6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
An adaptation of the fairy tale, Cinderella traces the misadventures of our heroine, who, via the help of her "fairy" (i.e. gay) godmother, is granted heightened sexual prowess to win over Prince Charming. After a blindfolded orgy at the royal castle, the nerdy Prince must sleep with every willing woman in his kingdom until he finds that one, mysterious lover who so "stood out" on the night of the sex Ball.
Starring: Cheryl Smith (I), Marilyn Corwin, Kirk Scott, Sy Richardson, Brenda FogartyErotic | 100% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Musical | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
None
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
According to a feature report in Variety that came across my news feed the other day, none other than Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber was booed loudly by the audience at the recent closing of his musical version of Cinderella when he mentioned that it had been "a costly mistake". I couldn't help but jokingly wonder what might have happened had Sir Andrew simply followed up by announcing, "The people behind the film I'm about to show you have said something curious to me: 'Hold my beer'", and then launched into a screening of another musical version of the venerable tale which some may feel was a "mistake", costly or otherwise. Cinderella in this 1977 iteration is a musical, no doubt, and I have to say I was actually kind of pleasantly surprised by the general competence of the song score and the arrangements and orchestrations in particular, but the song and dance here are accompanied by a generous dose of another famous pair, namely T and A, in a soft core romp that is occasionally kind of funny but which becomes increasingly labored as it wends its way to a happy ending (in more ways than one).
Cinderella is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Full Moon Features with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.40:1. The back cover of this release states that it has been "remastered from the original 35mm camera negative". The results here are generally very good, especially in terms of a rather robustly colorful palette, which pops agreeably throughout virtually the entire presentation. Detail levels are often commendable as well, with close-ups in some outdoor scenes offering substantial precision on things like costume fabrics and facial features. There are some passing irregularities, including short interstitial moments where image clarity and suffusion take downturns and the grain spikes pretty dramatically (see screenshot 19). Occasional scenes have noticeable blemishes, including some pretty bad scratches (see screenshot 18). On the whole, though, this is a pleasing transfer of a cult item with generally stable technical merits and a nicely organic appearance. My score is 3.75.
Unfortunately the disc features only lossy audio in the form of either Dolby Digital 2.0 (default) or Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks. The sound design here is not opulent by any standards, but as mentioned above, I was actually kind of pleasantly surprised by the technical finesse of the orchestral backings on the songs. The singing is pleasant if hardly in the "take your breath away" category, and the two Dolby offerings support the music well enough, though of course curmudgeonly audiophiles (ahem) will no doubt wonder what lossless audio could have added to the (literal and figurative) mix. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. No subtitles are available.
- Mansion of the Doomed (HD; 1:50)
- Day Time Ended (HD; 1:34)
- Laserblast (HD; 1:26)
- Fairy Tales (HD; 1:31)
- Last Foxtrot in Burbank (HD; 1:30)
I actually Music Directed the Rodgers and Hammerstein version of Cinderella many years ago in Portland where I live (with not quite yet Miss America Katie Harman in the title role!), shortly after the televised version with Brandy (linked to) had aired, and the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization in their wisdom (?) had started licensing the show with "The Sweetest Sounds" (from No Strings, for which Rodgers famously wrote both music and lyrics) interpolated. I could never quite get used to hearing that song in an unfamiliar context, but that sense of awkwardness probably pales in comparison to watching naked women cavorting in a fairy tale setting whilst warbling pop inflected tunes very much in a seventies vein (down to and including hints of disco). Some people I'm sure hear the name "Charles Band" and instantly roll their eyes, but for those with perhaps askew sensibilities, this version of Cinderella is not as bad as some may fear, and in fact it has a certain delirious if weird entertainment value at times. Technical merits are generally solid in the video department, though audio is only lossy, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.
1974
Director's Cut
1978
1986
1987
1989
1978
Peekarama
1985
Limited Edition of 1500
1978
1970
1974
SOLD OUT / Out Of Print
1976
1977
Slipcover Edition | Limited to 2,000
1974
1975
1972
Peekarama Collection
1981
Gosh
1974
2007
1976
1975