The Slipper and the Rose
Encyclopedia
The Slipper and the Rose is a 1976 British musical film
retelling the classic fairy tale
of Cinderella
. This film was chosen as the Royal Command Performance
motion picture selection for 1976.
Directed by Bryan Forbes
, the film stars Gemma Craven
as the heroine, Richard Chamberlain as the Prince, and a supporting cast led by Michael Hordern
, Kenneth More
, Edith Evans
and Annette Crosbie
. Academy Award
nominated songs are written by Richard M. Sherman
and Robert B. Sherman
, who also shared scripting duties with Forbes and, reportedly, the film's producer, broadcaster and journalist Sir David Frost
.
Prince Edward of Euphrania returns home and to be greeted by High Lord Chamberlain, who is anxious to hear the news of his engagement. However, The Prince reveals he did not propose to her (Why Can't I Be Two People). After the unsuccessful journey to meet the princess, Edward decides to tell his parents that he wants to marry for love. They both believe the idea to be ridiculous and completely disagree (What Has Love Got To Do With Being Married?)
Meanwhile, Cinderella is banished to the cellar and made to work as a servant to her Stepmother and her daughters following her father's death. Back at the castle, the King of Euphrania is advised that a marriage between Edward and a Princess from one of Euphrania's enemies would prevent war. A ball is seen as the perfect way to help Edward choose his bride. However the princesses refuse the invitation so the local nobility, including Cinderella's Stepmother and Stepsisters, are invited.
The Stepmother and Stepsisters demand that Cinderella sew all three of them elegant gowns for the ball from the fabric of their old dresses. Cinderella has no idea what to do. As luck would have it her fairy godmother arrives and while Cinderalla rests, creates three beautiful gowns. That night, the Stepmother and Stepsisters depart for the ball leaving Cinderella alone. Cinderella's Fairy Godmother returns and informs Cinderella that she too can go to the ball. A coach and horses are magically prepared and Cinderella is sent off to the ball with a warning that the magic can only last till midnight. It is love at first sight when Cinnderella and Edward meet at the ball. As the clock strikes midnight, Cinderella races away, leaving only behind her glass slipper.
Edward sends his servants out far and wide in search of the woman who fits the glass slipper. The search turns out empty-handed. Edward builds a monument for the slipper and hopes that one day Cinderella will turn up. Finally, frustrated by his fruitless search, he breaks the monument, tossing the slipper into the woods where Cinderella finds it.
Cinderella and Edward meet again and head back to the castle. They are greeted by the Stepmother and Stepsisters. Edward asks the permission of the Stepmother to marry Cinderella and she gives full permission. Cinderella tells her Stepmother and Stepsisters that she forgives them for their mistreatment. In the Throne Room, Edward and Cinderella go before the King and Queen. Whilst the King and Queen find Cinderella to be charming, something seems to be troubling the King. He takes the Lord Chamberlain aside and tells him that there is no way his son and Cinderella, a non-royal, can be married. The Lord Chamberlain conveys this to Cinderella along with the news that she will have to be exiled that very night. Brokenhearted, Cinderella asks the Lord Chamberlain to tell Edward that she never loved him, because she knows that Edward will try and find her because of his love for her.
Edward, knowing he's fighting a losing battle, agrees to marry whomever the King and Queen choose, but says that his marital duties will go no further than the altar. Cinderella, living peacefully in exile, still thinks of Edward. Her Fairy Godmother arrives and asks Cinderella why she isn't at the castle as Edward is getting married that day. Cinderella, surprised, asks who Edward is marrying. The Fairy Godmother doesn't know but plans to set things right.
Back at the Castle, as the wedding is taking place, everyone is surprised when Cinderella shows up in a wedding gown. The King interrupts the wedding and he and his council meet in private. The fairy godmother joins the discussion and convinces the king to change the law, so that Edward can marry the girl of his choice. In a surprising twist, Edward's cousin falls in love and marries Edward's chosen bride thus fulfilling the alliance. Cinderella and Edward live happily ever after.
