Ever After

Ever After: a Cinderella Story is a 1998 film adaptation of the romantic fairy tale Cinderella, directed by Andy Tennant and starring Drew Barrymore in the title role.

Related Topics:
1998 - Film - Fairy tale - Cinderella - Andy Tennant - Drew Barrymore

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The usual pantomime and comic elements are removed and the story is instead treated as historical fiction. It is often seen as a modern, post-feminism interpretation of the Cinderella myth.

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Danielle de Barbarac is a tomboyish eight-year-old raised by her father, Auguste de Barbarac, on a small manor in rural Renaissance France. Her mother died early in Danielle's life, perhaps in childbirth. Danielle's father makes a habit of bringing her books from his travels, and she devours them. Her father remarries, to a beautiful Baroness with two young daughters near Danielle's age. Shortly after bringing them home, however, he dies, leaving Danielle with a stepmother and stepsisters she barely knows. The Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent (played by Anjelica Huston) resents Danielle from the very beginning, because Auguste de Babaroc loved his daughter more than he loved his new wife. She assumes control of the household and, by the time Danielle is eighteen, has forced the girl into servitude and driven the home into financial difficulty.

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The Baroness' two daughters, Marguerite (Megan Dodds) and Jacqueline (Melanie Lynskey), are very different: Margeurite is as cruel and superior as her mother, while Jacqueline is extremely sweet-tempered, but too weak to stand up to her fearsome mother and sister.

Related Topics:
Megan Dodds - Melanie Lynskey

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Meanwhile, a young, hotheaded Prince Henry of France (Dougray Scott) rebels against his upcoming arranged marriage to a Spanish princess and runs away from home, as it is implied he's done several times before. His parents, King Francis (Timothy West) and Queen Marie (Judy Parfitt), fed up with his immature habits, send the Royal Guard after him. During the Prince's flight, his horse slips a shoe and he is forced to steal a fresh horse from the de Barbarac manor. At work in the fields, Danielle spots him and, failing to recognize the young man as the Prince, confronts him as a thief and nearly concusses him with hurled apples. He reveals himself, to her great embarassment, but is made uncomfortable by her repeated apologies. He bribes her for her silence and rides off. Coming across an artist's caravan waylaid by Gypsies, the Prince stops to chase one of them down and recover a stolen painting, which turns out to be the Mona Lisa--the aged artist who asked for his help was in fact Leonardo da Vinci.

Related Topics:
Dougray Scott - Timothy West - Judy Parfitt - Gypsies - Mona Lisa - Leonardo da Vinci

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Danielle decides to use her bribe money to ensure the return of Maurice, an aged servant whom the Baroness has sold off to pay her growing debts. She borrows a courtier's gown from the painter's studio of her childhood friend Gustav, and poses as a Countess in order to buy back Maurice. As she is arguing with the driver of the cart containing Maurice, Prince Henry stumbles upon her again, unaware that the self-possessed, articulate courtier is the same person as the servant he earlier encountered. Charmed by her passionate, contrary, fierce nature, he orders Maurice to be set free and sets about getting the girl's name. Flustered, Danielle gives the Prince her mother's name, Countess Nicole du Lencré, and hurriedly returns home with Maurice.

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The King, frustrated with his son's refusal to go through with his marriage, gives the Prince a chance to choose his own bride, if he can do so in five days. At the end of five days, the King will announce his engagement at a great masked Ball, whether to a girl of the Prince's choice or the Spanish Princess to whom he was initially betrothed.

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Eventually, a ball is planned for the Prince to choose a bride and invitations are sent out to eligible ladies, including Danielle, her stepmother and her two stepsisters, although the Baroness then orders Danielle to stay home.

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On the night of the ball, with the assistance of Leonardo da Vinci (Patrick Godfrey) Danielle arrives at the ball just as the King is announcing that the Prince will, after all, marry the Spanish princess. As she walks towards the Prince the Baroness realises that Danielle has secretly been seeing the Prince and tells the assembly of her true status and Danielle is sent from away the court.

Related Topics:
Leonardo da Vinci - Patrick Godfrey

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The Baroness sells Danielle to Monsieur Le Pew, expecting the Prince to marry Marguerite.

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As the Prince and the Spanish princess walk down the aisle to get married she is crying and the Prince realises that no matter Danielle's status he must have her. Discovering that she was sold he goes after her. Danielle has already rescued herself, however, and he meets her as she leaves Monsieru Le Pew's castle.

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Ever After is also the name of a novel in the Williamsburg series by Elswyth Thane.

Related Topics:
Williamsburg - Elswyth Thane

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