Ever After

This article is about the 1998 film. For other uses, see Ever After (disambiguation).

Ever After
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Andy Tennant
Produced by	Mireille Soria Tracey Trench
Screenplay by	Susannah Grant Andy Tennant Rick Parks
Based on	Cinderella by Charles Perrault
Starring	Drew Barrymore Anjelica Huston Dougray Scott Jeanne Moreau
Music by	George Fenton
Cinematography	Andrew Dunn
Edited by	Roger Bondelli
Production company	Fox Family Films
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date	July 31, 1998 (1998-07-31)
Running time	121 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$26 million
Box office	$98 million

Ever After (known in promotional material as Ever After: A Cinderella Story) is a 1998 American romantic drama film inspired by the fairy tale Cinderella. It was directed by Andy Tennant and stars Drew Barrymore, Anjelica Huston, Dougray Scott, and Jeanne Moreau. The screenplay is written by Tennant, Susannah Grant, and Rick Parks. The original music score is composed by George Fenton. The film's closing theme song "Put Your Arms Around Me" is performed by the rock band Texas.

The usual pantomime and comic/supernatural elements are removed and the story is instead treated as historical fiction, set in Renaissance-era France. It is often seen as a modern, post-feminism interpretation of the Cinderella story.

Plot

The Leonardo da Vinci portrait Head of a Woman (c. 1508) is portrayed in the film as a depiction of Danielle

In the 19th century, a Grande Dame summons The Brothers Grimm to her palace. The brothers discuss their interpretation of the Cinderella story. She then shows them a slipper and tells them the story of Danielle de Barbarac.

In 16th-century France, Auguste de Barbarac is a widower and the father of eight-year-old Danielle. Auguste marries Rodmilla de Ghent, a haughty baroness with two daughters, Marguerite and Jacqueline. Auguste gives Danielle a copy of Sir Thomas More's Utopia. Later, when leaving for a trip, Auguste dies of a heart attack. By the time Danielle is eighteen, the estate has fallen into decline and Danielle is forced to be a servant to Rodmilla and her daughters. Jacqueline is the only one out of her family to show Danielle any kindness.

One day, Danielle stops a man from stealing her father's horse, only to realize that it is Prince Henry, running away from the palace in frustration. He gives her gold in exchange for her silence on the incident, as he is fleeing an arranged marriage to the Spanish Princess Gabriella. The royal guards catch him, however, after he stops to recover the Mona Lisa for Leonardo da Vinci, which had been stolen by gypsies. Meanwhile, Danielle uses the gold Henry gave her to buy back the servant Maurice, who Rodmilla sold into slavery to pay off her debts. She dresses as a noblewoman and confronts the Cargomaster taking the slaves away. Henry overhears Danielle arguing with the Cargomaster and orders Maurice's release. Impressed with her confidence, Henry insistently begs for Danielle's name until she finally gives him the name of her deceased mother, Nicole de Lancret, with the added title of comtesse (countess). King Francis tells Henry that he is throwing a masquerade ball, where he must choose a bride or wed Gabriella. Meanwhile, Rodmilla schemes to marry Marguerite to Henry, finding excuses for the two to run into each other.

While Danielle is talking to her friend Gustave, Henry rides up and asks for directions; she runs and hides. Henry notices one of Danielle's possessions, and Gustave is forced to admit he knows "Comtesse de Lacret" and tells Henry where she lives. Danielle runs home, changes clothes, and spends the day with Henry at the monastery’s library. They are accosted by gypsies, and after spending the evening at the gypsies camp, they share their first kiss. The next day, Danielle catches Rodmilla and Marguerite stealing her mother's dress and shoes for the upcoming ball. When Marguerite insults Danielle's mother, Danielle punches her and chases her through the house. Marguerite threatens to throw Auguste's book into the fire unless Danielle gives up the shoes. Danielle reluctantly obeys, but Marguerite, spiteful as always, throws the book into the fire and Danielle watches in anguish as her treasured item burns. Afterwards, Rodmilla lashes Danielle as punishment for punching Marguerite. Jacqueline, feeling sorry for Danielle, tends to her wounds, agreeing that what Marguerite said about Danielle's mother was wrong.