In its initial US release by Universal Pictures, the songs "What Has Love Got To Do With Being Married" and "I Can't Forget the Melody" were cut. They were also cut from the soundtrack LP, released in the US (MCA 2097).
were nominated for the following awards for The Slipper and the Rose:
of the The Slipper and the Rose the Queen Mother
commented to the songwriters, "The waltz you wrote for the ballroom scene is the most beautiful song I've ever heard."
Writing in The New York Times
, critic Vincent Canby
called the film "harmless", adding that the writers "stretched the fable without mercy, largely to accommodate a whole bunch of forgettable songs by the Shermans", and that, as the Prince and Cinderella, "Mr. Chamberlain and Miss Craven have impossible roles that are less like characters in a fairy tale than pictures on a jar of peanut butter."
, playwright
Peter Morgan
makes reference to Executive Producer
, David Frost
's involvement in The Slipper and the Rose suggesting that Frost is more "entertainer" than serious journalist.
, Quebec.
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
retelling the classic fairy tale
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
of Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
. This film was chosen as the Royal Command Performance
Royal Command Performance
For the annual Royal Variety Performance performed in Britain for the benefit of the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund, see Royal Variety Performance...
motion picture selection for 1976.
Directed by Bryan Forbes
Bryan Forbes
Bryan Forbes, CBE is an English film director, actor and writer.-Career:Bryan Forbes was born John Theobald Clarke on 22 July 1926 in Queen Mary's Hospital, Stratford, West Ham, Essex , and grew up at 43 Cranmer Road, Forest Gate, West Ham, Essex .Forbes trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of...
, the film stars Gemma Craven
Gemma Craven
Gemma Craven is an award-winning Irish actress.She is possibly best known for her role in the Irish TV drama The Clinic as Dr...
as the heroine, Richard Chamberlain as the Prince, and a supporting cast led by Michael Hordern
Michael Hordern
Sir Michael Murray Hordern was an English actor, knighted in 1983 for his services to the theatre, which stretched back to before the Second World War.-Personal life:...
, Kenneth More
Kenneth More
Kenneth Gilbert More CBE was a highly successful English film actor during the post-World War II era and starred in many feature films, often in the role of an archetypal carefree and happy-go-lucky middle-class gentleman.-Early life:Kenneth More was born in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, the...
, Edith Evans
Edith Evans
Dame Edith Mary Evans, DBE was a British actress. She was known for her work on the British stage. She also appeared in a number of films, for which she received three Academy Award nominations, plus a BAFTA and a Golden Globe award.Evans was particularly effective at portraying haughty...
and Annette Crosbie
Annette Crosbie
Annette Crosbie, OBE is a Scottish character actor.-Life and career:Crosbie was born in Gorebridge, Midlothian, Scotland, to Presbyterian parents who disapproved of her becoming an actor. Nevertheless, she joined the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School while still in her teens...
. Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
nominated songs are written by Richard M. Sherman
Sherman Brothers
The Sherman Brothers are an American songwriting duo that specialize in musical films, made up of Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman ....
and Robert B. Sherman
Sherman Brothers
The Sherman Brothers are an American songwriting duo that specialize in musical films, made up of Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman ....
, who also shared scripting duties with Forbes and, reportedly, the film's producer, broadcaster and journalist Sir David Frost
David Frost
Sir David Frost is a British broadcaster.David Frost may also refer to:*David Frost , South African golfer*David Frost , classical record producer*David Frost *Dave Frost, baseball pitcher...
.
Plot
The story revolves around a central theme of love between Prince Edward of Euphrania and Cinderella. There are also elements of wish fulfillment notably conveyed through the character of the Fairy Godmother.Prince Edward of Euphrania returns home and to be greeted by High Lord Chamberlain, who is anxious to hear the news of his engagement. However, The Prince reveals he did not propose to her (Why Can't I Be Two People). After the unsuccessful journey to meet the princess, Edward decides to tell his parents that he wants to marry for love. They both believe the idea to be ridiculous and completely disagree (What Has Love Got To Do With Being Married?)
