Tale of Cinderella (1998 TV Movie) User Reviews

For those who like old fashioned operetta, here's a new one!

[inkblot11 · 6/10 · 20 June 2006]

Angelina, er Cinderella (Christianne Tisdale) has lost her beloved mother. Her father, a rich merchant, marries again, a woman with two daughters. Set in Venice, the new wife is not merely evil, she is a bonafide witch who has cast a spell on her new husband. As a consequence, he does not see the harsh treatment rendered to his own daughter by her new relatives. Between snatches of song, Cinderella meets a man with a mask one day. He sings tenderly and even wipes the ashes off Cinderella's face, touching her deeply. But, in a minute, she is gone and he knows nothing of her, except her beautiful voice. Therefore, a ball must be arranged and hopefully, she will turn up. Will things go as planned? This is the old story, made into an operetta. The fairy godmother and main male servant to the prince are delightfully funny while the prince and Cinderella are beautiful of face and voice. Dancing and singing reign throughout and the happy ending comes at last. Older children might watch some of it but the film, though aimed at youngsters, is not really made for them. The perfect audience would be middle agers or older adults who delight in lavish theater productions. If that's up your alley, take a stroll down the Venetian street where the story takes place and you will be under its enchantment.

It should have been called something else.

[mjs16 · 2/10 · 5 September 2005]

Christianne Tisdale's voice is very good, but nothing else about this production is.

When one redoes a classic story like Cinderella, while embellishments are expected, the basic character of the play should not.

Cinderella is treated cruelly by her step-sisters, but she actually fights back as best she can, instead of being humble and mild. She actually displays severe streaks of vindictiveness.

Cinderella's father actually appears, which messes up the whole scenario. She is not alone and abandoned. He is sympathetic, but weakened by a spell by the stepmother.

The Fairy Godmother is not a mystical personage, but a known living "witch", dressed in black to do good magic. She actually helps the prince fall for Cinderella BEFORE the ball! That makes the ball itself anti-climactic.

While the father and the stepmother spoke the King's English, the step-sisters spoke in a colloquial and modern vernacular.

There was no need to make a 2 hour version of this story, and there was no reason to make Cinderella contemptuous and vindictive. For a musical Cinderella, the Rogers and Hammerstein versions will do just fine. My four year old daughter will not be seeing this one again.

Beautiful musical based on Cinderella

[James_Stuart_Brice · 10/10 · 15 January 2022]

I have watched the DVD several times and enjoy it as much as any other version. I even prefer it to the Rodgers and Hammerstein version. It has nice, tuneful songs, good dance numbers. The Cinderella is very attractive and a very appealing performer, singer and dancer. The good witch or fairy is also a good, semi comic figure and dancer. The children are good, and the sets are very Venetian. Everyone is just right for their role. The composer is not so well known, but I believe he wrote many good songs and musicals. I highly recommend the film. It is basically a film of a stage performance. Perhaps it could be filmed on site, but maybe that would be less appealing as a musical.