Rodmilla discovers that Danielle is the mysterious Countess in whom Henry is interested, so she lies and tells Queen Marie that Danielle is engaged. Meanwhile, Danielle meets with Henry to tell him the truth, but he interrupts her and reveals to her that she has transformed his life and given him a sense of purpose. Later, Rodmilla and Marguerite confront Danielle, demanding to know where she hid the gown and shoes, but Danielle refuses to hand them over. As a result, Rodmilla locks Danielle in the pantry. Leonardo, whom Danielle has befriended, helps free her, and makes her a pair of wings to wear to the ball with her mother's dress and slippers. When Danielle arrives at the ball and tries again to tell Henry the truth, Rodmilla exposes her identity and Henry angrily rejects her. Danielle bursts into tears and runs away, leaving a slipper behind. Leonardo finds the slipper and sternly reprimands Henry, leaving him with the slipper. Henry, hurt and angry, decides to wed Gabriella, but calls the wedding off after realizing that Gabriella doesn't want to marry him either and that he is still in love with Danielle. He learns from Maurice and Jacqueline that Rodmilla has sold Danielle to the lecherous landowner Pierre le Pieu. Pierre makes sexual advances towards Danielle, but frees her after she threatens him with his own swords. Henry finds her as she is leaving the castle, apologizes for his behavior at the ball, and proposes to her by placing the slipper on her foot.

Rodmilla and her daughters are summoned by King Francis, who accuses Rodmilla of lying to Queen Marie about Danielle. Queen Marie strips Rodmilla of her title and threatens to banish her and Marguerite to the Americas as punishment for their crimes unless someone speaks for them. Danielle enters, in her royal garb, and speaks for them, as they are her stepmother and stepsister. Danielle is introduced as Henry's wife and per her request, Rodmilla and Marguerite are given much more fitting punishments: they are sentenced to permanently work as servants in the palace laundry, much to their chagrin and humiliation. Jacqueline, having always been kind, is spared punishment and has begun a relationship with Laurent, the captain of the guard.

After Leonardo gives Henry and Danielle a portrait of Danielle (Head of a Woman), the newlyweds share a kiss. The Grande Dame informs The Brothers Grimm that Danielle was her great-great-grandmother and that her portrait hung in the university until the outbreak of the French Revolution. She tells them that while Henry and Danielle did live happily ever after, the point is that they lived.

Historical context

While the story is fictional, it involves several historical figures, places and events. The film is set in the 19th and 16th Centuries and features the presences of Francis I, Prince Henry, Leonardo da Vinci, The Grimm brothers, as well as mentions of the explorer Jacques Cartier, fairy tale collector Charles Perrault, the French colonies in the New World, and the French Revolution.

Though the main portion of the film takes place in early 1500's France, the royals shown are most likely not meant to be the historical figures for which they are named. King Francis I summoned Leonardo da Vinci to his court around 1516, 3 years before Prince Henry II was born; neither of king Francis I's wives were named Marie (the first was named Claude and the second Eleanor). Prince Henry II was married to Catherine de' Medici at the age of 14, and had no known children with Diane de Poitiers, a French noblewoman of great influence and the historical figure most likely represented by Danielle. The characters are not meant to be historically accurate figures themselves, but perhaps instead to inspire curiosity about their historical counterparts.

Cast

• Drew Barrymore as Danielle de Barbarac
  • Anna Maguire as 8-year-old Danielle
• Anjelica Huston as Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent
• Dougray Scott as Prince Henry
• Jeanne Moreau as Grande Dame
• Jeroen Krabbé as Auguste de Barbarac
• Megan Dodds as Marguerite de Ghent
  • Elizabeth Earl as Young Marguerite
• Melanie Lynskey as Jacqueline de Ghent
  • Alex Pooley as Young Jacqueline
• Lee Ingleby as Gustave
  • Ricki Cuttell as Young Gustave
• Timothy West as King Francis
• Judy Parfitt as Queen Marie
• Patrick Godfrey as Leonardo da Vinci
• Richard O'Brien as Pierre le Pieu
• Walter Sparrow as Maurice
• Toby Jones as Royal Page
• Peter Gunn as Captain Laurent
• Al Ashton as Cargomaster
• Joerg Stadler as Wilhelm Grimm
• Andy Henderson as Jacob Grimm
• Christian Marc as The King of Spain
• Elvira Stevenson as The Queen of Spain
• Susan Field as Laundry Supervisor
• Matyelok Gibbs as Louise
• Kate Lansbury as Paulette

Production

Ever After was filmed in Super 35.

