Analyzing Cinderella
The fairy tale of Cinderella is known far and wide as an extremely entertaining, youthful story. The animated movie version depicts an overtly feminine Cindy who is in desperate need of help when a fairy god mother comes to her rescue, and whisks her off to the ball in a stagecoach conjured from a pumpkin. Several decades later, Cinderella: Ever After starring Drew Barrymore, is produced and offers a different cinematic view of the famous fairy tale. What kind of take might other filmmakers have, when it comes to converting the fairy tale into a movie? Suppose Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, and an anonymous Feminist Filmmaker are given the opportunity to re-vamp the "Cinderella goes to the ball and meets the Prince" scene; it will be extremely interesting, considering the various traits associated with each filmmakers style, how these new interpretations differ from the others offered up over the years. Alfred Hitchcock is classified under the label of the "Auteur Filmmaker." He is a director who chooses to infuse extremely unique characteristics into his works; this accomplishes Hitchcock's need to imprint each of his films with his own distinct idiosyncrasies. The scene begins with Cindy's mother enteri
She is shown at an upward angle as she makes her way through the kitchen. Different filmmakers allow for the audience to see the visual representation of many different sides of a given story. She enters with a rose in hand (phallic image) and surveys the crowd. A single light source is evident from above, and out of the shot. The camera is situated at a point of view shot from the seated man. The first shot is a fade in to a panoramic view of the kitchen in which Cinderella is working. She is kept central within the frame and always in focus, as the figure of the Prince approaches her. The camera switches to a close up shot of the Baroness entering the room to usher them to the car so that they may get to the party on time. It should also be noted that Cinderella is in a white servants gown with white bonnet covering her head; her step sisters and step mother are all wearing dark purple or black gowns and head-dresses. Once inside the limousine the camera quickly shows a close up shot of the drivers' face through the rear view mirror, and it is evident, although under much makeup, that the drive is Alfred Hitchcock. The opening shot of this scene is a ground level shot facing upwards. The camera then switches to a distant shot of the three women exiting their vehicle in front of the Prince's mansion. The Prince then banishes the ladies, and returns to his party with his fiance in tow. It shows Cinderella wielding a letter opener and fluidly opening a letter addressed to the house. Cinderella is shown in full view and her face is well lit, while the Baroness is shrouded by the shadows and her face is never fully visible to the camera because of this.
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