''Cinderella'' () is a 1947

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serv ...

Lenfilm Lenfilm (, acronym of Leningrad Films) is a Russian production and distribution company with its own film studio located in Saint Petersburg (the city was called Leningrad from 1924 to 1991, thus the name). It is a corporation with its stakes s ...

studios.

Plot

The story unfolds in a magical kingdom as its inhabitants prepare for a grand royal ball. The King (

Erast Garin Erast Pavlovich Garin (September 4, 1980, born Gerasimov) was a Soviet and Russian actor, director and screenwriter. He was, together with Igor Ilyinsky and Sergey Martinson, one of the leading comic actors of Vsevolod Meyerhold's company and of ...

) checks the readiness of all palace services in the morning and meets the Forester (

Vasili Merkuryev Vasili Vasilyevich Merkuryev (; 6 April 1904 – 12 May 1978) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor, theater director and pedagogue. People's Artist of the USSR (1960).Yanina Zhejmo Yanina Boleslavovna Zhejmo (; ; 29 May 1909 – 29 December 1987) was a Soviet actress with Polish parents. She appeared in more than 30 films between 1925 and 1955. Partial filmography * '' Mishki versus Yudenich'' (1925, Short) - youngster * ...

) suffer from the despotism of Stepmother (

Faina Ranevskaya Faina Georgiyevna Ranevskaya (, born Faina Girschevna Feldman, — 19 July 1984) was a Soviet actress. She is recognized as one of the greatest Soviet actresses in both tragedy and comedy. She was also famous for her aphorisms. She acted in play ...

), who dotes on her two native daughters Anna and Marianne (Elena Yunger, Tamara Sezenevskaya), but at the same time suppresses her husband and stepdaughter. The King invites the Forester to the ball with Cinderella, assuring that in the evening there will be "a celebration that will make you forget all the hardships." Meanwhile, Cinderella, doing household chores, talks about how her Stepmother and stepsisters will dance and eat ice cream at the ball, and she will be able, at best, to stand under the palace windows and look at the celebration from afar. The heroine's appeal to "kind people" who would help change her life turns out to be heard: in the evening twilight, Fairy ( Varvara Myasnikova) appears in front of the girl; Fairy is accompanied by a young Page (Igor Klimenkov). A fairy uses a magic wand to turn a pumpkin into a carriage, mice into four horses, and a rat into a Coachman. Instead of the poor "dirty girl" dress, the heroine turns out to be dressed in a ball gown. The page presents her with crystal slippers. Escorting the heroine to the ball, Fairy urges her to return home no later than twelve o'clock, because at midnight Cinderella's beautiful dress will turn into an old one, and the horses will turn into mice again. The King, who meets Cinderella on the steps of the palace, sincerely rejoices at the new guest, and the Prince ( Aleksey Konsovsky) falls in love with a "mysterious and beautiful stranger" at first sight. While the Stepmother, Anna and Marianne consider the "signs of attention" from the illustrious persons, Cinderella, who is not recognized by them, plunges into the atmosphere of the holiday. Suddenly, a Page appears in front of her, who warns her that the King has ordered all the palace clocks to be turned back an hour. Cinderella manages to thank the Prince for his kindness and care and rushes down the marble steps. The miniature crystal slipper that slipped off the heroine's foot is the only thing the Prince has left. The king, organizing a search for a stranger, announces that the girl who will fit the shoe will become the Prince's bride. When the royal Corporal (

Sergey Filippov Sergey Nikolayevich Filippov (, 24 June 1912 — 19 April 1990) was a Soviet and Russian film and stage actor and comedian, best known for his parts in films ''Adventures of Korzinkina'' (1941), ''The Night Patrol'' (1957) and the adaptation of ...

), who is trying on, appears at the Forester's house, Cinderella puts a shoe on Anna's foot at her Stepmother's request. The king, however, refuses to recognize Anna as his son's bride. Meanwhile, the Forester brings the reluctant Cinderella to the palace and, during a conversation with the King, takes the second shoe out of his pocket. The film ends with Cinderella and the Prince explaining and the King predicting that they "will have a daughter, just like Cinderella," who will be married by a Page.

Cast

Yanina Zhejmo Yanina Boleslavovna Zhejmo (; ; 29 May 1909 – 29 December 1987) was a Soviet actress with Polish parents. She appeared in more than 30 films between 1925 and 1955. Partial filmography * '' Mishki versus Yudenich'' (1925, Short) - youngster * ...

Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...