Meanwhile, Cinderella is banished to the cellar and made to work as a servant to her Stepmother and her daughters following her father's death. Back at the castle, the King of Euphrania is advised that a marriage between Edward and a Princess from one of Euphrania's enemies would prevent war. A ball is seen as the perfect way to help Edward choose his bride. However the princesses refuse the invitation so the local nobility, including Cinderella's Stepmother and Stepsisters, are invited.
The Stepmother and Stepsisters demand that Cinderella sew all three of them elegant gowns for the ball from the fabric of their old dresses. Cinderella has no idea what to do. As luck would have it her fairy godmother arrives and while Cinderalla rests, creates three beautiful gowns. That night, the Stepmother and Stepsisters depart for the ball leaving Cinderella alone. Cinderella's Fairy Godmother returns and informs Cinderella that she too can go to the ball. A coach and horses are magically prepared and Cinderella is sent off to the ball with a warning that the magic can only last till midnight. It is love at first sight when Cinnderella and Edward meet at the ball. As the clock strikes midnight, Cinderella races away, leaving only behind her glass slipper.
Edward sends his servants out far and wide in search of the woman who fits the glass slipper. The search turns out empty-handed. Edward builds a monument for the slipper and hopes that one day Cinderella will turn up. Finally, frustrated by his fruitless search, he breaks the monument, tossing the slipper into the woods where Cinderella finds it.
Cinderella and Edward meet again and head back to the castle. They are greeted by the Stepmother and Stepsisters. Edward asks the permission of the Stepmother to marry Cinderella and she gives full permission. Cinderella tells her Stepmother and Stepsisters that she forgives them for their mistreatment. In the Throne Room, Edward and Cinderella go before the King and Queen. Whilst the King and Queen find Cinderella to be charming, something seems to be troubling the King. He takes the Lord Chamberlain aside and tells him that there is no way his son and Cinderella, a non-royal, can be married. The Lord Chamberlain conveys this to Cinderella along with the news that she will have to be exiled that very night. Brokenhearted, Cinderella asks the Lord Chamberlain to tell Edward that she never loved him, because she knows that Edward will try and find her because of his love for her.
Edward, knowing he's fighting a losing battle, agrees to marry whomever the King and Queen choose, but says that his marital duties will go no further than the altar. Cinderella, living peacefully in exile, still thinks of Edward. Her Fairy Godmother arrives and asks Cinderella why she isn't at the castle as Edward is getting married that day. Cinderella, surprised, asks who Edward is marrying. The Fairy Godmother doesn't know but plans to set things right.
Back at the Castle, as the wedding is taking place, everyone is surprised when Cinderella shows up in a wedding gown. The King interrupts the wedding and he and his council meet in private. The fairy godmother joins the discussion and convinces the king to change the law, so that Edward can marry the girl of his choice. In a surprising twist, Edward's cousin falls in love and marries Edward's chosen bride thus fulfilling the alliance. Cinderella and Edward live happily ever after.
Cast
- Gemma CravenGemma CravenGemma Craven is an award-winning Irish actress.She is possibly best known for her role in the Irish TV drama The Clinic as Dr...
as Cinderella - Richard Chamberlain as Prince Edward
- Margaret Lockwood as the Stepmother
- Michael HordernMichael HordernSir Michael Murray Hordern was an English actor, knighted in 1983 for his services to the theatre, which stretched back to before the Second World War.-Personal life:...
as the King - Lally Bowers as the Queen
- Edith EvansEdith EvansDame Edith Mary Evans, DBE was a British actress. She was known for her work on the British stage. She also appeared in a number of films, for which she received three Academy Award nominations, plus a BAFTA and a Golden Globe award.Evans was particularly effective at portraying haughty...
