Cinderella or the Glass Slipper
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''Cinderella or the Glass Slipper'' (french: Cendrillon ou la Pantoufle merveilleuse) is a 1913 French silent film directed by
Georges Méliès Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès (; ; 8 December 1861 – 21 January 1938) was a French illusionist, actor, and film director. He led many technical and narrative developments in the earliest days of cinema. Méliès was well known for the use of ...
, based on the fairy tale by
Charles Perrault Charles Perrault ( , also , ; 12 January 1628 – 16 May 1703) was an iconic French author and member of the Académie Française. He laid the foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, with his works derived from earlier folk tales ...
.


Production

Méliès had previously adapted ''Cinderella'' thirteen years earlier, in an 1899 film which had been his first big success. The 1913 ''Cinderella'' can be considered a
remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...
of the earlier film, but both are derived from the original Perrault tale. The film was made in the summer and autumn of 1912. Méliès himself plays the Prince's messenger who searches for the owner of the glass slipper. His daughter, Georgette Méliès, was likely one of the two camera operators (each of Méliès's films from 1902 onward was shot with two cameras simultaneously for international distribution).
Louise Lagrange Louise Lagrange (19 August 1898 – 28 February 1979) was a French film actress. Lagrange was born in Oran, French Algeria, and had a film career spanning from 1907 through 1951. Beginning her career as a child actor before the First World War, ...
, who would later appear in many French and Hollywood films, plays one of Cinderella's sisters. In a conversation with the writers of a
Centre national du cinéma Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricit ...
publication, ''Essai de reconstitution du catalogue français de la Star-Film'', she recalled Méliès's kindness and courtesy, as well as his meticulous diligence during the filming of special effects sequences. Lagrange's sister Marthe Vinot is believed to be in the film as well, in an unidentified role.
Prince Charming Prince Charming is a fairy tale stock character who comes to the rescue of a damsel in distress and must engage in a quest to liberate her from an evil spell. This classification suits most heroes of a number of traditional folk tales, incl ...
is also played by an actress. For the scene in which the court searches for the slipper's owner, Méliès reused a town-square set that had previously appeared in his 1906 film '' Robert Macaire and Bertrand.'' Special effects in the film were created using
stage machinery Stage machinery, also known as stage mechanics, comprises the mechanical devices used to create special effects in theatrical productions. See also * Scenic design Scenic design (also known as scenography, stage design, or set design) is the ...
, dissolves, and substitution splices. Like all of the other films Méliès made in 1911 and 1912, ''Cinderella'' was made under the supervision of
Charles Pathé Charles Morand Pathé (; 26 December 1863 – 25 December 1957) was a pioneer of the French film and recording industries. As the founder of Pathé Frères, its roots lie in 1896 Paris, France, when Pathé and his brothers pioneered the deve ...
for his studio
Pathé Frères Pathé or Pathé Frères (, styled as PATHÉ!) is the name of various French businesses that were founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France starting in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest film equipme ...
. After receiving Méliès's work, Pathé authorized the filmmaker
Ferdinand Zecca Ferdinand Zecca (19 February 1864 – 23 March 1947) was a Innovator, pioneer French film director, film producer, actor and screenwriter. He worked primarily for the Pathé company, first in artistic endeavors then in administration of the inter ...
to edit it. Zecca cut the film down—reportedly to half the length Méliès intended—and is also probably responsible for adding the
cross-cutting Cross-cutting is an editing technique most often used in films to establish action occurring at the same time, and often in the same place. In a cross-cut, the camera will cut away from one action to another action, which can suggest the simultan ...
effects and
medium shot In a movie a medium shot, mid shot (MS), or waist shot is a camera angle shot from a medium distance. Use Medium shots are favored in sequences where dialogues or a small group of people are acting, as they give the viewer a partial view of th ...
s seen in the film, as these devices are highly unusual in Méliès's style. In 1944, Méliès's widow
Jehanne d'Alcy Charlotte Lucie Marie Adèle Stephanie Adrienne Faës (20 March 1865 – 14 October 1956), known by her stage name Jeanne d'Alcy or Jehanne d'Alcy, was a French film actress. Biography D'Alcy had achieved success in theatrical productions by 1 ...
claimed to the
Cinémathèque française The Cinémathèque Française (), founded in 1936, is a French non-profit film organization that holds one of the largest archives of film documents and film-related objects in the world. Based in Paris's 12th arrondissement, the archive offers ...
that Zecca had "massacred" the film, cutting out the best scenes, including one in which pumpkins race each other across a garden. D'Alcy asserted that the editing was sabotage intended to ruin Méliès's career. This charge against Zecca was never proven, though the abrupt linear edits do suggest that Zecca's work extended to a reedit of the entire film.


Release and reception

According to advertisements published in December 1912, the film scheduled for release on 3 January 1913. It was advertised as a ''
féerie ''Féerie'', sometimes translated as "fairy play", was a French theatrical genre known for fantasy plots and spectacular visuals, including lavish scenery and mechanically worked stage effects. ''Féeries'' blended music, dancing, pantomime, and ...
en 2 parties et 30 tableaux, d'après le chef-d'œuvre de Charles Perrault''.. Literal English translation: "
féerie ''Féerie'', sometimes translated as "fairy play", was a French theatrical genre known for fantasy plots and spectacular visuals, including lavish scenery and mechanically worked stage effects. ''Féeries'' blended music, dancing, pantomime, and ...
in two parts and thirty scenes, based on Charles Perrault's masterpiece."
In sharp contrast to Méliès's 1899 version, the 1913 film was not a success with audiences and exhibitors, at least in part because Méliès's theatrical style had fallen out of fashion in the intervening years. In a 1979 book on Méliès, film scholar John Frazer commented that although Zecca's interference can clearly be discerned, "the remaining film is an agreeable example of Méliès's art with a few particularly fine effects." In a 2010 book on fairy-tale films, folklorist
Jack Zipes Jack David Zipes (born June 7, 1937) is a professor emeritus of German, comparative literature, and cultural studies, who has published and lectured on German literature, critical theory, German Jewish culture, children's literature, and folklore. ...
criticized the film for leaning too heavily into melodrama and special effects, leading to some "boring scenes that had little comic relief", but also cited numerous features of interest, including the dramatic treatment of the stepsisters' abuse of Cinderella, the fairies' transformations, and elaborate business involving the glass slipper. Of the two original edited negatives produced for the film, one survives in the collection of the
Cinémathèque Française The Cinémathèque Française (), founded in 1936, is a French non-profit film organization that holds one of the largest archives of film documents and film-related objects in the world. Based in Paris's 12th arrondissement, the archive offers ...
. When the Cinémathèque began a 2013–2021 initiative to make digital restorations of 33 Méliès films in its collection, ''Cinderella'' was among the titles given top priority; in collaboration with the Fondation Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé, the Cinémathèque also commissioned the composer Lawrence Lehérissey to record a new piano score for the restoration.


References


Works cited

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cinderella Glass Slipper Films directed by Georges Méliès French silent short films Films based on Charles Perrault's Cinderella French black-and-white films