There are over 1500 versions of Cinderella worldwide and in
2000, the Guinness Book of world records reported that Cinderella was
Hollywood’s favorite fairy tale. The one most of us Americans are familiar with
is the French version of the tale, but almost every culture on earth has a
similar tale. All of these share a few common elements. 1. Cinderella/Cinderlad
character. 2. Oppressors of the Cinderella/Cinderlad. 3. Magical person that
helps Cinderella achieve her goals in
life. 4. Prince/Someone Cinderella wants to impress. 5. Lost item of Clothing.
This blog post will of course not be all inclusive, but I think I may be able
to give you some idea of some different versions of this tale. If it is of
another culture I’ll put the country of origin next to the tale.
1.
Cinderella (France)
So let’s start with the one everyone knows.
This is the one with the fairy godmother and the glass slipper and the midnight
clock. Need I say more? Everyone knows the story!
1.
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
You know how Cinderella always seems to do
everything she’s told and doesn’t seem to have any backbone in that original
story? Well that’s not the way this Ella sees it. The problem is that she was
cursed with the “gift” of obedience. Any direct order given to her she has to
obey. No matter how horrible that command is. Chop off your own head, Ella.
Okay. This story shows us a strong female character that struggles to overcome
her destiny and forge her own path. And there is a prince that loves her no
matter what.
1.
Cinderella (Disney 1950)
This is Disney’s first version of this
classic tale. Cinderella is one of Disney’s original princesses and this was
always one of my favorite Disney movies. It also has great music like A Dream
is a Wish Your Heart Makes and Bippidi-Boppidi-Boo.
1.
The Rough-Face Girl (Algonquin Indian)
The Algonquin people live around the Great
Lakes of North America. In this version of the tale, Rough-Face Girl is burnt
and scarred from the fires that her evil sisters make her tend night and day.
When she goes to marry the Invisible Being, she is told to go home because she
is so ugly and her clothes are so strange. But she of all the villagers truly
sees the Invisible Being and therefore becomes his bride. I always got the
impression that the Invisible Being was kind of a god because his bow was made
of the rainbow and the runner of his sled was the Milky Way J. Anyway, the reason I
like this version so much is that Cinderella is not exactly beautiful, but the
Invisible Being loves her anyway and is able to see past the scars to the
person inside.
1.
Cinderellis and the Glass Hill by Gail Carson
Levine
Can you tell that I like Gail? Anyway, this
is a version of the Norwegian Cinderlad tale called The Glass Hill. Whoever
wrote up the description for the back of Gail’s book obviously has never read
any other versions of the story because he ties it directly back to the French
Cinderella instead. In this version, Cinderellis is an inventor that invents magic
powders to do things and Princess Marigold is well the princess. When the king
places his daughter at the top of a glass hill and says that only the knight
capable of climbing the hill and gaining the golden the apples from her lap
will wed her, Cinderellis and his magic powders and magic horses climb the
mountain and win fair maiden’s hand.
1.
The Slipper and the Rose (1976)
Probably one of my favorite versions of this
classic tale, this musical is a British production starring Richard Chamberlain
as the Prince. He is great in this role, but the two best characters are by far
the fairy godmother and the queen mother. The fairy godmother is overworked and
kind of cranky. It’s great. It also has some great music in it.
1.
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters (Zimbabwe)
Another entry in my “Cinderella is not about
beauty” campaign. In Mufaro’s Beautiful daughters, both daughters are
beautiful, but it is the one who is kind and gentle who is chosen to marry the
king who is a shape shifter. A beautiful book.
1.
Cinder Edna by Ellen Jackson and Kevin O'Malley
This is about Cinderella’s next door
neighbor. The one who took the bus to the ball and wore loafers because it was
easier to dance in them. She married the Prince’s younger brother and really is
implied to have had a better happily ever after than poor Cinderella.
1.
The Glass Slipper (1955).
This one is funny and there is really no
magic in it. The Fairy Godmother is slightly dotty and is busily stealing ball
gowns off the clothesline for Cindy to wear J.
One thing I did find slightly annoying about this movie is that Leslie Caron
was a dancer, not a singer, so our musical numbers are long, involved ballet
sequences that really have very little to do with the actual plot of the movie.
1.
Sumorella by Sandi Takayama
Sumorella comes from Hawaii and he is
actually a Cinderlad. All he wants in life is to become a top Sumo wrestler and
he succeeds with the help of the Manapua Man. A funny aspect is that at first
MM gives him the ball gown and glass slippers before he gets it right.
1.
Cinderella Skeleton by Robert D. SanSouci
Cinderella Skeleton is a skeleton that wants
to marry the skeleton prince. Her entire foot actually breaks off and that is
one Prince is trying to reattach on people.
1.
Ella Enchanted (2004)
The movie version of the book what I find
funny is the medieval modern vibe going off. For instance the wicked stepmother
and stepsisters show up in a carriage painted yellow with taxi written across
it. And then the Wicked Stepmother has an injection of “batox”.
1.
Cinderella (Germany)
This is the German version of the tale
recorded by the Brothers Grimm. In this version the ghost of Cinderella’s dead
mother gives her the things she needs to go to the ball and the stepsisters are
cutting off pieces of their feet in order to fit into the slipper. Kind of
gruesome I admit, but also fun in that weird sort of way.
1.
Dinorella by Pamela Duncan Edwards
So Cinderella is a Dinosaur. That’s all you
really need to know.
1.
Ever After (1998)
Drew Barrymore plays Cinderella in this
version, and again there’s not that much magic in it. The prince also whines a
lot which makes it a little lower on the Cinderella movie scale as far as I am
concerned.
1.
The Egyptian Cinderella by Shirley Climo
Cinderella is the slave girl Rhodopis. When
her golden sandal is stolen by Horus himself and deposited into the lap of the Pharaoh,
Pharaoh sets out on a quest to find the owner of the sandal and make her his
bride.
1.
Joe Cinders (Southwest American)
A Western version of the tale where Joe has
to win the heart of the lovely ranch owner up the lane with the help of a
mysterious man in a serape.
1.
Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella
This has actually been made into a move three
times. The music is great even if the story follows the same familiar pattern.
I think my favorite is the Brandy version because it actually looks like a
movie and not like someone taped the stage production.
1.
The Irish Cinderlad by Shirley Climo
In this version, Becan has big feet instead
of small. When he rescues the princess from the sea monster she searches for
him and marries him.
1.
Bigfoot Cinderrrrrella by Tony Johnston
Cinderella is a sasquatch who marries the
sasquatch prince.
1.
Cinderella (2015)
Same premise as Disney’s cartoon but with
real people and some character development. For instance there is a brief
moment in this movie in which I actually felt sorry for Lady Tremaine played by
the excellent Cate Blanchett. When you can make me feel for the villains
without taking away their general nastiness? A plus in my book.
That’s 21 items. I think I will call this a
day, and give you another installment in the Cinderella world at a later date.
Stay tuned.
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