as the Dowager Queen - Annette CrosbieAnnette CrosbieAnnette Crosbie, OBE is a Scottish character actor.-Life and career:Crosbie was born in Gorebridge, Midlothian, Scotland, to Presbyterian parents who disapproved of her becoming an actor. Nevertheless, she joined the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School while still in her teens...
as the Fairy Godmother - Kenneth MoreKenneth MoreKenneth Gilbert More CBE was a highly successful English film actor during the post-World War II era and starred in many feature films, often in the role of an archetypal carefree and happy-go-lucky middle-class gentleman.-Early life:Kenneth More was born in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, the...
as the Lord High Chamberlain - Christopher GableChristopher GableChristopher Gable, CBE was an English ballet dancer, choreographer, and actor.Born in London, Gable studied at the Royal Ballet School, joining the Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet in 1957...
as John, the Prince Edward's valet and friend - Julian OrchardJulian OrchardJulian Dean C. Orchard was an English comedy actor.-Biography:Orchard was educated at Shrewsbury School and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama...
as the Duke of Montague, cousin to the Prince - Rosalind AyresRosalind AyresRosalind Ayres is an English actress. Active since 1970, Ayres may be best known by a wide audience for her role was in the 1997 film Titanic, in which she played Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon....
as Isobella, Stepsister - Sherrie HewsonSherrie HewsonSherrie Lynn Hutchinson is an English actor, broadcaster and novelist.-Early life:Born in Nottinghamshire, Hewson was brought up in a showbusiness family; her father was a singer and her mother a model. She began performing at the age of six, touring the UK's theatres in revues with her own...
as Palatine, Stepsister
Dancers
- Robert ArdittiRobert ArdittiRobert Arditti is an English Director/Choreographer and actor, singer, dancer of stage, television, and movies. His most notable feature is his red hair. He was born in London...
— Adrian Barnes — Wendy Barry — Tony Bateman — Nicky Benton — Michael Buchanan — Reg Bundy - Susan Claire — Ina Clare — Rosalind Cole — Michael Coleman — Lesley Collier
- Michael Darbyshire — Anna Delaney — Bill Drysdale — Stanley Fleet — Neil Fitzwilliam — Joyce Graham
- Johnny Heawood — Deanne Horsham — Sheila Humphries — Jerry (?) Hunt — Janie Kells — Lorna Kelner
- Jimmy Land, Maurice Lane — William Lawford — Adrian Lepeltier — Susan Lockwood — Vince Logan
- Connel Miles — Thorey Mountain — Connie Paull — Terry Rendle
- Stuart Saunders — David Shelmordine — Petra Siniwski — Wayne SleepWayne SleepWayne Philip Colin Sleep OBE is a British dancer, director, choreographer and panelist. He was a Principal Dancer with the Royal Ballet and has appeared as a Guest Artist with several other ballet companies.-Early life:...
— Arthur Sweet — Jessica Swift - Hilary Tickner — Jacquie Toye — Domini Winter
Songs
- "Why Can't I Be Two People?" - Richard Chamberlain
- "What Has Love Got to Do With Getting Married?" - Michael Hordern, Lally Bowers, Edith Evans, Julian Orchard
- "Once I Was Loved" - Gemma Craven
- "What a Comforting Thing to Know" - Richard Chamberlain, Christopher Gable
- "Protocoligorically Correct" - Michael Hordern, Chorus
- "Bride-Finding Ball" - Richard Chamberlain, Julian Orchard
- "Suddenly It Happens" - Annette Crosbie, Gemma Craven
- "The Slipper and the Rose Waltz Theme" (an instrumental version of "He Danced With Me")
- "Secret Kingdom" - Richard Chamberlain, Gemma Craven
- "He Danced With Me/She Danced With Me]" - Richard Chamberlain, Gemma Craven
- "Position and Positioning" - Christopher Gable, Chorus
- "Tell Him Anything (But Not That I Love Him)" - Gemma Craven
- "I Can't Forget the Melody" - Gemma Craven
- "Secret Kingdom (Reprise)" - Richard Chamberlain, Gemma Craven
In its initial US release by Universal Pictures, the songs "What Has Love Got To Do With Being Married" and "I Can't Forget the Melody" were cut. They were also cut from the soundtrack LP, released in the US (MCA 2097).
