The film removes the pantomime and supernatural elements that are commonly associated with the Cinderella tale and instead treats the story as historical fiction, setting it in Renaissance-era France. It is considered to be a modern, post-feminist interpretation of the fairy tale.[4]
Ever After was well received by critics[5] and was a box office success.[3]
Plot
The Brothers Grimm are invited to an audience with the Grand Dame, who expresses her disappointment in their version of Cinderella. She produces a jeweled slipper and recounts Cinderella's true story.
During the French Renaissance, ten years after the death of Auguste de Barbarac, his teenage daughter, Danielle, has been forced to become a servant to her stepmother, the Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent, and to her stepsisters, Marguerite and Jacqueline, the latter of the two being the only one kind to her. One morning, Danielle has an unexpected confrontation with Prince Henry as he is attempting to flee in order to avoid an arranged marriage, at first mistaking him for a thief. Henry gives Danielle some gold coins to keep their interlude secret and rides away. He is eventually caught by the Royal Guard after stopping bandits from robbing Leonardo da Vinci, whom King Francis, his father, has invited to the French court.
Danielle, going disguised as a noblewoman, takes the gold coins to the palace to buy back a family servant, Maurice, who was sold by Rodmilla. Henry witnesses her arguing with the jailer and, impressed by Danielle's passion and her intelligence, orders the jailer to release Maurice. When Henry asks for her name, Danielle, afraid, hastily lies and gives her mother's name: Countess Nicole de Lancret. Later that night, King Francis strikes a deal with Henry: he will hold a masquerade ball at which Henry will announce his engagement to the woman of his choosing, or else marry the Princess of Spain. Hearing this news, Rodmilla accelerates her efforts at getting Henry to notice Marguerite, while being increasingly neglectful to Jacqueline. Meanwhile, Danielle begins secretly spending time with Henry. After an outing at the library of the Francian monks, a gang of gypsies ambushes them, but they offer to help them when Danielle bids the leader and attempts to carry Henry away. At the gypsy camp, they share their first kiss.
The next morning, Rodmilla and Marguerite plan to take an exquisite gown and jeweled slippers, which had been Danielle's mother's wedding gown, for Marguerite to wear at the ball. When Marguerite insults Danielle's mother's memory, Danielle retaliates by attacking her and chasing her throughout the manor. Marguerite retaliates by destroying the copy of Utopia that Auguste had given to Danielle as a young child. After Rodmilla has Danielle whipped, Jacqueline treats her wounds, expressing sympathy for Danielle and criticizing Marguerite for her cruelty.
Queen Marie holds a luncheon with Marguerite and Rodmilla and expresses curiosity about the mysterious girl who has taken Henry's fancies. Rodmilla, recognizing the name of Danielle's mother, deduces that the girl is Danielle and lies that Henry's sweetheart is already engaged.
Danielle tries to tell Henry the truth, but cannot bring herself to do so when he tells her she has changed him as a man, inspiring him to build a university. Rodmilla confronts Danielle about her deception and the whereabouts of her mother's dress and slippers, which have vanished, then locks her in the pantry. Da Vinci helps Danielle escape; and the other servants, who are loyal to Danielle, reveal they had hidden the dress and slippers. Danielle arrives at the ball determined to tell Henry the truth; but Rodmilla exposes her before she can. Furious at her dishonesty, Henry rejects her. Danielle tearfully runs away, leaving a jeweled slipper behind. Da Vinci reproaches Henry for his callousness towards Danielle and leaves him the slipper.
Henry agrees to marry the Spanish Princess Gabriella, but realizing that she is miserable as she loves someone else, he decides to call it off. Maurice and Jacqueline tell Henry that Rodmilla sold Danielle to the lecherous Pierre Le Pieu. Henry rides off to rescue her, only to find that she has freed herself. Henry apologizes, professes his love for her, and proposes marriage by fitting the slipper onto her foot; Danielle happily accepts.
Rodmilla is summoned before the royal court and confronted for lying to the Queen about Danielle; she is stripped of her title and threatened with exile along with Marguerite unless someone speaks for her. Danielle, now a princess, appears and instead asks that Rodmilla be shown the same "courtesy" her stepmother had shown her. Rodmilla and Marguerite are reduced to servants in the palace laundry; Jacqueline, for her kindness to Danielle, is spared from punishment. Leonardo gifts the royal newlyweds with a portrait of Danielle.
