观后感：Ever After（是英语就太感谢啦～！）

1
Danielle De Barbarac (Drew Barrymore) lives alone with her father and their servants after the death of her mother, until one day her father brings home a new bride, the Baroness Rodmilla De Ghent (Anjelica Huston) and her two daughters, Marguerite and Jacqueline. When Danielle"s father dies, the Baroness turns Danielle into a servant to wait on her and her spoiled daughters.

Danielle accidently meets young Prince Henry (Dougray Scott) when the Prince pilfers a horse from their manor in order to escape his parents restrictions. For her silence, he gives her coins, which she uses to pose as a courtier to buy back their old servant the Baroness sold to pay her taxes.

She meets Prince Henry again, but this time posed as a Lady, and Henry finds himself enchanted not simply by her beauty but by her intelligence and spirit. He becomes determined to know more about her, but first must find her for she keeps slipping away from him. In the meantime, Marguerite has set her sights on the handsome prince, with the help of her mother and a michevious courtier.

I won"t give away any more of the movie, but absolutely must mention that there is a great deal of humor in this unique telling of the Cinderella story (take special note of the wedding chapel scene with the Spanish Princess). The acting is supurb and the script very tight and well written, the costumes are stunning, the scenery is breathtaking, and the photography brilliant.

Overall, this is a wonderful movie that softened even my cold, hard heart, allowing it to pump warm blood if only for the length of the movie. This is a love story without sappiness, a handsome hero with faults of his own, and a beautiful heroine who knows how to save herself. Enjoy!

2
This is a wonderful movie. The premise may be cliché, but this is much, much more than just another "Cinderella" movie. Its effects are really quite magical--it will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and it will totally immerse you in its spell. If you are human, it will produce a lump in your throat that will remain there for hours. Some people might call this a "woman"s" movie, but I, as a man, will proclaim that it really touches my heart every time I watch it, and I freely admit that it does bring tears to my eyes. I need not go into detail describing the plot--it is a somewhat modernized Cinderella story, replete with the evil stepmother, charming prince, and angelic, mistreated heroine. Instead of a fairy godmother, there is Leonardo da Vinci--an unexpected but brilliant scripting decision, I feel. There are no magic pumpkins turning into horses and carriages, but there is magic; it is the magic of true love.
The entire cast is superb, particularly Anjelica Huston as the evil stepmother, but all of them are overshadowed by Drew Barrymore. Anyone who does not feel that Drew Barrymore is one of the greatest actresses of this and any other generation has obviously not seen this movie. I love all of Drew"s movies, but I really believe this movie represents her finest performance. Even down to the most unimportant nuances of acting, she is simply brilliant. She is equally convincing as a peasant in the field as she is a royal courtier among the nobility of France. The emotion she is able to express to the audience is deep and amazingly real. I really can"t say enough about her performance here.

All I can do is encourage you to experience this movie. I believe you will want to watch it more than once; it is just as fresh and moving the second and third time as it is the first. Don"t dismiss it as a "sappy love story" or think its 16th century setting will make it hard to relate to. This is a story as old as time itself, really, and it is a story that will always be relevant to humankind. It celebrates the power of true love and shows all of us that dreams can indeed come true.

3This is the kind of movie that no self-respecting guy would admit to liking in front of his friends. Seeing as i have no self-respect and even fewer friends, i have no reservations in stating that i loved this one from start to finish. It is a clever and highly original retelling of the classic Cinderella story, set in France. The entire cast does an inspired job. Drew Barrymore hasn"t been this endearing since "E.T." (or was it "Doppelganger" ? I keep confusing the two), Anjelica Huston is a fittingly loathsome stepmother and even the featured "prince charming" i found easy to stomach. Need i recount the (allegedly true) tale ? (daughter turned lowly servant turned pretend courtier turned princess) Check elsewhere !
The pre-feminist subtext is hard to overlook, but far from obtrusive. Couldn"t help liking the not so evil second stepsister. No fantastic elements are introduced: there is no evidence of sorcery, or a pumpkin anywhere to be found. Replacing the fairy godmother with Leonardo da Vinci of all people is a stroke of genius, adding to the credibility of the storyline. The payoff is thoroughly satisfactory, leaving you with a smile on your face. My fellow countryman Jeroen Krabbé (Barrymore"s father) sees his acting career cut short as he is killed off within the first five minutes or so. The whole thing is accompanied by a great music score. Set aside your prejudice & suspend your disbelief.

