This 1957 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical has always been a sort of stepchild--a shorter piece without the complexity of the duo's Broadway masterpieces, written for television rather than the stage. But despite the juvenile quality that naturally arises from the fairytale story, it boasts some lovely songs, even if they're not top-drawer R&H. (Cinderella, after all, is from their late, less successful period, coming between the failures Me and Juliet and Pipe Dream and the moderate hit Flower Drum Song. After that, The Sound of Music finished the collaboration on a high note.) Here we have what amounts to the original cast version, with newly-minted Broadway star Julie Andrews (My Fair Lady) radiant in the title role and a supporting cast that includes Edie Adams, Kaye Ballard, Alice Ghostley, Ilka Chase, and stage legend Howard Lindsay (the co-author, as well as the original star, of the long-running Life With Father). The black-and-white live production looks very small-scaled, and sometimes a bit imprecise, by today's standards, and the sound is merely passable, but the limitations are themselves part of the period charm. Shorn of commercial interruptions, the program runs only 76 minutes, but the DVD adds a newly-recorded introduction by Andrews, a 24-minute “making of” documentary featuring original cast members, a clip of Rodgers and Hammerstein promoting the program on The Ed Sullivan Show, and several photo galleries. Recommended. (F. Swietek)
Cinderella
Image, 76 min., not rated, DVD: $19.99 January 10, 2005
Cinderella
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