| The Glass Slipper | |
|---|---|
 Original film poster |
|
| Directed by | Charles Walters |
| Produced by | Edwin H. Knopf |
| Written by | Helen Deutsch |
| Starring | Leslie Caron Michael Wilding Keenan Wynn Estelle Winwood Elsa Lanchester |
| Music by | Bronislau Kaper |
| Cinematography | Arthur E. Arling |
| Editing by | Ferris Webster |
| Distributed by | MGM |
| Release date(s) |  24 March 1955 |
| Running time | 93 min |
| Country | U.S. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Glass Slipper is a 1955 musical film adaptation of Cinderella, made by MGM. It was directed by Charles Walters and produced by Edwin H. Knopf from a screenplay by Helen Deutsch. The music score was by Bronislau Kaper, the cinematography by Arthur E. Arling, the art direction by Daniel B. Cathcart and Cedric Gibbons and costume design by Walter Plunkett and Helen Rose.
The film stars Leslie Caron as Cinderella, and Michael Wilding as the Prince, with Keenan Wynn, Estelle Winwood, Elsa Lanchester, Barry Jones, Lurene Tuttle, Liliane Montevecchi and Walter Pidgeon as Narrator.
Plot
Ella (Leslie Caron), who is sometimes teased as "Cinderella", is a lonely and misunderstood young woman who lives in a principality somewhere in Europe. An orphan who has become an almost-servant to her stepmother the Widow Sonder (Elsa Lanchester), and her stepsisters, Berdina (Amanda Blake) and Serafina (Lisa Daniels), she is shunned by the townspeople because of her anti-social behavior and her regular boasting that before she was born a gypsy woman told her late mother that she would live in the Palace one day. Prince Charles (Michael Wilding) is the son of the Duke (Barry Jones) who rules the principality. The Prince has been studying at the University of Paris for many years and has just returned. The Duke is delighted to have his son home again and he decides to hold three days of festivities, with a Ball on the third day. Now that Charles is back, he starts to recall old memories he had of growing up there, including a small girl with unbearably sad eyes whom he saw crying in the middle of the street a long time ago.
After getting into a spat with her stepfamily over the Prince's appearance, Ella runs away to her favourite place, which is a small and secluded pool on the Palace grounds where she can gather her thoughts in peace. There she meets an eccentric old woman named Mrs. Toquet (Estelle Winwood) who becomes her first friend. A few days later she returns to the spot, hoping to meet Mrs. Toquet, but she instead finds Charles and his friend Kovin (Keenan Wynn) relaxing by the pool. Ella asks them where they are from and they tell her that they come from the Palace. When Ella refuses to believe them, Charles says that it is true, and that he is the son of the Chief Cook in the Palace. Charles then recognises Ella's eyes as those belonging to the girl he saw years ago, but Ella thinks that he is making fun of her and pushes him into the pool. Charles is intrigued by Ella and has Kovin talk to the people of the principality to find out about Ella. Charles learns that she is anti-social, unloved and often boasts that she's going to live in the Palace someday. Some days later Cousin Lulu (Lurene Tuttle), a woman who climbed into aristocracy by sheer will, is visiting the Sonder home. Ella is supposed to be all cleaned up to receive their guest, but they realize that she's not wearing shoes. Ella remembers that she left her shoes at her favorite place, so she runs off to collect them. There, Charles is waiting for her with the shoes. Ella apologizes for pushing him into the water and he apologizes for hurting her feelings. They talk for a while and then Charles gives her an invitation to the Ball, to which Ella replies that she cannot dance. Charles says that she should learn to dance since she's going to live in the Palace some day, so he teaches her. At the end of a waltz Charles kisses her, and Ella runs away. The eccentric old lady turns out to be Ella's "Fairy Godmother". Mrs. Toquet 'borrows' things wherever she goes, and returns them to their owners the following day. In the same way, she 'borrows' Ella's ball dress and glass slipper, for the occasion. She has also arranged for a coach, which supposedly belongs to another guest of the Ball, to take Ella to the palace. Mrs. Torquet stresses that it is necessary to leave the Palace to return home before midnight, so that the coach can then be taken back to the Palace to pick up the rightful owner of the coach. At the Palace Ball, Ella is besieged by young men wanting to dance with her, but her thoughts are only on attempting to reach the Palace kitchens, where she is sure the "son of the cook" will be. When Charles learns of her presence, he waltzes with her and persuades her to look up at him. Ella is stunned, but delighted, to find that her friend is really the Prince. The other guests, not knowing who the newcomer is, note her exotic colouring and surmise that she is a foreign lady of noble birth, perhaps Egyptian because of her short hair. When the clock strikes midnight, Ella runs away, leaving one of her glass slippers behind, which is then picked up by Charles. Prince Charles informs his father that he has met the woman he wants to marry – Kovin, picking up on what he's overheard at the party, hurriedly explains that Ella is a princess of Egypt. Next morning there is a great fuss all over the principality. Everyone has heard that the Prince has chosen an Egyptian Princess to be his bride. When Ella hears this news, she is devastated. In a brief dream sequence, she confronts the image of the "Egyptian Princess," her supposed rival. Ella decides to run away, first stopping at her favorite place to see Mrs. Torquet, whom she says goodbye to. Ella throws herself down on the ground sobbing, until she hears a familiar voice. She looks up and sees the Prince, who is holding her other glass slipper. The Prince pulls her to her feet, and Kovin puts a cloak around her shoulders. After glancing briefly at the crowd of people who had just arrived, including her stepmother and stepsisters, the Prince, Ella, Kovin and the Prince's men, ride away to the Palace, and all ends happily.
Trivia
In the '70s, the film was rerun on television as "Ella", on the syndicated SFM Holiday Network showcase.