* Aleksey Konsovsky as Prince *

as King *

Vasili Merkuryev Vasili Vasilyevich Merkuryev (; 6 April 1904 – 12 May 1978) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor, theater director and pedagogue. People's Artist of the USSR (1960).Faina Ranevskaya Faina Georgiyevna Ranevskaya (, born Faina Girschevna Feldman, — 19 July 1984) was a Soviet actress. She is recognized as one of the greatest Soviet actresses in both tragedy and comedy. She was also famous for her aphorisms. She acted in play ...

as Cinderella's stepmother * Elena Yunger as Anna, Cinderella's stepsister * Tamara Sezenevskaya Marianne, Cinderella's stepsister * Aleksander Rumnyov as Marquis of Pas de Troyes, Royal Ballet Master * Varvara Myasnikova as Fairy * Igor Klemenkov as Page, Fairy's assistant *

as Corporal * Konstantin Adashevsky as Herold (uncredited) * Alexander Violinov as The Old Footman (uncredited) * Nikolai Michurin as The Good Magician (uncredited) * Mikhail Rostovtsev as Minister ("The Good Bug") (uncredited) * Boris Kudryashov as the rat turned to coachman (uncredited) * Valentin Kiselyov, Anatoly Korolkevich as gatekeepers (uncredited) * Lev Stepanov as Conductor of the Royal Orchestra (uncredited) * Kirill Gun as courtier (uncredited) * A. I. Del as old minister at the ball (uncredited) * Nina Kozlovskaya, Tatyana Piletskaya as dancers at the ball (uncredited) * Yakov Butovsky as footman at the ball (uncredited)

Literature

* Bagrov, P. “Cinderella: Residents of a Fairy Kingdom”. Moscow: Kрупный план, 2011. ISBN 978-5-9903173-1-4. * Binevich, E. M. “Yevgeny Schwartz: Chronicles of a Life”. St. Petersburg, 2008. ISBN 978-5-901562-80-2. * “Soviet Feature Films: Annotated Catalog. Volume 2: Sound Films (1930–1957)”. Edited by A. V. Macheret et al. Moscow: Искусство, 1961. * Gorelova, V. “Cinderella”, in *Russian Illusion*. Edited by L. A. Parfyonov. Moscow: Materik, 2003. ISBN 5-85646-100-2. * “Chronicle of Russian Cinema 1946–1965: A Scientific Monograph”. Edited by A. S. Deryabin. Moscow: Kanon+, 2010. ISBN 978-5-88373-152-X. * Zheymo, Y. “The Long Journey from a Circus Drummer to Cinderella in Film”. Moscow: Alpina Non-Fiction, 2020. ISBN 978-5-00139-191-3. * Losyev, L. F., ed. “About Ranevskaya”. Moscow: Искусство, 1988. * Razlogov, K. E., et al., eds. “The First Century of Our Cinema: Encyclopedia”. Moscow: Lokid-Press, 2006. ISBN 5-98601-027-2. * Roshal, L., ed. “Cinema of Russia: Director's Encyclopedia, Volume 1”. Moscow: NII Kinoiskusstva, 2010. ISBN 978-5-91524-015-4. * Skorokhodov, G. A. “Faina Ranevskaya: The Great Foofer, or Living with Humor”. Moscow: Algoritm, 2016. ISBN 78-5-906861-05-4. * Smolin, I., ed. “Three Great Old Women”. Moscow: Melikhovo, 2017. ISBN 978-5-906339-07-2. * Titova, A. N., ed. “Living Well is Good! Living Better is Even Better! Aphorisms from Films”. Moscow: Centrpoligraph, 2010. ISBN 978-5-9524-4926-8. * Schwartz, Y. L. “Living Restlessly… From Diaries”. Moscow: Soviet Writer, 1990. ISBN 5-265-00656-7. * Khort, A. N. “Meyerhold's Jokesters”. Moscow: Молодая Гвардия, 2018. ISBN 978-5-235-04151-6. * Khrzhanovsky, A. Y., ed. “The Sorcerer's Apprentice: A Book about Erast Garin”. Moscow: Искусство, 2004. ISBN 5-85200-415-4.

External links

* 1947 films Films based on Charles Perrault's Cinderella Lenfilm films 1940s musical fantasy films 1940s Russian-language films Films based on works by Evgeny Shvarts Russian children's fantasy films Soviet fantasy films Films directed by Nadezhda Kosheverova Soviet musical films Soviet children's films 1940s Soviet films {{musical-film-stub