Award nominations
The Sherman BrothersSherman Brothers
The Sherman Brothers are an American songwriting duo that specialize in musical films, made up of Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman ....
were nominated for the following awards for The Slipper and the Rose:
- Academy Award - Best Music, Song "The Slipper and the Rose Waltz (He Danced With Me/She Danced With Me)"
- Academy Award (with Angela MorleyAngela MorleyAngela Morley was an English composer and conductor. Morley was born in Leeds, Yorkshire in 1924, and played saxophone in a number of dance bands, and in 1944 became a member of Geraldo's band....
) - Best Music, Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score - Golden Globe AwardGolden Globe AwardThe Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
- "Best Original Song Score" 1977 - Saturn AwardSaturn AwardThe Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
- "Best Fantasy Film" 1978 - BAFTA - "Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music" 1977
- BAFTA Award for Best Costume DesignBAFTA Award for Best Costume DesignThe British Academy Film Award for Best Costume Design is one of the annual film awards given by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.-1960s:* 1969 - Oh! What a Lovely War - Anthony Mendleson** Funny Girl – Irene Sharaff...
- Julie HarrisJulie Harris (costume designer)Julie Harris is a British costume designer.Born in London, Harris began her career in 1947 at Gainsborough Pictures with Holiday Camp, the forerunner of the Huggett family film series...
Reception
At the March 24, 1976 Royal Command PerformanceRoyal Command Performance
For the annual Royal Variety Performance performed in Britain for the benefit of the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund, see Royal Variety Performance...
of the The Slipper and the Rose the Queen Mother
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
commented to the songwriters, "The waltz you wrote for the ballroom scene is the most beautiful song I've ever heard."
Writing in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, critic Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby was an American film critic who became the chief film critic for The New York Times in 1969 and reviewed more than 1000 films during his tenure there.-Life and career:...
called the film "harmless", adding that the writers "stretched the fable without mercy, largely to accommodate a whole bunch of forgettable songs by the Shermans", and that, as the Prince and Cinderella, "Mr. Chamberlain and Miss Craven have impossible roles that are less like characters in a fairy tale than pictures on a jar of peanut butter."
In other media
In the 2006 London play, Frost/NixonFrost/Nixon
Frost/Nixon is a 2006 play by British screenwriter and dramatist Peter Morgan. Its subject is the series of televised interviews that former United States President Richard Nixon granted David Frost in 1977 about his administration, including his role in the Watergate scandal.-Performance...
, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
Peter Morgan
Peter Morgan (screenwriter)
Peter Morgan is an English film writer and playwright best known for writing the films and plays The Deal, The Queen, Frost/Nixon, and The Special Relationship.- Early life :...
makes reference to Executive Producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
, David Frost
David Frost (broadcaster)
Sir David Paradine Frost, OBE is a British journalist, comedian, writer, media personality and daytime TV game show host best known for his two decades as host of Through the Keyhole and serious interviews with various political figures, the most notable being Richard Nixon...
's involvement in The Slipper and the Rose suggesting that Frost is more "entertainer" than serious journalist.
-
- Jim Reston: "Where's David?"
- Bob Zelnick: "At a movie premiere."
- Jim Reston: "What, the night before we start taping? What premiere?"
- Bob Zelnick: "The Slipper and the Rose"
- Jim Reston: "The Cinderella movie?"
- Bob Zelnick: "He's the executive producer."
- Jim Reston: "What the one with Richard Chamberlain singing, 'ding diddy ding ding'?"
United States
It made its US premiere in February, 2004 at the Hale Center Theater in Salt Lake City, Utah. A production was also put on in Nov.-Dec. 2008 at the Tacoma Musical Playhouse in Tacoma, Washington.Canada
The Slipper and the Rose had its Canadian premiere on Saturday May 28, 2011 at the Beaubois Theatre in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec.