THE AISLE SEAT - "EVER AFTER"

by Mike McGranaghan

I have read that there are over 500 versions of the Cinderella story. It's one of the most famous fairy tales in the world, but what if it was true? That's the premise behind Ever After, which opens with the Grand Dame of France (Jeanne Moreau) sitting in her parlor talking to two writers whom she has summoned to appear before her. Both men have told the tale of Cinderella, but the Grand Dame wants to set the record straight. Over the years, the actual event has been corrupted and turned into little more than a bedtime story. Only she knows what really happened.

The story begins in 16th century Europe, where a young girl named Danielle lives with her father. He returns home one day, bringing along his new wife Rodmilla (Anjelica Huston) and her two daughters, Marguerite and Jacqueline. It is the first time that Danielle has met them, and from the start she can see that her new family members look down on her. Soon thereafter, Danielle's father dies, leaving her alone with her cruel stepmother and the two bratty stepsisters.

Then the story jumps ahead ten years. Danielle is a young woman now, played by Drew Barrymore. She is essentially a slave in her own home. Rodmilla forces her into a life of servitude while she dotes over her own daughters (or at least Marguerite, who, unlike Jacqueline, is beautiful and properly mannered). While collecting apples in a field one afternoon, Danielle encounters Prince Henry of France (Dougray Scott). Believeing him to be a thief, she attacks him, only to realize her mistake. He is lenient, in part because he's rebelling against his parents, who want to force him into an arranged marriage.

They meet again several more times, only he does not recognize Danielle as the young woman in the field. This is because - when he sees her again - she is not dressed as a servant (she also lies about her identity to make him think she is a Countess). They begin sneaking around to one rendezvous point after another. Prince Henry makes a deal with his father that if he can find someone of his own choosing to marry, he can avoid the arrangement. Eventually, Rodmilla finds out and is furious; she has a scheme to make Prince Henry marry Marguerite and will stop at nothing to make sure Danielle is exposed. And of course, everything comes to a head at a certain ball that is being held.

One of the most surprising things about Ever After is how smart it is. You walk in expecting a sugar-coated fairy tale, but the film's ambitions are higher than that. It is a movie about a young woman who is smart, resourceful, and strong. We all know that Cinderella finds true love at the end of the story; here, the issue is not whether she will get her man, but what choices she will make for herself. Faced with the cruelty of her stepmother, the web of lies she has created for the Prince, and even a ruthless landlord who wants something other than money for rent, Danielle must choose her own destiny, independent of any man. It might sound like some knee-jerk feminist parable, but really it's done with intelligence and sweetness, and it says that young women must not be afraid to be who they are.

Besides a smart script and nice direction by Andy Tennant (Fools Rush In), Ever After boasts two terrific performances. Although Drew Barrymore is a big star, I have always felt she was underrated as an actress. In interviews, she often comes off as flighty and ethereal, but on screen she has an uncanny ability to disappear into character. She can play kooky, deadly, sweet, evil, or innocent all with ease. Compare her mentally disturbed character in Mad Love to her murderous homewrecker in Poison Ivy to her ditzy babe in Boys on the Side. She gets under the skin of her characters, and she therefore makes a perfect Cinderella; everything that happens to Danielle seems very real to Barrymore, and therefore to the audience.

And, of course, I must mention the marvelous Anjelica Huston, an actress who continually fascinates me in project after project. Surely one of our finest actresses, Huston is perfectly cast as Rodmilla, the evil stepmother. She resists playing her character as a one-dimensional villain. Instead, she allows us to see inside Rodmilla's mind and understand her twisted thought process. It's a great performance, worthy of Oscar consideration.

Ever After is light and entertaining, just like a good fairy tale. But it also does something more, something very special for a movie: it takes a well-worn story and shows us the truth and meaning underneath the dreamy narrative.

( out of four)

Ever After is rated PG-13 for some violence and a brief moment of profanity. The running time is 2 hours and 1 minute.