Product: The Slipper and the Rose: The Story of Cinderella [VHS] (1977)
Rating: 4.0
Lovely film spoiled by a poor quality DVD (region 2)
The Slipper and the Rose is a musical version of Cinderella and stars Richard Chamberlain as the Prince who is being forced into choosing a bride but who yearns to find love. Gemma Craven is Cinderella, young and beautiful but forced into drudgery by her `wicked stepmother' (Margaret Lockwood). Other well known faces are Kenneth More as the Lord Chamberlain, Michael Horden as the King, Annette Crosby as the feisty fairy godmother and Dame Edith Evans as the dowager queen.The story closely follows the fairy story so beloved by generations of children but with the inclusion of numerous songs which, while not being works of musical genius, are very catchy nonetheless and find you tapping your foot alongside them. Costumes are sumptuous and the scenery (shot in Austria) is magnificent. Although this film is almost 30 years old it should still entertain children (and young-at-heart adults) as much now as it did then.The main flaw with this DVD, and the reason it lost a star, is its poor transfer from film. There has been no effort made to clean up the picture or sound, so it looks a little faded and grainy, and the sound is not as clear as it could be. There are no extras whatsoever (Region 2), not even subtitles or scene select. In other words, if you already own this movie on VHS then the DVD really isn't worth purchasing but, if you don't already possess it, then it is worth buying purely for the entertainment value.