Rating: 
Summary: A Great Musical!
Review: I saw this movie on "The Wonderful World of Disney" on ABC. I loved it so much that I bought it on VHS (before I had a DVD player, or else I would have bought it on DVD). I don't own the DVD version of it yet (I might get it on DVD). I love Whitney Houston and Brandy! For anyone who loved "Cinderella" as a child, or Whitney Houston, Brandy, or Burnadette Peters' voices, and/or musicals, then I would recommend this movie to you. Burnadette Peters (the wicked stepmother), Whitney Houston (Cinderella's fairy godmother), Brandy (Cinderella), Whoopi Goldberg (the queen (mother of the handsome prince)) and everyone else in the cast are great actors! Parents, if you are planning on buying this for your children, I suggest you sit down with them to watch it. Kids and parents will love it! I loved it so much that I had a music store look to see if there was such a soundtrack to Cinderella. There was, but unfortunetly, not for this movie :(
Rating:
Summary: awesome remake of an old favorite
Review: I think that Brandi's version of Cinderella was just as entertaining and enlighting as the other versions. I am aware that because the cast consisted of African Americans and other minorities that there would be some negative scrutiny and I say for shame for people who can not get past their racism to enjoy talent any talent as long as it delivers..Bravo Brandi and Whoopee Whoopi dont let the racist turn your heads ..Job well Done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Rating:
Summary: Best Version Of All Time
Review: A remake of the timeless classic. A girl who is a hard worker and good person is put to work and is unappreciated by her step mom, but she then finds true love at a ballroom dance. This has got to be the best version of Cinderella, because it shows kids and adults a varity of ethnic backgrounds and cultures. The way I think every movie should be.
Rating:
Summary: It's "The Sweetest Sounds" I've ever heard!
Review: I love this remake of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella! It is so much better the the 1965 version. Brandy is a much better Cinderella than Leslie Ann Warren (No offense, but Leslie can't sing for beans). And Bernedette Peters is the perfect person to play the evil stepmothers, along with the evil stepsisters (They're hillarious!). The additional songs are excellent, especially "Falling in Love with Love", and the original songs are excellent, too. The duet "Impossible" between Brandy and Whitney Houston as the Godmother is to die for! The score is brilliant(The waltz will make you want to dance!). I recommend this to fans of Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid. And Disney, please make a cd of it!
Rating:
Summary: "It's impossible" not to love this
Review: My six-year-old daughter loves this movie. It has wonderful singing, and is a playful and spirited telling of the story. "I like Cinderella's fairy godmother. She is always making up a rhyme. And I also like that she says that nothing is impossible."
Rating:
Summary: The sweetness of it all is uncanny...
Review: This movie is simply beautiful. It ties for best "Cinderella movie" with "Ever After," and that's saying a lot, seeing as how I utterly ADORE that movie. I was never fond of the Disney version of Cinderella when I was a child, since it always seemed too "easy." But this is much more in-depth. You get to see a lot of character development here, and the strong, diverse personalities really bounce off each other well. Brandy as Cinderella is, in my opinion, an original and wonderful choice. She brings out an honest, true-to-self strength that is rarely seen. Whitney Houston is spectacular as the fairy godmother. She's magic with attitude! And, oh yes, Paolo Montalban as Prince Christopher (I'd love to see what else he plays in). He's just such a sweet dreamer (not to mention hot as all hades! lol), you can't help but smile. As the love of Cinderella's life, he's given a properly large role (he actually gets a name in this one!), more than just "being at the ball" and "sending out servants with the glass slipper." Instead, he's out there searching, himself (with the help of Lionel). He really shows that he would go to the ends of the earth to find the girl he loves, and all of us fans are there rooting for him. Whoopi Goldberg is absolutely hilarious as the Queen. Her "enthusiasm" for poor Chris to get married is sometimes so overwhelming for her, she loses the ability to speak, and I crack up every time. I just feel so sorry for Lionel (Jason Alexander), with everything he has to put up with (he's even pushed off a ladder, and later gets trampled on at the ball, for pity's sake). I'd be tearing my hair out if I were him, really. But, he takes it so well, and I applaud him for it. Victor Garber has a rather small role as the King, but he plays it the full extent. Quite a bit more level-headed than his wife, he uses wisdom and fairness to play "peace-maker" when mother and son "disagree." I especially liked the part where he encourages Chris to find Cinderella, "no matter how long it takes." What more could you want in a king? As for Bernadette Peters, wonder of wonders, a step-mother with spunk? Imagine that! So over-the-top it's comical, and, at the same time, somewhat mysterious about her past, she and her dorky, bumbling daughters add a comic relief that's quirky and unusual. All right, enough about the characterization. On to the music. I love singing along with these songs, I really do. My particular favorites were the Cinderella/Chris duets, "The Dearest Love" (even though they weren't "aware" of each other at the time), "Ten Minutes Ago" and "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?" I do wish the reprises of "The Dearest Love" and "Do I Love You because You're Beautiful" were longer, though. (Whoopi's part in "Do I" was quite touching, showing that she truly did want her son to be happy, not just wanting him to get and produce an heir for the throne, as it was made out to be at first). The way Brandy's and Paolo's rich, emotional voices intertwine is beyond magical. The costumes and sets are extravagant, just as you would expect for a fairy-tale, yet believable. I don't usually like dresses and such, but I'd love to have that ball gown. It's just so gorgeous! It's like the original Disney gown, but a bit slimmer and more modern. The sheer, simple elegance of her entire costume is as well-presented as it is breath-taking. Very nice touch there, I must say. Oh, a couple of things before I shut my opinionated mouth. I've read a lot of the reviews for this movie, and there seems to be something of a controversy over certain subjects. One being the multi-racial cast, which I think is ingenious, myself. It's the first of it's kind, as far as I've seen. My grandmother, who can be a bit technical at times, to say the least, was a tad confused as to how a white man and black woman can come out with an asian son, but I told her it's all part of the fun. Another argument point is how this "remake" compares to the versions from 1957 and 1965. Personally, I've never seen these. I'd never even knew that they existed if I hadn't come to review this one. That said, I don't feel right in saying whether this "measures up" to it's predecessors or not. But, even so, from what I've seen from some of the other notes about it, the elder ones seem kind of stiff and formal, and the only real attraction is being taken back to your childhood. This one, on the other hand, is anything but. Spirited and fun-filled, I highly recommend this to anyone who believes in love at first sight, no matter the circumstances.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Movie
Review: I saw this movie on TV and fell in love with it. I later received the video as a gift. I have watched this movie many times since I received it. I think the whole cast did a great job. I thought that Brandy did a wonderful job as Cinderella I also think she has a beautiful singing voice. I think the music was great I enjoyed the songs alot. I think the combination between Disney and Rogers & Hammerstein was great. I know I will continue to enjoy this movie for a long time.