4
Every once in a while, a movie surprises me. Such is the case with Andy Tennant"s Ever After. Based on the lackluster previews, I was prepared for the worst, but, instead of getting a juvenile, pointless re-telling of the classic "Cinderella" fairy tale, I was confronted with a delightful re-interpretation. While I won"t claim that Ever After is the best cinematic version of the fable, this is deft storytelling, and sure to be a hit with almost everyone who sees it (except, perhaps, unromantic cynics).

One of the most curious things about this movie is the PG-13 rating bestowed upon it by the MPAA. This is the third would-be family film in less than a month to carry that classification, and, while it is understandable in the case of the other two, Dr. Dolittle and Small Soldiers, I am at a loss to explain why Ever After was treated so harshly. Aside from a couple of mild swordfights, the evidence of a whipping (the actual event is not shown), and an inconsequential instance of profanity, there"s nothing remotely objectionable about Ever After"s content. Parents made wary by the PG-13 need not fret; this picture is entirely suitable for viewing by children of all ages.

Ever After"s twist is that it"s telling the "real" Cinderella story from which the Brothers Grimm fable was derived (the two famous fairy tale scribes make a brief appearance in a prologue that also features a cameo by the incomparable Jeanne Moreau). Consequently, there are no pumpkins, mice, magic spells, or fairy godmothers. The love story between a peasant girl and a prince is still at the core, although, in this case, "Cinderella" (whose name is Danielle), has the kind of progressive attitude that would be more at home in the 1990s than in the 1500s.

The broad strokes of the story are certainly familiar. After the tragic death of her father (Jeroen Krabbe), Danielle (played by Anna Maguire as a little girl, and Drew Barrymore thereafter) is consigned to a life of servitude for her cruel stepmother, Rodmilla (Anjelica Huston), and vain step-sister, Marguerite (Megan Dodds). Danielle has an ally in the household, her second step-sister, Jacqueline (Melanie Lynskey, last seen opposite Kate Winslet in Heavenly Creatures), but she"s too meek to stand up to her mother. While Rodmilla, Marguerite, and Jacqueline enjoy as much luxury as their farm house provides, Danielle (dubbed "Cinderella" by Marguerite for the cinders that always stain her clothing) is forced to scrub the floors, cook the meals, and feed the animals.

One day, when Danielle is picking apples, she spies a man stealing one of her step-mother"s horses. It"s actually Prince Henry (Dougray Scott), the heir to the throne of France, in the process of running away from his father because he is unwilling to be trapped in a loveless, arranged marriage. Mistaking Henry for a common thief, Danielle knocks him from the horse with a well-aimed apple. After she realizes who he is, she is apologetic, but the meeting leaves an impression on both of them. At the time of their next encounter, Danielle is posing as a countess in order to rescue a family retainer from debtors" prison. She engages the Prince in a spirited debate, and, although he thinks he recognizes her, he can"t put a name to the face. Soon, he is scouring the countryside looking for her, and, although Danielle is attracted to him, she avoids contact, fearing that if he learns that she isn"t a member of the nobility, he will shun her. Through all of this, there is a fairy godmother of sorts -- Leonardo da Vinci (Patrick Godfrey), who uses science, not magic, to smooth the path of true love.

