Cinderella

Simply stated, Richard Rodgers is America's finest composer. No other composer in our history equals the consistent quality, innovativeness, range, and sublime beauty of his compositions. Rodgers' exquisite, unforgettable melodies are crafted with such subtle ingenuity and sophistication that they never lose their freshness or their appeal. Rodgers' musical genius was brilliantly matched in two legendary partnerships, the first with lyricist Lorenz Hart, and the second with librettist-lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II. Rodgers' collaboration with these two gifted men elevated and transformed musical theater into a true and distinctive American art form. The magic of the Rodgers & Hammerstein partnership is beautifully realized in their definitive version of "Cinderella". No other composer was more adept than Rodgers in translating character and plot into music. And in "Cinderella" as in all of his compositions, he does so with perfect clarity, inventiveness and irresistibility. Hammerstein's ever elegant lyrics are alternately and appropriately wise, witty, rapturous, and heartbreaking. Hammerstein had an unerring understanding of the human heart which is why he is able to consistently evoke profound empathy for his characters and their predicaments. Rodgers' graceful and exceptionally beautiful score is infectious and exhilarating. And those Rodgers waltzes- perfection, as always! "Cinderella" is blessed with a sterling cast including a young and very handsome Stuart Damon as the Prince. Damon has a beautiful voice and is quite appealing. Newcomer Lesley Anne Warren, who sounds like an angel singing, is captivating and lovely. The maturity, intensity, and poise of her performance as Cinderella belie her tender age of 18 when this production was mounted. Celeste Holme as the Fairy Godmother, Ginger Rogers as the Queen, and Walter Pidgeon as the King add gravity and warmth to the proceedings. And the comedic performances of Pat Carroll, Barbara Ruick, and Jo Van Fleet as Cinderella's nasty stepsisters and stepmother, respectively, sparkle, amuse, and delight. What more can I say? Don't miss this!

HEARTWARMING, BEAUTIFUL, FUN AND MEMORABLE!!!!!!, July 24, 2004 Reviewer: FEEMEISTER1 (Tallahassee, Florida United States) - See all my reviews (UPDATE--12/17/04--I just saw the Julie Andrews version on PBS for the first time. It couldn't TOUCH this version! (And Julie Andrews has always been my favorite lady singer!!) I thought the 57 version was flat, and the only thing really good in it at all were the "Stepsisters, Kaye Ballard and Alice Ghostley!" I thought I would be blown away by Julie singing these wonderful songs, but I was not. I much prefer Lesley Ann Warren's versions of the songs. THIS VERSION RULES!!!!!) This rendition of Cinderella is superb! The music is abolutely beautiful! I remember all the songs almost word for word from when I watched it when I was a child. I really loved it then, and watched it every year it came on. Now I'm 47, and I love it more NOW than I did THEN! I feel sorry for some of the reviewers here that can't see the beauty of this with their imagination, and who think everything has to have expensive new special effects and must be made with the greatest singers in the world (like Julie Andrews. No one can touch her singing!) But that is NOT what this is! This is a beautiful, unique, heartfelt rendition. Cinderella is fresh and sweet and tugs at your heart! The prince is gorgeous and nice and decent! The stepmother and sisters are FANTASTIC! They really make this complete! Jo Van Fleet's sneer is the best! (She even sneers when she's talking and has her back to you. "There's no pleasing THAT prince!" Her VOICE even sneered!!!) And Pat Carroll is so REAL!!!! And Esmerelda (Barbara Ruick) is hysterical with her eye batting! I LOVED the Prince's song at the beginning! It was warm and searching and heartfelt, and really set the tone for the singing! "The Prince is Giving a Ball" was novel and catchy, and I've remembered parts of it for almost 40 years!!! "In My Own Little Corner" I have loved and remembered all the words to for all this time! This song really comes alive and she puts SO much into it! Ms. Holm is a beautiful fairy godmother, and makes me wish I had been able to see her films when she was young! Her and Cinderella singing "Impossible" is wonderful! It's the usual Rodgers and Hammerstein's "nonsense" song and is very fast-paced, "wordy" and hard to sing! But they did an excellent job of it, and Cinderella's eyes absolutely sparkled! (This is another catchy one I've remembered ALL the words to for ALL this time!!!) The Prince and Cinderella dancing is just too wonderful for words! I wish I had all that room to waltz in while they're waltzing, but I only have a tiny living room and I don't know HOW to waltz, but I really wanted to! The movement of the dance was GREAT!!! (It would have been nice to see Ginger Rogers do a whole dance instead of one turn around the floor--but it was nice to see the legend dance in this for only a moment!) The stepsister's song (Stepsisters' Lament) was really a masterpiece! That was for all the normal girls, who aren't sweet and beautiful and ethereal like Cinderella! (She's a frothy little bubble--with a flimsy kind of CHARM! And with very little TROUBLE--I could break her little ARM!!!) This song is TOPS!!! "Ten Minutes Ago" and "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful" are beautiful gems of songs. They are truly memorable! "A Lovely Night" is another lovely one (there really are NO bad songs in this one)!!! And when the Prince comes to their home to try the shoe on them!!! JO Van Fleet tries to steal the scene again, by sitting down for them to try the shoe on her old "sneery" self when she sees her daughters can't make it at all! The man just gets up and walks away--he wouldn't give her the satisfaction! But to me, the greatest scene in the whole thing, is when the Prince wants to try the shoe on Cinderella and the stepmother starts screaming and squawking, and the Prince yells "SILENCE!!!!" and they show the frozen tableau of the stepmother and sisters when they actually were made to shut up! THAT SCENE IS ABSOLUTELY indescribable! I truly can't think of words for how funny it was and how satisfying! This is not "Gone With the Wind" acting and it's not performed by opera queens. It wasn't high budget and out to make billions of dollars! However, the songs in it are beautiful. I rate it up there with Mary Poppins (Chim Chim Cheree and Feed the Birds) and of course, the Sound of Music. This is an operetta meant to entertain. It is witty and funny and heartwarming and fun and beautiful and memorable. I have remembered it and loved it since 1965 and find it truly unique and recommend it to all!!! (Except for people LOOKING for only Gone With the Wind Acting or Prima Donnas!) BRAND NEW UPDATE 7/26/12 I have now bought this wonderful version for my very precious, wonderful granddaughter, and we have watched it together a couple times. She lives 200 miles away, and when I call her on the phone, we sing the songs in this movie together over the phone (she could sing and remember the words when she was 5). She loves this movie too! And I thought I loved this movie before!!!

I bought this totally heart touching edition of Rodgers & Hammerstein 's Cinderella because I love this presentation. The DVD plays perfectly and is good quality. I was thrilled when I found it on Amazon and it was the only copy left at the time, I had seen them advertising Cinderella on television at a local production theater as a live performance and I immediately thought "I need to buy this in DVD." This rendition of Cinderella takes me from watching it as a child to watching it over the 70s and 80's with my own daughter's and now I shared it with my grandson. I recalled how much I loved and still do love every song in the movie, not forgetting any of the words, recalling how I used to dance through the ballroom scene with each of my daughters, holding their tiny hand in mine and loving every moment. I am so happy that I bought it, the price was decent because now I can watch the DVD aset often as I wish and recall those moments that were and always will be so dear to my heart.

My favorite fairy tale. It's such wonderful movie. I've been watching this movie since I was 10 and still love it.