Locations and sets

The castle shown in the film is the Château de Hautefort in the Dordogne region of France. Other featured châteaux are de Fénelon, de Losse, de Lanquais, de Beynac as well as the city of Sarlat-la-Canéda. The painting of Danielle is based on Leonardo Da Vinci's Head of a Woman (La Scapigliata).

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes reports that 91% of critics gave the film a positive review based on 64 reviews, with an average score of 7.5/10. The critical consensus states: "Ever After is a sweet, frothy twist on the ancient fable, led by a solid turn from star Barrymore." Metacritic calculated a favorable score of 66 based on 22 reviews.

Lisa Schwarzbaum from Entertainment Weekly gave the film a B-, saying: "Against many odds, Ever After comes up with a good one. This novel variation is still set in the once-upon-a-time 16th century, but it features an active, 1990s-style heroine—she argues about economic theory and civil rights with her royal suitor—rather than a passive, exploited hearth sweeper who warbles 'A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes'." She also praised Anjelica Huston's performance as a cruel stepmother: "Huston does a lot of eye narrowing and eyebrow raising while toddling around in an extraordinary selection of extreme headgear, accompanied by her two less-than-self-actualized daughters—the snooty, social-climbing, nasty Marguerite, and the dim, lumpy, secretly nice Jacqueline. "Nothing is final until you're dead", Mama instructs her girls at the dinner table, "and even then I'm sure God negotiates."

Chicago Sun-Times film critic, Roger Ebert, praises the film with three out of four stars and writes, "The movie [...] is one of surprises, not least that the old tale still has life and passion in it. I went to the screening expecting some sort of soppy children's picture and found myself in a costume romance with some of the same energy and zest as The Mask of Zorro. And I was reminded again that Drew Barrymore can hold the screen and involve us in her characters. [...] Here, as the little cinder girl, she is able to at last put aside her bedraggled losers and flower as a fresh young beauty, and she brings poignancy and fire to the role."

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

• 2002: AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions – Nominated

Home media

On March 3, 1999, the film was released on DVD. On January 4, 2011, the film was released on Blu-ray.

Musical adaptation

Main article: Ever After The Musical

A report in 2012 indicated that a musical theatre production was in the works, with the book and lyrics by Marcy Heisler and music by Zina Goldrich. The musical was originally scheduled for its world premiere in April 2009 at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco, but the pre-Broadway run was postponed. In May 2012, the project was back on track with Kathleen Marshall signing on to direct a Broadway run.

A workshop of the musical was held from April 25, 2013 – May 15, 2013 with Sierra Boggess as Danielle, Jeremy Jordan as Prince Henry, and Ashley Spencer as Marguerite. The musical made its world premiere at the Paper Mill Playhouse from May 21, 2015 – June 21, 2015. Christine Ebersole played the role of Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent. Alongside Ebersole, Margo Seibert starred as Danielle, James Snyder as Henry, Charles Shaughnessy as King Francis, and Tony Sheldon as Leonardo da Vinci. Another production of the musical played at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre from January 15, 2019 to February 19. The production was directed by Susan V. Booth and starred Sierra Boggess as Danielle de Barbarac, Terry Burrell as Queen Marie, Todd Buonopane as Captain Laurent, David Garrison as Leonardo da Vinci, Chris Kayser as King Francis, Jeff McCarthy as Pierre Malette, Tim Rogan as Prince Henry and Rachel York as Baroness Rodmilla du Ghent.

External links

• Ever After on IMDb
• Ever After at Box Office Mojo
• Ever After at Rotten Tomatoes
• Ever After at Metacritic