In Ever After (1998), Drew Barrymore plays Danielle, whose beloved father died when she was a little girl. She works hard to please her wicked stepmother (Anjelica Huston, absolutely perfect in this role) and two stepsisters. In true Cinderella fashion, she has been relegated to the role of servant to these three selfish women. But she still has time to read “Utopia” and to pose as a countess when a jailed servant friend needs her help. While rescuing this servant, Danielle fascinates Prince Henry (Dougray Scott) and his famous guest from Italy, Leonardo Da Vinci (Patrick Godfrey). Afterwards, the prince searches for this mystery lady, even though he is betrothed to a Spanish princess.
Yes, there is a royal ball, and Danielle loses a glass slipper when leaving the palace. Yes, the evil stepmother gets her comeuppance – so diehard Cinderella fans should not be too disappointed. But the rest of the story presents an extremely different interpretation of events. Nevertheless, first-rate performances and superb production values drew me into this updated version of a favorite fairy tale.
Barrymore endows Danielle with an intelligence and strength worth emulating by women of any age. Merely by raising an eyebrow, Huston makes everyone cringe whenever her character comes on screen. How sad to hear the stepmother answer Danielle’s question, “Did you ever love me?” with “Can a person love a pebble in one’s shoe?”
Costumes, art direction, background music and cinematography seem just right in this period romance that also boasts a witty, involving screenplay by Susannah Grant and Rick Parks. I appreciate the way director Andy Tennant breathed new life into an old legend. Ever After presents a plucky Cinderella for today’s women and beyond. Viewers who see this entertaining film will no longer think of the fairy tale heroine as a victim. Bravo!
PERSONAL NOTE: Under the category of “stupid things I’ve done,” my behavior toward Anjelica Huston ranks high on the list. At a party in Taos (New Mexico) after she received the Taos Talking Pictures Maverick Award, I clumsily demonstrated to her the funny curtsy she performed while playing Cinderella’s wicked stepmother in Ever After. Fortunately, she just laughed and said, “I’ll be sure to remember you!” And she did. A few months later, I received a personal note from Huston thanking me for the articles I wrote about her. She’s really a very nice lady.
(Released by 20th Century Fox and rated “PG-13” for momentary strong language.)
Review also posted at ReelTalk Movie Reviews.
Angelica Huston is certainly quite an actress, but I remember most her father John for his many films including The Treasurer of the Sierra Madre, The Maltese Falcon, Key Largo, and the African Queen, among many others.
Ron