Cinderella (1997 film)
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (also known as simply Cinderella)[1] is a 1997 American musical fantasy television film produced by Walt Disney Television, directed by Robert Iscove, and written by Robert L. Freedman. Based on the French fairy tale of the same name by Charles Perrault, the film is the second remake and third version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical, which originally aired on television in 1957. Adapted from Oscar Hammerstein II's book, Freedman modernized the script to appeal to more contemporary audiences by updating its themes, particularly re-writing its main character into a stronger heroine. Co-produced by Whitney Houston, who also appears as Cinderella's Fairy Godmother, the film stars Brandy in the title role and features a racially diverse ensemble cast consisting of Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg, Bernadette Peters, Veanne Cox, Natalie Desselle, Victor Garber, and Paolo Montalban.
Cinderella
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
United States
English
- Whitney Houston
- Debra Martin Chase
- Craig Zadan
- Neil Meron
- David R. Ginsburg
Mike Moder
Chris Montan
- Casey O. Rohrs
- Tanya M. Swerling
88 minutes
- Walt Disney Television
- BrownHouse Productions
- Storyline Entertainment
$12 million
November 2, 1997
Following the success of the 1993 television adaptation of the stage musical Gypsy (1959), Houston approached Gypsy's producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron about starring in a remake of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella for CBS. However, development was delayed for several years, during which time the network grew disinterested in the project. By the time the film was greenlit by Disney for ABC, Houston felt that she had outgrown the title role, which she offered to Brandy instead. The decision to use a color-blind casting approach originated among the producers to reflect how society had evolved by the 1990s, with Brandy becoming the first black actress to portray Cinderella on screen. Among the most significant changes made to the musical, several songs from other Rodgers and Hammerstein productions were interpolated into the film to augment its score. With a production budget of $12 million, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella ranks among the most expensive television films ever made.
Heavily promoted to re-launch the anthology series The Wonderful World of Disney, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella premiered on ABC on November 2, 1997, to mixed reviews from critics. While most reviewers praised the film's costumes, sets and supporting cast, particularly Peters, Alexander and Goldberg, television critics were divided over Brandy and Houston's performances, as well as Disney's more feminist approach to Brandy's character. Despite this, Cinderella proved a major ratings success, originally airing to 60 million viewers and establishing itself as the most-watched television musical in decades, earning ABC its highest Sunday-night ratings in 10 years. Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella was nominated for several industry awards, including seven Primetime Emmy Awards, winning one for Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program. The program's success inspired Disney and ABC to produce several similar musical projects.
Critical reception towards the film has improved over time, with several media publications ranking it among the best film adaptations of the fairy tale. Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella is regarded by contemporary critics as a groundbreaking film due to the unprecedented diversity of its cast and Brandy's role.
Plot[edit]
Cinderella grows distracted while waiting upon her stepmother and two stepsisters in the marketplace, where she meets a charming young man. Despite being apprehensive about introducing herself to him, the pair bond upon realizing that both are dissatisfied with their sheltered home lives. After being scolded for speaking to a stranger, Cinderella returns to her stepfamily's aid before she was able to realize the young man is Prince Christopher. The Prince returns to the palace, where he is apprehended by his valet Lionel for once again visiting the kingdom disguised as a commoner, and learns that his parents, Queen Constantina and King Maximillian, plan to host a ball in order to find their son a suitable bride, an idea he strongly protests because he would rather marry for love. At Lionel's suggestion, Constantina and Maximillian compromise that should Christopher not be successful in choosing a bride at the ball, he be allowed to find one on his own terms.
Back at their own home, Cinderella wishes to attend the ball herself, but her stepmother ridicules the idea, advising her that a prince would never be interested in her and to remain grateful for her current life. Solely determined to bolster their own wealth and social status by marrying the prince, Cinderella's stepfamily leaves for the ball, leaving Cinderella home alone. Cinderella is soon visited by her Fairy Godmother for the first time, who encourages her to go to the ball; she magically transforms a pumpkin into a carriage, rats into footmen and a coachman, mice into horses, and her rags into a beautiful ballgown, complete with a pair of glass slippers. With her Fairy Godmother's warning that the spell will only last until midnight, Cinderella leaves for the ball.
Yet to be impressed with any of the young women he meets, including Cinderella's Stepsisters, Christopher is growing weary until Cinderella arrives, and the pair instantly start dancing much to the annoyance of Cinderella's stepfamily, who can't help but feel that the unidentified princess is familiar. Cinderella grows dismayed and wishes to leave when the King and Queen ask her about her background, but her Fairy Godmother encourages her to stay. The clock strikes midnight as Cinderella and the Prince share their first kiss, but Cinderella flees on foot while the spell is reverted, leaving behind a single glass slipper. With his parents' blessing, Christopher declares that he will marry whoever fits the slipper, even if it means trying it on every maiden in the kingdom.
