The Slipper and the Rose Movie Review

Not too many people know about The Slipper and the Rose and that's a shame. To be sure, there's a surfeit of Cinderella movies on video shelves competing for our attention, but this version has always been among my favorites. It was originally released at 146 minutes, an uncomfortable length for children, and reissued in 1980 at 127 minutes. The late 1970s were not a particularly receptive time for musicals, unless they reinvented the genre, like Saturday Night Fever, Grease, Rock ‘n’ Roll High School, All That Jazz, The Blues Brothers, or Fame. The Slipper and the Rose was definitely a musical out of its time. There's much to appreciate in Bryan Forbes’ valentine to the classic fairy tale, though. For one thing, there's Richard Chamberlain as Prince Edward. Then in the swashbuckling phase of his long career, Chamberlain is clearly having a rattling good time in the role of a Prince Charming. Cinderella herself (Gemma Craven) is lovely, if a bit subdued, but the best British character actors in the business keep things moving along with energy to spare. Annette Crosbie, often cast as British Queens, is the Fairy Godmother, trying to bring a bit of fun into Cinderella's grim life with her mean stepmother (Margaret Lockwood in her swan song) and nasty stepsisters Palatine (Sherrie Hewson) and Isabella (Rosalind Ayres). The King (Michael Hordern) is eager to find a bride for Edward and suggests that he make his selection at the Grand Ball. Edward doesn't much like the idea (“It's like being a judge at a cattle show”), but reluctantly submits to the event where he expects to be bored out of his mind. And bored he is until Cinderella makes her entrance. We all know the drill after that. The Sherman Brothers, clearly influenced by Gilbert and Sullivan, composed a score of new songs designed to set the tone and advance the plot. So we hear Chamberlain singing “Why Can't I Be Two People?” and Craven doing a duet (“Suddenly It Happens”) with Crosbie. The closest thing to a patter song is the “Protocoligorically Correct” number the King does with Lord Chamberlain Kenneth More, General Peter Graves, and the Palace Ministers. It's all great fun to watch (the costumes by Julie Harris are stunning) and listen to—a soundtrack album was even issued. At another point in movie history, The Slipper and the Rose might have been appreciated on its own terms. If you catch it on late night cable, it still can be, but there's no video release in sight yet. (Rating based on 127-minute version.)

1976 127m/C GB Richard Chamberlain, Gemma Craven, Annette Crosbie, Edith Evans, Christopher Gable, Michael Hordern, Margaret Lockwood, Kenneth More, Julian Orchard, Lally Bowers, Sherrie Hewson, Rosalind Ayres, John Turner, Keith Skinner, Polly Williams, Norman Bird, Roy Barraclough, Peter Graves, Bryan Forbes; D: Bryan Forbes; W: Robert B. Sherman, Richard M. Sherman, Bryan Forbes; C: Tony Imi; M: Robert B. Sherman, Richard M. Sherman.