Fairy tale returns to the big screen
Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Did you know
Cinderella was originally written by French writer by Charles Perrault in 1697.
Directed by Kenneth Branagh, Cinderella is a romantic fantasy film based on the classic fairy tale of the same name.
The film follows the fortunes of young Ella (Lily James) whose merchant father remarries following the death of her mother. Eager to support her loving father, Ella welcomes her new stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and her daughters Anastasia (Holliday Grainger) and Drisella (Sophie McShera) into the family home.
However, when Ella’s father unexpectedly dies, she finds herself at the mercy of a jealous and cruel new family. Relegated to nothing more than a servant girl and spitefully renamed Cinderella, Ella could easily begin to lose hope. Yet, despite the cruelty inflicted upon her, Ella is determined to be kind and courageous.
One day Ella meets a dashing stranger in the woods named Kit (Richard Madden). Unaware that he is a prince, Ella feels that she has met a kindred soul. It appears her fortunes may be about to change when the Palace sends out an open invitation for all maidens to attend a ball, raising Ella’s hopes of once again encountering the charming Kit. But Ella’s stepmother forbids her to attend and rips her dress.
Help soon comes in the form of a kindly beggar woman (Helena Bonham-Carter), who, armed with a pumpkin and a few mice, changes Cinderella’s life forever.
Catch the magic when Cinderella opens in local cinemas on March 12.
Vocabulary
- merchant (n): a person who buys and sells goods in large quantities
spitefully (adv): in a way that is unkind and intended to upset somebody
dashing (adj): attractive, confident and elegant
kindred (adj): very similar
ball (n): a large formal party with dancing
