| Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella | 
| Director: Robert Iscove
Actors: Brandy Norwood, Bernadette Peters, Veanne Cox, Natalie Desselle, Paolo Montalban
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.99
Buy New: $8.06
You Save: $6.93 (46%)
Buy New/Used/Collectible from $7.81
Avg. Customer Rating:   (200 reviews)
Sales Rank: 2095
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Live, Full Screen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Published)
Rating: G (General Audience)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 88 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.6
MPN: DISD21516D
UPC: 786936143355
EAN: 0786936143355
ASIN: B00004Z4SE
Release Date: February 4, 2003
Theatrical Release Date: November 2, 1997
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Description
A prince, a pumpkin, a glass slipper ... history's most enduring fairy tale returns with a thoroughly modern twist! Beautifully produced and featuring an all-star cast, RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN'S CINDERELLA shimmers to life in the most spectacular production ever of the classic musical -- including three additional Rodgers & Hammerstein songs exclusive to this special Disney presentation! Pop sensation Brandy (TV's MOESHA) stars as the beautiful Cinderella, who suffers the torment of her wicked stepmother (Bernadette Peters) and spoiled stepsisters. Cinderella dreams of the impossible -- going to the ball and dancing with the prince. Her impossible dream is realized when her fairy godmother (Whitney Houston) teaches her that with positive thinking and belief in yourself, "impossible things happen every day!" Also starring Jason Alexander (TV's SEINFELD) and Whoopi Goldberg (SISTER ACT), Disney's sparkling new version of RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN'S CINDERELLA promises to be an instant classic. Now you can relive the magic anytime you wish!
Amazon.com
More is not necessarily better. A glitzy Hollywood cast and a big budget did not improve the wonderful 1957 teleplay (or its equally charming 1964 remake) upon which this version is based. This is partly because Brandy, cast in the title role, cannot act. Not helping matters are Whoopi Goldberg as the prince's mother and Jason Alexander as his valet. Their shtick wears thin very quickly. However, Paolo Montalban is charismatic as the prince, and Whitney Houston plays a fairy godmother with pizzazz. The production cost millions, and is certainly lavish, but the whole affair feels forced and overdone, reminding one of a prom queen wearing too much makeup. It does deserve credit for a multi-ethnic cast, the addition of two new songs and a hip attitude. However, the 1964 version (the original was not taped) is much sweeter and more romantic. Originally released as Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. --Rochelle O'Gorman
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| Customer Reviews: Read 195 more reviews...
 Cinderella The Musical by Rodgers & Hammerstein January 6, 2009
I purchased this dvd for my four-year-old granddaughter for Christmas. She loves Cinderella, singing,dancing and music. Among other lessons,we are trying to teach tolerance. This dvd presents a very talented and diverse cast of characters. She viewed it and loves it.
BEST December 19, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This was the BEST Cinderella made to date.. Brandy did amazing as did the other cast members.
Amazing November 27, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The voices of Brandy, Bernadette Peters and plenty more make this movie so enjoyable!!
Even how it has Jason Alexander, Victor Garbour and Whoppi Goldburg in the movie brings out the fun in it. What I love about it is that the music and lyrics are all composed my Richard Rodgers and oscar Hammerstein who have given us the most fantastic musicals over the years this is just to 'put the icing on the cake'!
Love It!! October 28, 2008
I loved the Cinderella story as a child and I purchased this for my daughter. She goes around the house singing the songs from the movie and dressing like a princess. It is nice to see a wonderful old story revised and still warming the hearts of children, young and old.
 A Little Girl's Dream and Not Much Else October 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This movie is offensive on so many levels.
For one thing, although I appreciate multiculturalism as much as anyone, the racial combinations here are nothing short of awkward and hilarious. The Stepmother is white, her kids are white and black (huh?); the King is white, the Queen is black, their kid is Asian (now that's a mind-bender). Look, Cinderella is a European fairytale; thus, it would not be racist for all the characters to be white. Really. Heck, you could even have a Cinderella for different cultures, no problem... but it all boils down to this: this culture, even as an "invented fantasy multi-cultural culture," needs to have "rules." If the casting is distracting from the story, it means that its "rules" either failed to hold up or don't exist (I think it's the latter). Frankly, if this is a medieval culture, one that doesn't have the benefit of airplanes or cars to shuttle various races about the world to star in poor musical adaptations, it would probably be a homogenous one; let's not even talk about how a black woman and a white man produce a child of an entirely different race. Really, are the producers so afraid that if kids don't see a multi-racial culture living in harmony, they'll end up racists?
On the bright side, your kids will notice these discrepancies, but probably won't care.
Whoever thought that Rodgers and Hammerstein should be sung pop/R&B-style is an idiot. Whitney Houston's renditions were sickening, and I winced every time Brandy belted something out in her weak, gravelly, raspy voice. She sounded like she had a cold. Whoopi Goldberg shouldn't be allowed near a mike for the rest of her life, either.
The acting is atrocious; everyone involved in this film could be out-acted by furniture (with the exception of Bernadette Peters). Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother should have earned a Razzie.
The script doesn't help anyone; you'll wince at the lines. The message is just as poor, if not goofy; it's all about self-empowerment, whereas the original fairytale is quite simply about someone underprivileged and beaten-down being raised up above the forces that previously enslaved her. It's so modernized that much of the charm Cinderella had was wholly removed. For that matter, it's been updated so much that it doesn't match up with the Political Correctness foisted upon it. Brandy marries "Prince Chris" (ahahaha!) which, if she was a modern woman, she wouldn't have to do. That's right, they should just live together for a while, and if it doesn't work out, Brandi could move out and start her own kingdom as a single mom with her 4 kids (Filipino, Latino, Ugandan, and Ukrainian). When those kids grow up they'll star in weepy interviews with Barbara Walters saying how resilient their mother was.
So why three stars? Well, quite frankly, it's entertaining to a certain degree. And although all the stars and the producers seem hell-bent on twisting and warping the original intent of the story, the score, and the script, your kids won't give a care. The sets and garments are lavish; even their poorest offerings are serviceable. The ending is just what every little girl wants to see. If I were too small to notice that nothing made sense and that the script sucks, this would probably be my favorite movie on earth.
So, if you're a girl less than 8 years of age, this is going to be your favorite movie ever. If you're older than 8 but less than 13, you might like it, but you'll have to get over the "weird factor." If you're 13 and above, this movie isn't for you... unless you love movies that are so bad they're good, in which case, this one will do the trick.
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