The Grande Dame tells the Brothers Grimm that her great-great grandmother's portrait hung in Henry's university until the French Revolution. She concludes by telling them while Danielle and Henry did live happily ever after, the point is that they lived.
Though the main portion of the film takes place in early 1500s France,[7] the royals shown are most likely not meant to be the historical figures for which they are named. King Francis I summoned Leonardo da Vinci to his court around 1516, three years before King Henry II was born; neither of King Francis I's wives was named Marie (the first was named Claude and the second Eleanor). King Henry II was married to Catherine de' Medici at the age of 14 and had no known children with Diane de Poitiers, a French noblewoman of great influence and the historical figure most likely represented by Danielle.
On Rotten Tomatoes, 91% of 65 reviews were positive, with an average score of 7.60/10.[5] The critical consensus states: "Ever After is a sweet, frothy twist on the ancient fable, led by a solid turn from star Barrymore".[5] On Metacritic it has a score of 66 out of 100 based on 22 reviews.[12] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "A" on scale of A to F.[13]
Lisa Schwarzbaum from Entertainment Weekly gave the film a B−, saying: "Against many odds, Ever After comes up with a good one. This novel variation is still set in the once-upon-a-time 16th century, but it features an active, 1990s-style heroine—she argues about economic theory and civil rights with her royal suitor—rather than a passive, exploited hearth sweeper who warbles "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes"".[14] She also praised Anjelica Huston's performance as a cruel stepmother: "Huston does a lot of eye narrowing and eyebrow raising while toddling around in an extraordinary selection of extreme headgear, accompanied by her two less-than-self-actualized daughters—the snooty, social-climbing, nasty Marguerite, and the dim, lumpy, secretly nice Jacqueline. "Nothing is final until you're dead", Mama instructs her girls at the dinner table, "and even then I'm sure God negotiates"".[14]
Chicago Sun-Times film critic, Roger Ebert, praises the film with three out of four stars and writes, "The movie [...] is one of surprises, not least that the old tale still has life and passion in it. I went to the screening expecting some sort of soppy children's picture and found myself in a costume romance with some of the same energy and zest as The Mask of Zorro. And I was reminded again that Drew Barrymore can hold the screen and involve us in her characters. [...] Here, as the little cinder girl, she is able to at last put aside her bedraggled losers and flower as a fresh young beauty, and she brings poignancy and fire to the role".[15]
A report in 2012 indicated that a musical theatre production was in the works, with the book and lyrics by Marcy Heisler and music by Zina Goldrich.[18] The musical was originally scheduled for its world premiere in April 2009 at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco, but the pre-Broadway run was postponed.[19] In May 2012, the project was back on track with Kathleen Marshall signing on to direct a Broadway run.[20][21]
A workshop of the musical was held from April 25, 2013 – May 15, 2013 with Sierra Boggess as Danielle, Jeremy Jordan as Prince Henry, and Ashley Spencer as Marguerite.[22] The musical made its world premiere at the Paper Mill Playhouse from May 21, 2015 – June 21, 2015.[23]Christine Ebersole played the role of Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent.[24] Alongside Ebersole, Margo Seibert starred as Danielle, James Snyder as Henry, Charles Shaughnessy as King Francis, and Tony Sheldon as Leonardo da Vinci.[25] Another production of the musical played at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre from January 15, 2019 to February 19.[26] The production was directed by Susan V. Booth and starred Sierra Boggess as Danielle de Barbarac, Terry Burrell as Queen Marie, Todd Buonopane as Captain Laurent, David Garrison as Leonardo da Vinci, Chris Kayser as King Francis, Jeff McCarthy as Pierre Malette, Tim Rogan as Prince Henry and Rachel York as Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent.[27][28][29]
References
^Petrikin, Chris (February 18, 1998). "Fox renamed that toon". Variety. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
^ abSchwarzbaum, Lisa (August 10, 1998). "Ever After (1998)". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
