Three Nuts for Cinderella

Tri orísky pro Popelku; adventure, Czech Republic / Germany, 1973; D: Václav Vorlícek, S: Libuse Safránková, Pavel Trávnícek, Carola Braunbock, Rolf Hoppe, Karin Lesch

Winter. An evil old lady, the stepmother of Cinderella, rules some village. Cinderella's father died, so she has to constantly sweep and clean in her house since her stepsister is privileged by her stepmother. Cinderella also hides one owl that one day brings her three magical nuts. The first nut transforms into a hunting uniform; she puts it on and meets the prince in the forest, making an impression on him. The second nut transforms into a dancing dress, so she tries it on and has a dance with the prince on the ball, but runs away. The prince finds her lost shoe and follows her with his horse. He fails to find her in the village, while the stepmother even wants him to marry her biological daughter. The third nut transforms into a wedding dress, so Cinderella meets the prince and conquers his heart.

"Three Nuts for Cinderella" is a little different adaptation of the popular fairy tale, marketed and presented as a film about a rebellious Cinderella who isn't passive, rides a horse and knows how to hunt. Still, those who saw the film actually said it was sweet propaganda that idealises that laxly product without too much sense for dreamy or magical. The heroine, played very well by Libuse Safrankova, truly rides a horse and knows how to hunt, but that isn't that fascinating, or better said, it wasn't set in a fascinating way. The only intriguing scene is when she shoots her arrow and hits the arrow that was held by the prince, yet her personality is rather routinely developed and doesn't have that kind of specific independent feminine charm some screen heroines have. Among the charming scenes is also the one where the heroine opens the window for the pigeons so that they can enter and clean the corn seeds on the floor for her by (eating it), yet as a whole, Vaclav Vorlicek's "Cinderella" is just a neat, solid film that doesn't enchant enough due to its conventional style.

Grade:+