La pantoufle de verre

I saw this movie first when I was very young. I was fascinated by Lelie Caron after seeing GiGi and my Granny had this in her vast video collection. It is a great film taking a new twist on the Cinderella story incorporating ballet in it, which is great to watch. Though Michael Wilding is quite a disappointment as Cinderella's prince, but can be overlooked. The fairy godmother is funny and good fun to watch. With her list of favourite words 'Apple Dumpling' 'Windowsill' 'elbow' and of course Cinderella. Leslie Caron is cast well and plays the tortured Cinderella well. The sets and costumes are magnificent. All in all a very pleasant film to watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon

Leslie Caron was the perfect choice to play Cinderella, a scruffy, rebellious girl living with her stepmother and stepsisters, "not quite a servant and not quite a member of the family". Caron reunites here with much of the team from her best movie "Lili" and, if the results are not quite as memorable, it may be because the tale has been exhausted. Still, director Charles Walters paces it carefully (some may say sluggishly) and keeps the outré magic of the story to a minimum. The droll observation/narration (by Walter Pidgeon, uncredited) is dryly amusing and Cinderella's step-family isn't overly nasty to her (they treat the girl more like a black sheep than a housemaid). While the MGM production is modest, the cast is quite colorful and the musical direction and balletic fantasy sequences are very good. A bit tepid overall, but sweet and simple. **1/2 from ****

Granted, Leslie Caron is NOT Cinderella, but I did like Michael Wilding (even though he seemed a bit old for the part), and Estelle Winwood was fantastic. I did like some of the twists, especially the use of subterfuge vs. magic (Ella "Borrows" a dress, rather than having her godmother "Create" one for her). But mostly, I agree with dinky-4, the song "Climbing Rose" is what I remember most about the movie. I'm hoping the score has been released on CD, but haven't found it so far.

By the way, if anyone knows where I can get the sheet music and/or CD for that song, please let me know! I've been looking for the music for what seems like forever!

Okay, I admit I have long had a soft spot for Michael Wilding--had a terrific crush on him when I was young and was delighted to see him in this film playing the Prince. He had a nice career going for himself in England before marrying Elizabeth and moving to the US. Hollywood didn't quite know what to do with him and he didn't have that many good or even likely roles here. In England he and Britain's favorite blonde, Anna Neagle, made several films in which she sang and the two of them danced (kind of a poor man's version of Rogers and Astaire), so he did dance in films before this picture, but I'm afraid he wasn't terrifically impressive as a dancer. But, boy, he had charm!

When I first saw this film I thought it was a bit simplistic, but I was won over by Leslie Caron, a favorite of mine. And it was gratifying to see Michael Wilding, though he didn't get to do much here. Loved Estelle Winwood; she too, was always good. Altogether a very pleasant movie, pretty to watch, if just a little slow. (Or maybe it seemed that way because with this story, there are no surprises--you know how it will end!)

I remember seeing this enchanting film for the first time when I was 10 or so and I've been fascinated with Leslie Caron's characterization of `Cinder' Ella ever since. Those beautiful expressive eyes! Some have called Caron's portrayal `bratty' but I think her Ella is not only convincing but also heartwarming. Of course you are supposed to feel bad for this dirty little servant girl who is forced to take out the ashes, but instead of feeling sorry for herself, she continues to `act out' against those who shun her, which I think gives her an appealingly strong character. The art direction and costuming are gorgeous! Cinderella's massive pink and frilly `borrowed' ball gown is exquisitely detailed with crystals and roses, and the glass slippers are pure magic! As a dancer I find the ballet dream sequences quite impressive and exciting to watch, but my one main problem with this film would have be casting Michael Wilding as a ballet dancer in the Princess Tehara dream sequence. Wilding is obviously not a dancer and I wished they had cast someone who could actually hold his own next to Caron's wonderful technique. Estelle Winwood as Mrs. Toquet is certainly worth the price of admission.and then some! She is a funny, poignant and an amusing fairy godmother. Overall I find The Glass Slipper a wonderfully delightful diversion!