When Cinderella's stepfamily return home, they begin sharing embellished recounts of their evening. Cinderella explains that she can only imagine what it must have been like, and they briefly bond over the memory, only for the Stepmother to soon recognize Cinderella as the mysterious princess with whom the Prince danced and insisting that she will never be more than a common girl. With final encouragement from her Fairy Godmother, Cinderella finally decides she will run away from home.
When the Prince and Lionel arrive at Cinderella's home, the Stepmother locks Cinderella in the kitchen hoping to keep her hidden. Cinderella's stepfamily – including the Stepmother – tries on the slipper with little success. Lionel demands that the kitchen be unlocked and searched, and the Prince discovers Cinderella in the courtyard about to run away. When Christopher recognizes Cinderella from the marketplace, he tries the slipper on her foot, and it fits perfectly. In the end, Cinderella and the Prince marry in a grand ceremony, while the palace gates close on her stepfamily, forcing them to watch from outside.
Production[edit]
Origins and development[edit]
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella was the third screen version of the musical.[5][6] Songwriters Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II originally wrote Cinderella as a musical exclusively for television starring Julie Andrews,[7] which aired in 1957 to 107 million viewers.[8] The telecast was remade in 1965 starring Lesley Ann Warren,[9][10][11] airing annually on CBS from 1965 to 1972.[12] The idea to remake Cinderella for television a second time originated as early as 1992, at which time producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron first approached the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization about obtaining the screen rights to the production.[12] Further development was inspired by the success of CBS' adaptation of the stage musical Gypsy (1993) starring Bette Midler which,[13][14] in addition to being credited with reviving interest in the genre,[14] Zadan and Meron had also produced;[15] CBS executive Jeff Sagansky asked Zadan and Meron to start brainstorming ideas for a follow-up shortly after Gypsy premiered.[16] The day after Gypsy's original broadcast, Whitney Houston's agent Nicole David asked the producers if they were interested in developing a similar project starring her client,[17][18][19] to whom they suggested Cinderella with Houston playing the title role.[9][20] CBS originally intended to air the completed film by the end of the 1994-1995 television season, but the project was continuously delayed.[14] The network grew disinterested in favor of other titles by 1996,[18] while Houston herself was already committed to several other projects.[17][19] Zadan explained that, because of her popularity, Houston "had so many other concrete things that she was doing that 'Cinderella' took a back seat".[16] The singer eventually aged to the point at which she no longer felt suitable for the role of Cinderella.[20] Houston explained that by the time she became a wife and mother, she was not "quite feeling like Cinderella" anymore, believing that portraying the ingenue would require significant "reaching" for herself as an actress.[4]
Release[edit]
Marketing and premiere[edit]
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella was heavily promoted as the centerpiece of the newly revived Wonderful World of Disney;[37][64][72] Disney themselves have referred to Cinderella as the "grande dame" of the anthology,[73] while Jefferson Graham of the Chicago Sun-Times touted the film the "crown jewel" of the revival.[74] The same newspaper reported that Cinderella was one of 16 upcoming television films commissioned for the series.[74] One of ABC's promotional advertisements for Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella featured a black-and-white scene from the original 1957 broadcast in which Andrews sings "In My Own Little Corner", which transitions into Brandy singing her more contemporary rendition of the same song, its "funkier orchestration" sounding particularly noticeable opposite Andrews' original.[37] Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella premiered on October 13, 1997, at Mann's Chinese Theatre,[75] which Houston attended with her husband and daughter.[76] The film's impending premiere coincided with the launch of the official Rodgers and Hammerstein website, which streamed segments from the upcoming broadcast via RealVideo from October 27 to November 3, 1997.[45] These segments were again interpolated with excerpts from the 1957 version.[45] A public screening of the film was hosted at the Sony Lincoln Square Theatre in New York on October 27, 1997.[49] Most of the film's cast – Brandy, Houston, Cox, Garber, Desselle and Montalban – was present; Goldberg and Alexander were unable to attend.[49]
Broadcast and viewership[edit]
Houston originally hoped that the film would earn a theatrical release.[77] Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella premiered on November 2, 1997, during The Wonderful World of Disney on ABC, 40 years after the original broadcast.[50] Disney CEO Michael Eisner introduced the program.[35][72] Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella was a major ratings success, breaking several television records much like the original did.[39] The telecast aired to over 60 million viewers who watched at least a portion of the film,[9] becoming the most-watched television musical in several years and earning more viewership than 1993's Gypsy.[15] According to the Nielsen ratings, Cinderella averaged a 22.3 rating and 31 share (although it was originally estimated that the program had earned only an 18.8 rating),[9][78] which is believed to have been bolstered by the film's strong appeal towards women and adults between the ages of 18 and 49.[9] Translated, this means that 31 percent of televisions in the United States aired the premiere,[15] while 23 million different households tuned in to the broadcast.[9][62] Surprisingly, 70 percent of Cinderella's total viewership that evening consisted of females under the age of 18,[15][79] specifically ages two to 11.[80] The broadcast attracted a particularly high number of younger audience members, including children, teenagers and young adults, in turn making Cinderella the television season's most popular family show.[78]