Movies like Ever After, if fashioned with little skill, become curiosities for pre-teen girls looking for a summer afternoon at the movies. However, Tennant takes this familiar material and crafts a charming, captivating motion picture. He gives the villains a few human qualities, but still manages to make them despicable enough that we feel justified in cheering when they receive their comeuppance. The all-important romance is nicely-developed. Danielle and Henry are clearly fated to be together, but they have to overcome a number of obstacles along the way, including her dishonesty, her step-family"s duplicity, and his prejudice. Of course, everything turns out "happily ever after" (hence, the title), but, as in all romances, our enjoyment lies in observing the games played by the two smitten protagonists en route to that ending.

As good as the costumes and setting are, Tennant does not craft a flawless period piece. In fact, Ever After transpires in a pseudo-16th century that bears only a passing resemblance to the historical reality. Anachronisms abound, both in attitudes and in speech. The characters talk as if they are products of the 1900s, not the 1500s, using idioms that, at the time, were centuries away from making their way into the language. Tennant doesn"t appear to be bothered by these inaccuracies, but those who are sticklers for period detail may be distracted by this sort of thing.

Drew Barrymore, continuing to rehabilitate her once-tarnished image, proves that her winning turn as a romantic lead in the otherwise-dreadful The Wedding Singer was no fluke. As Danielle, she radiates tremendous appeal. Like Prince Henry, we are immediately taken not only with Danielle"s beauty (which shines through the dirt on her face) but with her spirit. Speaking of the Prince, Dougray Scott (who can also be seen in this summer"s Deep Impact) manages the difficult feat of making Henry likable rather than bland (blandness is often the unfortunate fate of the male leads in movies like this). Anjelica Huston and Megan Dodds turn on the bitchiness as step-mom and step-sister, and veteran actors Timothy West and Judy Parfitt have comical turns as the King and Queen of France. Patrick Godfrey"s wise-but-humorous da Vinci is a delight.

Tennant, who showed skill at the helm of a romance with his last film, Fools Rush In, has found the right tone for this effort. The love story is wrapped around interludes of comedy, adventure, and drama. It never seems to matter that we know the entire story from the beginning -- the characters, not the plot, capture our attention. One concern I have about this film is that, because it"s not high-profile, it has the potential to become lost in the summer crush. Here"s hoping that enough viewers discover Ever After to give it a happy ending at the box office.

5
“Once Upon A Time…” begins the classic tale of Cinderella, hapless victim of a cruel stepmother and wicked stepsisters. This time do not look for fairy godmothers or magic pumpkins and mice, and Cinderella may not be the demure damsel portrayed by Disney. Cinderella, AKA Danielle (Drew Barrymore) is a spunky, independent young woman who reads Sir Thomas More"s “Utopia” and dreams of running the estate of her deceased father sans stepmother and stepsisters. Prince Charming Henry (Dougray Scott) is a young man struggling to define his own identity in the midst of an arranged marriage and a domineering father. When the two meet, a twisted tale of class struggle, political power brokering and love mix in this retelling of the Cinderella classic called “Ever After: A Cinderella Story”.

A suprisingly well assembled cast along with some original additions to the Cinderella tale make “Ever After” captivating despite any previous exposure to the story. Anjelica Huston makes one mean stepmother, shockingly icy and venomous at times. So well portrayed is the wicked stepmother than you cannot help but be endeared to young Danielle. Drew Barrymore is a master of (acting) youthful innocence and her simple sweet smile was everything I needed to forget some of the racier characters she has played. Even the “bit parts” we filled with charming characters, from quaint country folk to legends from the annals of history. Don"t expect history here though; remember this is a fairy tale (and at some points quite anachronistic) but a lively retelling of a well loved story.

“Ever After: A Cinderella Story” contains two instances of profanity, some violence, and some adult topics (including some sexual innuendo). In spite of the above, I was pleased to see positive (albeit brief) references to Christian values. There is even a mention (and I quote) of “the Son of God”! There is a brief instance of prayer and a mention of the positive role that Christian monks played in the educatio