A week after reviewing Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's  South Pacific (2001), I found myself watching yet another Rodgers and Hammerstein musical on DVD. Not that I am complaining of course because Rodgers and Hammerstein write some of the best songs in musicals.

The story this time is  the timeless tale of Cinderella (Lesley Ann Warren). Once upon a time, there was a Cinder Maid aptly named Cinderella and a handsome prince named The Handsome Prince (Stuart Damon). The King (Walter Pidgeon) and Queen (Ginger Rogers) bugged him to find a wife so that he could carry on the family line. They give a ball inviting all the  fair maidens across the land. Sadly, in this musical, not many of them turn up for the ball. 

Cinderella's two evil stepsisters, Esmeralda (Barbara Ruick) and Prunella (Pat Carroll), and stepmother (Jo Van Fleet) turn up for the ball but refuse to let Cinderella go with them. Cinderella's Fairy Godmother (Celeste Holm) appears and magically transforms mice into coachmen, a pumpkin into a carriage and Cinderella's ragged clothes into a beautiful gown and sends Cinderella to the Prince's ball. Unfortunately, the magic wears out at the stroke of midnight. Needless to say, Cinderella over-extends her stay at the ball and in her frenzy to rush out of the ball before she transformed back into a Cinder Girl at midnight (complete with black ash marks on her face), she leaves behind her glass slipper. The Prince finds the slipper and searches the land for the girl with the only foot size that fits the slipper. He finds Cinderella  at the last cottage and they live happily ever after, even though they probably have difficulty buying shoes for Cinderella subsequently.

This musical was filmed on a sound stage and this is quite apparently from the props that are used. Since the 1957 musical version of Cinderella starring Julie Andrews, technology has advanced quite a bit so that the magic scenes flow more smoothly. Some modern day viewers may find the use of video dissolves and the various cutting to new scenes a little unnatural, but personally, I found this to be done pretty well considering the lack of the sophisticated technology in 1965.

Warren was 18 years old when she took up this part which was her first big break. She plays a very sweet and innocent Cinderella and did it so well that I thought that I was developing a cavity. However, I do think that Julie Andrews sings a lot better than Warren so I would definitely recommend the 1957 TV cast recording CD over this 1965 TV cast recording CD. Damon, on the other hand, cuts a very charming prince and has a fine voice to go along with it.

As with any other Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, the star of the musical is always the music and the lyrics. Critics have panned the libretto by Hammerstein but I really think that he writes some of the funniest and wittiest lyrics in the song "In My Own Little Corner". Also, "Ten Minutes Ago" and "Do I Love You Because You Are Beautiful?" are two very beautiful duets. 

One of my favorite lines in this musical has to be Prunella's retort to her sister, Esmeralda, suggestion that she is fat. She replies calmly, "I am pleasingly plump".

Do I love this musical because it is beautiful or is it beautiful because I love it? I believe it is the former and a big part of it has to do with Rodgers and Hammersteins' beautiful songs. I would gladly watch a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical every week. 

Note: This movie is in colour even though the screen shots used on this page are not.

Reviewed on 2 July 2004