Cinderella (1997) - A Movie Review

You can be whatever you want to be. Anything is possible.

Cinderella is a 1997 TV-film adaptation of the famous fairytale. Mistreated by her stepfamily, Cinderella longs to go to the prince’s ball at the palace. Her Fairy Godmother grants Cinderella her wish. At the palace, she dances with the prince. At the stroke of midnight, everything changes.

The 1997 film adaptation of Cinderella is one of the most underrated versions of this classic story. I watched this when I was a kid, and apparently, I was too young to appreciate it. Cinderella (1997) is a charming, funny, and memorable tale. It has also made history as one of the first multi-racial cast performing a Cinderella story.

In her film debut, Brandy Norwood is impressive as Cinderella. Her singing voice was beautiful. Feeling lost, Cinderella cannot escape from her stepfamily’s vicious behavior. I like how she stood her ground even though she knew it was helpless. Brandy was wonderful in her characterization of the famous princess, along with her profound emotions.

In another film debut, Paolo Montalban was charming as the prince. Unlike other versions of Cinderella, he had a character. Cinderella and Prince Christopher’s interactions were so sweet as they learned that they had more in common than expected.

As an evil vicious stepmother, Bernadette Peters did not think that she could pull it off. Vienna Cox and the late Natalie Desselle Reid had fun in the parts as the clumsy stepsisters.

Out of the entire cast, Jason Alexander was a standout. I have never seen him in anything else aside from Seinfeld. Alexander stole the show with his humorous antics. I was not aware that he had a notable singing voice.

The film includes the wonderful talents of actors ranging from different acting backgrounds. Whoopi Goldberg does a superb job in a role that mixes her serious side along with comedy. She and Victor Garbor were wonderful as the bickering king and queen.

Another notable talent that cannot go unmentioned is the late Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother. As the story goes, Houston mainly took the role because Brandy wanted her idol to be in the film. Houston’s song ‘Impossible’ is a highlight.

Speaking of songs, I am very impressed with the singing and the choreography. I wanted to join the number, ‘The Prince is Giving a Ball.’ Other songs include, “The Sweetest Sounds’, ‘In My Own Little Corner’, ‘A Lovely Night’ and a wonderful waltz sequence at the ball.

Costumes, makeup, and hair are well done. The moment where Cinderella transforms into her dress for the ball is a stunning sequence. Albeit, the CGI is noticeable, it does not take away from the magical tone that the film was going for. Visually, the film is stunning. The palace was one of my favorite location spots. It won a deserved Emmy for Best Art Direction.

Cinderella bestows a commemorative message that you cannot sit around waiting for your dreams to happen. You have to take a stand. Robert Iscove deserves applause. He created this film for all generations, specifically for those of different races. He helped audiences connect to the characters, donning role models.

Everything about this version of Cinderella is a sweet, remarkable, and feel-good film. I could not stop smiling. I can’t come up with enough words to describe it because it was so genuine.

This version of Cinderella needs to be talked about more. I recommend that you find it on Disney+ and watch it, The story is magical bringing out memorable talents, and a classic story that has been told to several generations.