Rating: C+
Dir: Cecilie A. Mosli
Star: Astrid S, Cengiz Al, Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Ingrid Giæver
a.k.a. Tre nøtter til Askepott
This goes to show how the “Overton Window” for action heroines has shifted over time. It is largely a remake of a seventies Czech film (a Christmas staple in much of Europe), where the heroine was years ahead of her time, being a bow-wielding, horse-riding, independent young woman. As I noted when reviewing it on Girls With Guns, it was the kind of “princess” Disney wouldn’t reach for almost another another twenty years. To be fair, the heroine here still wields a bow and doesn’t need a fairy godmother to get to the ball (though admittedly, the nut-powered wishes help). But it’s no longer at all ground-breaking, which is why the remake is being reviewed here, and not on GWG.
The basic story should still be familiar, albeit different to Disney as mentioned. In addition to the 100% reduction in godmothers, there have also been cutbacks in the stepsister department, with only one, Dora (Giæver). The evil stepmother (Petersen, rather good at it) is still pretty damn evil though. Cinderella (S – a popular Scandi songstress, though there is no in-plot warbling here) meets the Prince (Al) before the ball, albeit disguised unconvincingly as a man. But once we hit the ball, things unfold as in the best-known versions. Cinderella loses her shoe; smitten Prince finds it, and vows to marry whomsoever it fits; kingdomwide search; happily ever after. This all unfolds against a spectacular backdrop of snowy landscapes and rather impressive castles (real, sets or CGI, I couldn’t tell).
S (as an aside, it feels really weird referring to someone by their last initial – Astrid, why don’t you just go full Madonna, Sting or Sade?) makes for a decent princess in waiting. There’s charisma and beauty there, and it’s easy to see why the Prince would fall for her. She certainly isn’t sitting around or pining out of a window: closer to some kind of Viking tradwife, I’d say. The prince, on the other hand? Dear lord. A whiny self-centred mess, and someone less appealing, it’s hard to imagine. While he’s all “Why do I have to pick someone at this ball?”, once he has made up his mind, he’s not exactly concerned about what Cinderella has to say about it.
This hamstrings what could potentially have been a modern family classic – although the prince has a pair of gay friends, who get to kiss at the end, when he and Cinderella don’t. Yeah, I rolled my eyes at that, but that nonsense was probably par for the diversity course in 2021. But the technical aspects are above average. I mentioned the look of the film earlier, and also want to compliment the score by Gaute Storaas, which is full-on orchestral, and fills up almost every frame. I still prefer the original, because it was pushing the envelope considerably more for the time. If you want a contemporary equivalent, you should go watch The Ugly Stepsister instead.