EverAfter (1998)

Fantastic!

Absolutely Fantastic

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Having been watching quite a few versions of the Cinderella fairy tale, I'm glad I watched this one last, 19 years later today in 2017, November 21st. At first I thought to myself this is gonna be the same experience, which was always a good watch with every other Cinderella adaptation by the way, but I was wrong. This version is very refreshing, while still true to the core elements of the original story, it is done differently, which is quite surprising and give different enjoyment throughout the duration of the movie.Drew Barrymore's performance is very captivating, she portrays Cinderella very beautifully.

Well, it is a fairy story, (sort-of), with an awful step- mother(Huston), and step-sisters, one of whom looks so much like the main character Danielle (Barrymore) that I had difficulty connecting with either! So, the casting people could have done better? The other sister is blonde, and instantly recognisable.Prince Henry (Dougray Scott) is the star of this movie for me, although the others get the main billing. He gets a lot of time and can show a lot of emotion and attitude that adds so much to any movie. And I liked the brief appearance of Timothy West as the Prince's father. And then there is Leonardo Da Vince no less! and he gets some great lines and scenes.

The fairytale movie Ever After you get to experience the early 1500s. It takes place in France that they understand when they say King of France. It's easy to believe that it is England, it takes you in for they speak British English. The film is an adventure film based on a fairy tale.The main character in the movie named Danielle de Barbarac that is Cinderella. Danielle gets to withstand many problems during the movie. It disrupted the problem is love problem of Henry. It becomes difficult to meet Henry that she is lying about her is noble that is much finer than the valet as she really is. She also lying about her name is Nicole de Lancret who is her mother's name. Since it is not acceptable that a prince marries a servant during the time it is set in, it becomes a problem when Henry and his parents discovers that Danielle's servant. The problem gets solved when Henry understands that he has power over himself because he is the prince and Fragrance X there fore Danielle if she wants to marry him. Danielle say yes and it will be a big wedding and and everyone will be happy, except Rodmilla and stepsisters who may start working as a connoisseur that Danielle was before.Cinderella's father was married to Cinderella's stepmother Rodmilla the Gent but died when he had a heart attack. She is very cruel to Danielle and treats her like a servant and not a daughter or someone in the family. Rodmilla also has two daughters named Marguerite and Jacqueline de Ghent who is very spoiled. Danielle's best friend named Gustave. They've been best friends since bard omen when Danielle often used to wrestle him in the mud so they both became dirty and wet. Gustave always helps Dannielle when she is in trouble and make her happy when she's sad.Danielle's inner qualities is that she's kind and think about how others feel. Her external qualities is that she is beautiful that makes Prince Henry immediately falls in love with her.Prince Henry is a typical teenager who has no plans to become king. He wants to explore the world outside the castle walls and can accommodate therefore often away, but a stolen horse and return to the castle when he feels like it. Henry is also the person in the film that goes through the biggest change of all. At the beginning of the film is Henry is not someone who thinks of others but only himself and the people he lives with. When he meets Danielle who is thinking very much about how others feel so Henry can not understand quite how she thinks. But the more they get hit Dannielle him think '' right ''. At the end of the film, he has become a very wise prince who thinks of others and not just yourself.My favorite person in the film is Leonardo Da Vinci for his help and is fun in the way he behaves. You also get to see another side of Leonardo Da Vinci, much more fun than what he thinks when he sees and his paintings in books and online.The film's ending is that Danielle has been captured by Le Pieu. Because her father taught her swordsmanship, she uses a sword, forcing Le Pieu to give her the key to his castle so she can get out of there. The film's end was as I expected so I did not get any special feeling. But the music during the movie was well suited to what happened so you got the feeling that you were there when it took place.Because there is always something new happening so it was never so bored in the movie that made the movie was better than expected. I would recommend the movie for those who want to see some other versions of the original films. What age you are, so suits the film. For adults, it can be fun to see a version of the movie they have seen so many times and for children it can fit to the holders of love, princesses, princes and castles. The message of the film would be that love wins over everything and that you should never give up.By: Axel Svensson

Rating: A+With a great script, captivating plot, and accomplished actors, Ever After is an entertaining and highly enjoyable historical romance film. Given the medieval scenery and attire, the film pulls the audience directly into the bustle of the late eighteenth century. From sword fighting, romance, comedy, and drama, this film seemingly pulls all of these aspects together into one great film. Each time that I watch this movie, I feel connected to the main character Danielle, played by Drew Barrymore. Through each climatic scene where she faces set-backs and adversity I want her to succeed and find romance in the end. This film, and more specifically Barrymore's acting, has the ability to make the audience feel sad when Danielle is rejected by the prince in front of the entire kingdom or when she is sold off to pay her step mother's debt and happy when the prince saves her and asks for her forgiveness. Although the film is set in the eighteen century, it is easy to relate to Danielle, who despite hardships, has managed to make the most out of her seemingly horrible life. This film is a retelling of the fairy tale Cinderella. With evil step mothers and sisters, an extravagant ball, a pompous prince waiting to marry for love, and even with a glass slipper, the film aligns itself with the same occurrences of the classic fairytale. Noticing the cyclical nature of fairy tales and how they are often redone, it is important to take a look at the common theme between fairy tales and their remakes. In both the fairytale version and in the movie Ever After, the main theme that is shared is that evil behavior will have repercussions and that good will always prevail. In both of the films, the step mothers serve as an oppressive force to the main protagonist. However, in Ever After one of the step sisters helps Danielle, yet comes short of advocating against her mistreatment. Nonetheless, in both of the films, the main protagonist succeeds and finds love when truly all hope seems lost. The glass slipper is probably the most apparent similarity between the two films, which indicates the importance of the symbol. At the end of Ever After, Prince Henry played by Dougray Scott, after begging Danielle for forgiveness, kneels down and replaces the slipper Danielle lost at the ball. This also happened in the classic story. Yet in Ever After, Prince Henry rejected Danielle for falsely imposing as a countess. In the final scene, Prince Henry, after saving her from Pierre Le Pieu, a vile man who is taken with Danielle played by O'Brien, has to ask Danielle to forgive him for his past actions. Although the core message has transferred between the two films, there are differences. In Ever After, Danielle does not represent the typical female fairytale character waiting idly for the price to sweep her off of her feet. Danielle has read books and often times challenges Prince Henry about various topics. Her conviction astounds Prince Henry, who falls in love with her personality over her looks. They say that behind ever great leader, is a strong woman providing support, and that notion is clearly represented in the movie, as Danielle offers her ideas on how to improve the kingdom. Ever After offers the audience the possibility to escape into a new and exciting world, where true love always prevails and evil people are always punished. In contrast to the real world, Ever After offers the audience a chance to escape into a different time period and a new life where there is always a happy ending.