Trois voeux pour Cendrillon

A beautiful Nordic fairy tale, which bounced away from Vorlíček's Czech-German kitsch and replaced it with a straightforward storyline about a modern girl who, even after meeting the prince, did not necessarily fall in love and eventually get married. Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper (2004) offers a similarly great message. (15/09/2022)

The Norwegians have taken a big bite out of adapting one of our most beloved fairy tales, and with their modern approach to the traditional story, they have - at least in the Czech Republic – put themselves in a corner. Three Wishes for Cinderella mixes scenes that faithfully adhere to the model and some that deviate from it – sometimes in a good sense, sometimes in a rather bad one. The line about finding a dress for Dora with an affected stylist and taking over the sequins missed its effect and seemed to distract rather than enliven the story. Kristofer Hivju's "whiny" shtick seemed similar. On the other hand, I appreciated the innovation in the case of the third wish/grief and the final confrontation between Cinderella, the prince and the stepmother. Cinderella's arrival and entry at the ball and the pleasantly altered veil also had their charms. Czech audiences will certainly pretty perplexed by the casting of various minorities in the plot, which personally struck me as awkward – I understand the creative intent, but I found its execution (at least in the case of the prince's two companions) somewhat clumsily handled. Of the cast, apart from the title couple, I was most impressed by the stepmother and Alfred. All in all, Three Wishes for Cinderella is a bold achievement, on more than one front, which, among other things, appeals for its assured cinematography and the beautiful natural scenery of snowy Norway. (23/12/2021)