|
|
The Slipper and the Rose (1976)
STARS: Richard Chamberlain, Gemma Craven, Michael Hordern, Kenneth More, Lally Bowers, Edith Evans, Margaret Lockwood, Annette Crosbie, Julian Orchard, Christopher Gable, Roy Barraclough, Sherri Hewson, Fred the Dog.
DIRECTOR: Bryan Forbes. DURATION: 146 mins.
SYNOPSIS: Musical version of the Cinderella story. An impoverished girl wins the heart of a handsome prince thanks to some scheming by her sassy Fairy Godmother. Unfortunately protocol forces them apart, before fate - and more scheming - throws them back together again.
RC PLAYS: Prince Edward.
"A hoot" is how Richard Chamberlain described making this movie - and anybody who's ever seen it will know what he means. And if nothing else, at least it showed the actor bore no grudges over the disappointing The Madwoman of Chaillot, which was also directed by Bryan Forbes.
Richard also revealed he accepted the role "because I like Bryan (Forbes) so much and because I had never done a musical before. It was my swansong to 'G' leads."
Once again it was an all-star cast, although audiences outside Britain may not have realised it. However, Chamberlain, the only American, was surrounded by top UK character actors. But fans from the States may recognise Sir Michael Hordern as the man who plays Father Dominguez in Shogun.
For British viewers, one interesting piece of trivia is that TV presenter Emma Forbes (daughter of the director and his thespian wife Nanette Newman) makes an appearance as a little girl playing a bridesmaid. The director also has a cameo as the town cryer.
Despite his enthusiasm for the project, Richard found the prince a tough part to play. "It was so much more difficult because the material is less helpful," he moaned afterwards. Well, if nothing else at least Chamberlain got an opportunity to show off his singing - and prove he's a nifty mover on the dancefloor too.
Forbes' attempt to resurrect the family film opened at New York's Radio City Music Hall for the Christmas season - and there it disappointingly failed both commercially and critically.
The main problems were Gemma Craven as Cinderella, who in her film debut proved she wasn't ready for the responsibility of a leading role; plus the fact that the film seemed to go on forever - certainly much too long for children to endure.
However, viewing it now, it doesn't seem so bad. Chamberlain appears as if he'd finally found his vocation in musical roles - and also looks as if he was having the time of his life. But it's Annette Crosbie who really steals the show as Cinderella's rather eccentric Fairy Godmother.
The Slipper and the Rose is still popular with audiences when it's shown on TV at Christmas - and it's a damn sight better than Ever After, the recent version of the same story starring Drew Barrymore.
MOVE TO:
HOME / FILMOGRAPHY / PHOTO GALLERY / BIOGRAPHY / NEXT FEATURE FILM
