The story of Cinderella follows the fortunes of young Ella whose merchant father remarries following the tragic death of her mother. Keen to support her loving father, Ella welcomes her new stepmother Lady Tremaine and her daughters Anastasia and Drisella into the family home. But, when Ella’s father suddenly and unexpectedly passes away, she finds herself at the mercy of a jealous and cruel new family. Finally relegated to nothing more than a servant girl covered in ashes, and spitefully renamed Cinderella, Ella could easily begin to lose hope. Yet, despite the cruelty inflicted upon her, Ella is determined to honor her mother’s dying words and to “have courage and be kind.” She will not give in to despair nor despise those who abuse her. And then there is the dashing stranger she meets in the woods. Unaware that he is really a prince, not merely an employee at the Palace, Ella finally feels she has met a kindred soul. It appears as if her fortunes may be about to change when the Palace sends out an open invitation for all maidens to attend a ball, raising Ella’s hopes of once again encountering the charming “Kit.” Alas, her stepmother forbids her to attend and callously rips apart her dress. But, as in all good fairy tales, help is at hand as a kindly beggar woman steps forward and, armed with a pumpkin and a few mice, changes Cinderella’s life forever.
WOODY ALLEN did well to cast Cate Blanchett in his latest film, Blue Jasmine. Not only does she offer a cringe-inducing poignant performance as deluded and disgraced Upper East Side princess Jasmine, but she was also responsible - along with costume designer Suzy Bezinger - for her character's groomed wardrobe.According to Blanchett, Allen has "no interest or understanding" in the aesthetic of his characters - a surprising omission considering the strong sense of style imbued in many of his leading ladies, from the androgynous Diane Keaton in Annie Hall to sophisticated Mariel Hemmingway in Manhattan."He'd say that himself," she laughed. "He's been wearing the same Ralph Lauren sweatpants and T-shirt for the last 20 years and doesn't understand why anyone would change their wardrobe according to their mood, or how they want to present themselves. He just doesn't get it."But to Blanchett (who is the human equivalent of a thoroughbred), her character's costumes were crucial. After Jasmine's privileged life falls apart in New York, she begrudgingly flees to San Francisco to stay with her less-moneyed sister. All she has left of her old life are her impeccable clothes, a white Chanel jacket ( kindly loaned by Karl Lagerfeld), a Birkin bag and a suitably refined Carolina Herrera cocktail dress, which she uses to create the same polished allure as she had before her situation took a downturn. Jasmine is a modern day reinvention of the delusional and tormented Blanche DuBois from Streetcar Named Desire, who Blanchett had previously played on stage (which, incidentally, wasn't the reason Allen hired her; he'd seen her inThe Talented Mr Ripley 20 years before and had admired her ever since)."There's a tragedy to her clinging onto those threadbare things - a bit like Blanche DuBois, trying to make herself as attractive and alluring as possible," said Blanchett. "Like Blanche, she has such a romanticised sense of self. Because of the internal pain, sometimes it's easier to exist in a world of fairy lights and fantasy. One of the primary industries in America is fantasy, and so there's a naivety behind that. And I think that makes Jasmine an anti-hero of her time in her way."The film - aside from its harsh lesson that realitytends to prove better thanfantasyin the end- is also a reminder not to forsake freedom even if it does seems easier."Jasmine is a woman without any agency, without any autonomy, she's given that away to her husband, and that's what makes her current today - even in this post-feminist world," she said. "There area lot of women out there who have given their power away to their husbands, to their brothers, to their fathers and the only way that they can see a way of getting themselves out, or reinventing themselves, is to attach themselves to another man. It's very sad."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cate will talk at BBC Radio 4, tomorrow afternoon
