Review - Ever After on YouTube

Yesterday I was in a terrible mood. Chalk it up to another injury for my fragile daughter, gray skies, my older brother who's been in and out of the hospital too many times this year, more alarming news about how AI is affecting authors,and a few other family-related sadnesses.

Today, I'm back to my usual optimistic self I'm pleased to say. It all started early this morning. 

We're dog-sitting this week, and Freddie has a habit of getting up at 4:30 every morning. When I awake, I usually can't go back to sleep so I read until Darling Hubby is up.

This morning, I turned on the TV and surfed YouTube. To my surprise, I found EVER AFTER, the best Cinderella movie ever.

Freddie and I watched this charming, heartwarming movie, and I must admit that it lifted my spirits. Even though this movie is 26 years old, I thought I'd review it today.

You can find it streaming on YouTube free, or you can rent it on Amazon. I decided I wanted to purchase it and was shocked to discover the BluRay is $155.00. Most of the copies of this movie are VHS tapes, but I finally found it on DVD on Amazon.

ABOUT EVER AFTER

Starring Drew Barrymore and Dougray Scott, the film premiered in 1998—back when good movies with solid stories had an uplifting moral theme—and was based on Cinderella, the Charles Perrault version of the fairy tale.

The film version removed the supernatural aspects of the story and presented it as historical fiction with a modern, post-feminist interpretation of the fairy tale—back when feminism meant something entirely different from it does today.

Directed by Andy Tennant with a screenplay written by Tennant, Susannah Grant, and Rick Parks and an original music score by George Fenton, Ever After was a critical and box office success.

The cast was rounded out by Anjelica Huston, Jeanne Moreau. Melanie Lynskey, Lee Ingleby, Megan Dodds, Patrick Godfrey, Judy Parfitt, Jeroen Krabbe, Richard O'Brien, and Timothy West.

THE STORY

Danielle (Drew Barrymore) is a 16th century young woman with egalitarian ideas. She is kind, independent, and wise. 

Reading is her passion when she is done with the labors heaped upon her by her devious, self-centered stepmother (Angelica Huston) and the older of her two stepsisters.

Her only goal in life is to make life easier for the elderly servants who raised her and to save the estate that was her father's.

She is a classic tomboy who thinks nothing of throwing apples at the man trying to steal their  horse which brings her to the attention of the crown prince of France (Dougray Scott), the would-be thief.

Truly, this is a captivating retelling of the classic tale that may make you shed a tear or two but you'll watch the end with a laugh and a grin. Plus, this film features the young Dougray Scott who is imminently watchable.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

If you're feeling glum, do something proactive. Watch a movie that will leave you smiling. Watch Ever After.

Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to help websites earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. If you click an Amazon link in her post, she may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.

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