Rating:
Summary: Swept me to the stars
Review: This wonderful remake of the 1954 and 1965 version is the best yet. I fell in love with this movie the first time I watched it. The colors of the costumes and sets are brilliant and alive. Bernadette Peters brings a personality to the step mother, instead of only portraying her as the villian, she seems like a human. Brandy did an amazing job acting as Cinderella, and swept the viewers off of their seat for a second time once she began to sing. When Whitney Houston entered the story, the whole scene picked up. She was portrayed as a fairy godmother but the golden glittery spin on her character made her seem more like a goddess. Paolo Montalban did a breathtaking job as the prince, setting his character as an empathetic prince who is simply looking to be like everyone else. Natalie Dessette and Veanne Cox portrayed the two hillariously perfect step-sisters. They gave the two girls a breath of pity for Cinderella which made the audience love their personalities even more.
The multi-ethnic cast and the new songs added in were brilliant, giving it just the perfect touch of reality and zing. This was over all a fabulous film, one that you could easily sit and watch...over and over and over again.
Rating: 
Summary: A MAgical Treat For The WHole Family
Review: CINDERELLA was executive produced by Whitney Houston (The Preachers Wife, The Bodyguard) and is the retelling of the Roger's and Hamersteins's version of the Brothers Grimm story of the young madden who wanted more out of her life. Originally produced for television with Julie Andrews (The Sound Of Music, Mary Poppins ) in the lead and then reproduced in the 60's with Leslie Ann Warren in this production - this version for the 90's has Brandy Norwood (Moesha, Hercules -YV ) in the lead. Directed by Robert Iscove (Miami Vice, The Flash TV) the film has a very high production value and visual style to it. Whitney herself plays the Fairy Grandmother. (Originally she wanted to play Cinderella herself, but someone got smart and talked out of it. She is a little old!) This film stays true to the original play and what's even better is the costumes, sets and talents of the technology make this a lavishly looking production, costumes and even special effects. There are a few standout performances by the two stepsisters - played by Veanne Cox (Eric Brochovich, You've Got Mail) and Natalie Desselle (Set It Off, For Your Love)have great comic timing and voices. But the standout singer in this is the evil stepmother played by the incomparable Bernadette Peters (Silent Movie, Annie) who is exciting and enchanting to watch. New to this scene is actor/singer Paulo Maltebaun ( Mortal Kombat - TV, The Great Raid) making his debut from the stage to the small screen. He is interesting, and intriguing, and had a great voice. He is a natural opposite Brandy's Cinderella. Brandy gives it a fair shot and she seems innocent enough to make it work. The music is updated and contemporary and has a lot of flair to it. It looks great and the DVD extra's include a trailer and a behind the scenes look at the production, casting and recording of the project. I liked this movie (originally made for the Disney Channel Premiere on the ABC network) and you will too. It's got humor, lots of music and special effects and it's good for the whole family. (9-28-02)
Rating:
Summary: A nice fairy tale- period.
Review: Cinderella is a fairy tale....period. It's not a PBS documentary, and not the 11:00 news. The plusses are that they've kept the original R&H score and added one lovely song ("The Sweetest Sounds") to open the proceedings. If all you get from this multi-racial, multi-cultural production is "political correctness," then you're sort of missing the point of the story- which is, with a little faith and determination, "anyone" can be whatever they want to be. Our world exists quite nicely with families of different ethnic backgrounds (including my own); why not show this in an 'alternate universe' fairy tale? Enjoy the music, the costumes and sets, your favorite performers (whomever they are), and ignore everything else. It loses one point from me for the simple reason that they changed the medium. Twice it had been a live play for television (kinescoped, then videotaped); this, however, is a bona-fide movie, replete with state-of-the-art computerized effects, and this removes a touch of the innocence from the earlier versions of the production. I own both existing productions, and just flip-flop between them.
|
