User Reviews

Cinderella is a timeless story and always has been a personal favourite. This German version is well done and a lovely version on its own merits, while including elements of the Grimm version of the story(like the mutilation of the feet and the lack of a Fairy Godmother, using the guiding spirit of her deceased mother instead) the story has not lost any of its magic and emphasising Cinderella's abuse at the hands of her step-family does indeed make her even more identifiable. While Aschenputtel(1989) works very well, it didn't come across as entirely successful for me. The lip movements and dubbing don't always match, while there are some very nice parts still the music can be repetitive and like it belongs somewhere else(once upon a time-like music it did not sound like) and the jester character was very irritating and often didn't add anything to the story. The costumes and scenery are beautiful on the other hand and the film is photographed every bit as attractively, the special effects while simple are above average too. The dialogue is humorous, touching and in a way that is easy to understand while flowing well and not being simplistic. The story always engages, the step-family's treatment of Cinderella is especially well done and the inclusion of the mother's spirit really brought hopeful pathos. Those doves are smart too. The dubbing does manage to fit with the voices and they're all very expressive, Cinderella's and the Stepmother's are particularly effective as well as the father's. Those for the younger step-sister(though this instance did work) and jester are not quite as dynamic though. With Petra Vigna in the role it is easy to relate to Cinderella and what she's going through, Vigna plays her with sensitivity and her simple beauty is a bonus. The father is sympathetically acted(though you do get annoyed at how he seems to be oblivious to his daughter's abuse when it is as obvious as it is), the mother spirit's voice is appropriately soothing, the Prince is dashing and the Stepsisters hilarious. Krista Stadler is the one who steals the show, she has great comic timing but brings real nastiness to the Stepmother, don't let that Stadler is most likely the hottest Cinderella's Stepmother you'll find anywhere deceive you. In conclusion, very nicely done. 7/10 Bethany Cox

"Aschenputtel" is a collaboration between West Germany and several other European countries. The result is this 90-minute movie from 1989, so this one is from shortly before the Fall of the Berlin Wall. It will have its 30th anniversary two years from now. For the late director Karin Brandauer as well as writer Michael Schulz, this film is perhaps their most known career effort, even if it did not receive any awards attention at all. This obviously also has to do with the fact that it is based on a work originally by the famous Brothers Grimm. The story of Cinderella has been adapted many times by many filmmakers with many different approaches, also animation of course.

But back to this one here: The cast are probably not known too many anymore. Some died, some stopped acting quickly (like lead actress Petra Vigna) and those who are still alive and working in the German film industry have not been in prestigious films for ages and the consequence is that probably not even the very biggest German film fans (like myself) will recognize names or faces in here. This does not mean it was a bad film though. Not at all. It is at least as good as the other recent German fairy tale productions for the small screen. The material is strong as here we have one of the Grimm's finest and the people working on this one in front of the camera and behind it are on par as well quality-wise. Good for them, good for us. The film gets slightly weaker in the second half, but it is tolerable. The only thing I did not really like was the soundtrack that should have been more subtle on several occasions. Everything else was handled competently and that's why I give this small screen release a thumbs-up. Go check it out, especially if you like fairy tales.