In addition to being the most-watched program of the evening, Cinderella remained the most-watched program of the entire week, scoring higher ratings than the consistently popular shows ER and Seinfeld.[15] The film became ABC's most-watched Sunday night program in more than 10 years,[81][82] as well as the most-watched program during the network's two-hour 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm time slot in 13–14 years,[9][15][78][83] a record it broke within its first hour of airing.[84] AllMusic biographer Steve Huey attributes the film's high ratings to its "star power and integrated cast".[85] Additionally, the popularity of Cinderella boosted the ratings of ABC's television film Before Women Had Wings, which premiered immediately following the program and consequently earned a rating of 19,[78] retaining much of its viewership from Cinderella's broadcast.[86] ABC's chief researcher Larry Hyams recalled that few "predicted the magnitude of Cinderella's numbers".[87] On February 14, 1999 (Valentine's Day), ABC re-aired the film,[21] which was watched by 15 million viewers.[88] According to Ashley Lee of the Los Angeles Times, Cinderella was the most profitable television film of its time.[89]
Fuse broadcast Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella on November 2, 2017, in honor of the film's 20th anniversary,[51] naming the television special A Night Of Magic: 20th Anniversary of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella.[90] The network also aired "Cinderella"-themed episodes of Brandy's sitcom Moesha and the sitcom Sister, Sister in commemoration.[51]
ABC aired Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella on August 23, 2022, for the film's 25th anniversary, following Cinderella: The Reunion, A Special Edition of 20/20.[91] 1.5 million viewers watched.[92]
Home media[edit]
Shortly after the film's premiere, audiences soon began demanding a swift home video release, which the studio soon began bringing to fruition.[79] Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella was released on VHS February 10, 1998, a mere 101 days after premiere. This became the highest-selling home video release of any made-for-television film at that time,[81][82] selling one million copies its first week.[65] By February 1999, the video had sold more than two million copies.[21] According to Zadan, musical films struggled to sell well on home video until Cinderella was released.[65] The film was released on DVD on February 4, 2003.[93] In July 2020, fans and Brandy herself began heavily petitioning on social media to have the film added to the streaming service Disney+,[94] which currently streams several other Disney-produced film versions of the fairy tale.[95] On February 4, 2021, Brandy announced on The View that the film would be released on Disney+ on February 12, 2021.[96][97]
Reception[edit]
Critical response[edit]
Playbill's Rebecca Paller reviewed the New York screening as "overflowing with star performances, lavish sets" and "lush rainbow-hued costumes", describing its score as "fresher than ever."[49] According to Paller, the screening resembled a Broadway tryout more than a film preview since the audience reportedly applauded at the end of every song.[49] Praising its sets, costumes, choreography and script, Paller concluded "everything about the TV play worked", predicting that both young and adult audiences will find the program memorable.[49] Although well received by audiences,[27] Cinderella premiered to generally mixed reviews from most critics,[89][98][99][100] who were critical of some of its songs, cast and feminist approach,[34][41] at times deeming it inferior to the 1957 and 1965 versions.[101] Some purist fans were less impressed with the contemporary arrangements of Rodgers and Hammerstein's original music.[102] Critics have softened towards the film over time,[94][95] which has earned 86% on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes.[103]
Praising its score and faithfulness to the source material, Eileen Fitzpatrick of Billboard called the film a "sure to please" remake while lauding Brandy's performance, joking that the singer "slips into the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway-like score as easily as Cinderella fits into the glass slipper".[24] Fitzpatrick went on to write that the supporting cast lacks "a weak link" entirely, finding it obvious that Houston enjoyed her material and commending the contributions of Peters, Alexander, Goldberg, Garber, Cox and Deselle.[24] New York entertainment critic John Leonard praised the cast extensively, highlighting the performance of Brandy whom the writer said possesses "the grace to transfigure inchoate youth into adult agency" while complimenting the work of Houston, Montalban, Peters, Goldberg and Alexander, the latter of whom the critic identified as a reminder "that he belonged to musical theater before he ever shacked up with Seinfeld's slackers."[104] Leonard also praised the actors' musical performances, particularly Peters' "Falling in Love with Love", but admitted that he prefers the songs used in Disney's 1950 animated adaptation of the fairy tale.[104] In addition to receiving praise for its overall craftsmanship and musical format, critics appreciated the film's color-blind cast.[15][39] Describing the film as "Short, sweet and blindingly brightly colored", TV Guide film critic Maitland McDonagh wrote that Cinderella is "overall ... a pleasant introduction to a classic musical, tweaked to catch the attention of contemporary youngsters."[102] McDonagh observed that the color-blindness of the entire cast spares the film from potentially suffering "disturbing overtones" that otherwise could have resulted from images of an African-American Cinderella being mistreated by her Caucasian stepmother.[102] Despite calling the supporting cast "unusually strong", the critic felt Brandy and Houston acted too much like their own selves for their performances to be considered truly compelling.[102]