6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.1 |
In the Kingdom of Euphrania, Prince Edward wants to marry for love, while his parents seek a political union. Elsewhere in the kingdom, beautiful Cinderella mourns the death of her father and is cruelly abused by her stepmother and stepsisters. But then the King announces a ball to help his son choose a bride, and practical Fairy Godmother knocks on Cinderella's door. A musical re-imagining of the classic fairy tale.
Starring: Richard Chamberlain, Gemma Craven, Michael Hordern, Margaret Lockwood, Annette CrosbieMusical | 100% |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The 1976 British production The Slipper and the Rose was well-received in its native land but failed to find distribution in the U.S., despite a sold-out run at Radio City Music Hall. It was eventually shown to American audiences in 1981 by NBC in a version that was sixteen minutes shorter, deleting two whole musical numbers—and, of course, the widescreen frame was cropped for the TV screen. Not until a DVD version was released by Image in 2000 did a larger American audience get to see the full-length version of this musical reinvention of the Cinderella story. Depending on who's doing the talking, the idea originated either with director Bryan Forbes (The Stepford Wives) or executive producer David Frost (the film is referenced in Frost/Nixon). Both Frost and Forbes agree, however, that the $5 million in financing came from a Middle Eastern oil magnate who obviously thought it would be fun to bankroll a movie. Frost and Forbes recruited the Sherman Brothers, whose songs had successfully enlivened Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (among others)—and the Shermans promptly turned them down, feeling that Cinderella as a musical had already been sufficiently covered by Rodgers and Hammerstein. But, as they relate in the interview included in the extras, the Shermans gradually came around when they thought of a new approach to the story. They wound up co-writing the script with Forbes. Forbes began shooting in Austria even before he'd cast a single role. He knew he wanted a snowy opening, and he couldn't risk losing the wintry landscape to an early thaw. Casting for the role of Cinderella became something of a publicity event, because Forbes wanted an unknown, and the production saw hundreds of applicants. Eventually they settled on a young stage actress, Gemma Craven (who would later play the long-suffering wife of Bob Hoskins' traveling saleman in the original Pennies from Heaven). For the role of the Prince, who, in the Shermans' transformation of the story, became a character of equal (or even greater) importance, Forbes cast former American TV heart throb Richard Chamberlain, who had to undertake intensive training in singing and dance. Surrounding the central pair with a bevy of talented British character actors, Forbes created a Cinderella unlike anything ever imagined by Disney (or, for that matter, Rodgers and Hammerstein).
The Slipper and the Rose was shot in anamorphic widescreen by British cinematographer Tony Imi (Enemy Mine). I have been advised that the film recently underwent a restoration at Pinewood Studios, from which this 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray has been taken. The disc is produced by specialty publisher B2MP and is being released through Inception Media. The Blu-ray image is stunning: clear, sharp and detailed, with no noise or distortion and a fine, natural grain pattern that conveys a truly film-like appearance. The range of colors is remarkable. Costume designer Julie Harris told director Forbes that she "almost" ran out of colors by the end of the production, and the wide range of the palette is fully displayed, especially during the ball sequences, but also in Cinderella's coach, the royal crypt and in unexpected locations like Fairy Godmother's "office". The blacks are deep and solid, as can be seen in a night-time departure by coach late in the film. The only flaw in the presentation is an occasional flickering of the image, which is undoubtedly a source-based limitation, probably caused by shrinkage or stretching of the element. It's a fleeting issue and hardly worth complaining about, given the impressive quality elsewhere. The average bitrate of 26.20 appears to be sufficient to handle the elaborately choreographed dance routines without artifacts, especially given the black bars required by the wider aspect ratio.
The Slipper and the Rose received both mono and four-track stereo releases. The latter is presumably the basis for the lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 on the Blu-ray. The track delivers clear and intelligible dialogue and equally clear renditions of the pre-recorded songs, which have been well-mixed to match the dialogue levels and tonal quality. The orchestral accompaniment (with scoring by Angela Morley) is pleasantly musical but not so overwhelming as to distract from the lyrics or the action on screen. The film does not feature complex or gimmicky sound effects, so that the rear speakers are primarily used to open up the soundstage and support the front. A two-channel PCM mix is also included. In addition, there is an alternate DTS-HD MA 5.1 track, which I sampled but could not immediately distinguish from the main mix.
As far as I can tell, the extras have been ported over from the 2000 Image DVD, which is now out of print. The trailer appears to be a new addition.
The Slipper and the Rose has engaging songs, clever lyrics and amusing performances. Its only drawback is that, by contemporary standards, it may be considered a bit slow. Nevertheless, it is solidly wholesome family entertainment that should appeal to all ages. B2MP has done their typically commendable job in bringing this underseen classic to Blu-ray. Recommended.
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