.
Review copyright 2015 Sue's DVD Reviews
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Having loved all the books by Rosamunde Pilcher, I was at first a little reluctant to get hold of the film versions of her saga novels. I felt that they would inevitably be disappointing. However, tempted by positive reviews, I finally put them on my wishlist. I was pleased to receive 'Coming Home' for my birthday.
This is a made-for-TV adaptation of Pilcher’s wartime novel 'Coming Home'. As such, it was longer than most films. It is on two DVDs of about 100 minutes each.
Admittedly it's a few years since I read the book. But I thought it was a very good adaptation, on the whole. There were some minor character changes, and alterations to the plot which I was aware of. But the bulk of it seemed to me to be pretty close to the book.
The actors were excellent. Joanna Lumley brings the materialistic (but caring) Diana Carey-Lewis to life, and Emily Mortimer is a most believable Judith. She is the main character, aged 14 at the start of the book. She is sent to boarding school while her parents and little sister return to a job abroad.
Like the book, this film is very emotional in places, and gripping throughout. There are some surprising nudity shots and non-explicit love scenes, which I suppose is why the UK rating is 12. Oddly enough, it is not rated at all in the USA.
Ardent fans of Pilcher's books might object to the changes made to this version. But I would recommend it in general to those who have not read the book as well as to those who have.
Review copyright Sue's DVD Reviews
