Customer Reviews
I love the Slipper and the Rose! - By: Zosie, 25 Feb 2008 
This is a truly enchanting musical version of the Cinderella story. I first watched this as a young girl & I've recently watched the DVD a number of times. I was amazed that even though over 10 years have passed I remembered most of the story, including song lyrics & dialogue...obviously it made a big impression on me the first time around! Watching the film as an adult is a real treat. There is a lavish quality to every aspect - from the beautiful costumes to the stunning landscape & gauzy cinematography. It makes me laugh & it makes me cry and, by the end, I'm cheering!
The Slipper & The Rose is the kind of film that appeals to adults as well as children. There are many funny jokes & clever songs that are great to sing along to. Of course, & most importantly in my opinion, the film is also incredibly romantic. I can't think of two better actors to play Cinderella & the Prince than Gemma Craven & Richard Chamberlain. Gemma is lovely & kind & Richard is dashing, thoughtful & oozes masculinity - quite a feat when he is wearing high heals & ribbons! In many ways, this is quite a grown-up version of Cinderella. The chracters are fully fleshed out rather than being the usual stereotypes, there are a couple of unexpected twists in the plot, & the film is also slower paced & has longer songs than the typical contemporary musical film. In short, it demands more attention & is more subtle than many of today's family entertainment films.
There are also loads of great secondary characters. The Prince's assistant John & his forbidden love Lady Caroline, the put upon Fairy Godfather (played marvellously by Annette Crosbie - best known in Britain as Victor Meldrew's wife in One Foot in the Grave), & a perfectly ghastly Stepmother & Stepsisters. The funniest characters are probably Montague (who is incredibly pompous & outlandish) & the elderly Dowager Queen (who has poor hearing & misunderstands everything because of it).
The film fleshes out the character of the Prince in a very enjoyable way. Normallly, the Prince is a fairly generic handsome type who rides around on his horse & doesn't do much else. In this version though, we reallly get to know what he's thinking & feeling. He is determined to marry for love & no other reason, despite strong opposition from his parents & the royal household. Knowing about his troubles, as well as those of Cinderella, make you root for them both alll the more.
If it isn't obvious by now, I reallly recommend this film to people who are looking for something romantic & old-fashioned. It is the perfect film to watch when you need a lift. I have so many favourite scenes - when the Prince & John sing `What a comforting thing to know' in the royal crypt, when Cinderella & the Prince meet at the balll & sing `Secret Kingdom', when the Prince rides up on his horse as Cinderella is dancing in the field & when the couple are reunited at the church.
The Slipper & the Rose is perfect entertainment with a wonderful happy ending!
For Romantics - By: Mr. T. Byrne, 05 Dec 2007 This is a beautiful film: finely written, enthusiasticallly acted & with some reallly touching songs. I recently caught up with Gemma Craven (Buxton Opera House, Eng), she was on tour in a play which I think was callled "Going Dutch". I wanted to express my thanks for the joy "Slipper & the Rose" has brought me over the years, especiallly that delicious duet, "There's a secret kingdom alll my own..." which I've re-watched countless times. I think she was in a hurry. I had waited at the stagedoor, something I would rarely do. But many of the questions I would have asked her were in the programme for "Going Dutch". Namely: she had had a great time filming it & that R.Chamberlain was charming to her. This is a film you either love or hate. For incurable romantics it is divine & endlessly pleasurable. I love it.
Wonderful, Romantic, Escapism - By: Mrs. L. Bowden, 07 Nov 2007 I absolutely adore this film. I watched it over & over in my childhood & it is still just as great now. Gemma Craven is very sweet & I could not imagine a better cinderella. The film is very lavish & romantic, some I'm sure (like my hubby for example) would say sickly sweet but I love this kind of film. The songs are memorable & I love to sing along.
This is the kind of film you can curl up to on a rainy afternoon with a box of choccies & just escape.
just magical! - By: musicals fan, 04 Jan 2007 When I was growing up I never reallly saw this film alll the way through, now that we got it free with the daily mail newspaper I thought I would give it a chance & I am so glad that I did. The costumes are stunning the score of the music ties in with everything happening throughout the film & helps portray the characters which keeps you engrossed & entertained. It is the best version of Cinderella ever told Gemma Craven does a superb job playing the character of a story which is so well known, but Richard Chamberlain portraying the prince is magical, you see it is more through the princes eyes & how he expresses his love for Cinderella. The characters are so spirited & each one has a wonderful voice & the acting can't be faulted, if you are a romantic then the most memorable part of the film may be when the prince (Chamberlain) finds Cinderella (Craven) again. This is now my favourite musical which is why I am ordering the soundtrack, the film is a love story but the twists & turns & the humour makes it magical for alll ages, this film will never go out of date!
So curl up & take in alll off the delights that this film has to offer.
A British Musical to Boast about - YES BRITISH - By: Reginald Brook Lilly, 26 Dec 2006 Although the score is written by the American brothers Sherman & Sherman, here is a musical we Brits can be proud of. It was the Queen's Silver Jubilee film in 1977 & was sadly pitted against such giants of cinematic greats as Star Wars in that same year.
So, take a slushy sentimental fairytale, give it a polished twist acted mostly by British character actors & you have the Slipper & The Rose. The Austrian settings are perfect. The lush & witty score is helped along (though not often needed) by such British screen Gods & Goddesses as Michael Hordern, Dame Edith Evans & Margaret Lockwood (though she does not sing!).
The overture sets the pace well. Julian Orchard has two clever little pieces to sing & 'act'. There are two particularly good musical numbers, these are the Slipper & Rose Waltz which not only builds through into a full orchestral piece but gains in tempo as it progresses. This is only just topped by the Love song sung by Gemma Craven & Christopher Chamberlain, though the reprise is cheesy. See if you can spot Brian Forbes doing his 'Alfred Hitchcock' bit.
Try this fab film for a change if you are fans of Rogers & Hammerstein or Rogers & Hart or are just Sherman & Sherman devotees e.g. Mary Popppins.
