Celestial Clockwork

A slight piece of cinematic fluff, writer/director Fina Torres' take-off on Cinderella stars Ariadna Gil as Ana, a young Venezuelan woman who pulls a Graduate-number on her fiancée, fleeing her wedding, and moving in with a jealous roommate--the bizarre Celeste--in gay Paris. Eccentric characters are regularly introduced along the way (Puerto Rican witch doctor, gay clairvoyant, inattentive psychoanalyst, etc.) to add color, while Ana pursues her singing career and tries to land a lead role in a local opera. The usual obstacles are strewn in her path--often by Celeste--but there's no question how this audience-pleaser will turn out. Optional. (R. Pitman)[DVD Review—May 29, 2007—Strand, 85 min., in French, Italian, Spanish & English w/English subtitles, not rated, $24.99—Making its first appearance on DVD, 1995's Celestial Clockwork sports a disappointing transfer and no DVD extras. Bottom line: an unexceptionable DVD release of a so-so film.]