Cinderella (1947)

Anyone else think that the King here (Erast Garin) reminded them of the "Cowardly Lion" from "The Wizard of Oz" (1939)? Just put a crown on that curly mane and we had a perfect doppelgänger for this quite engaging version of this classic fairytale. "Cinderella" (Yanina Zhemyo) is slaving away in the kitchen for her ghastly stepfamily when she is unexpectedly presented with a magical opportunity to attend a ball at the palace. It's being held because the prince (Aleksey Konsovskiy) needs to get married and he just can't find an eligible lady that takes his fancy. Thing is, though, our poor old housekeeper hasn't a thing to wear, nor any means of travelling to the glittering soirée in style. Well step forward the bedraggled looking Varvara Myasnikova who has a trick or two up her sleeve. A few mice and a pumpkin later, off goes "Cinders" to the ball and her well known destiny. It's a pretty standard take on the story but the use of stop-motion animation and some really quite entertaining visual effects keep it entertaining as the principal characters have to give way to the amiable eccentricities of Garin and of her wicked and scheming stepmother Faina Ranevskaya - who really do steal the show. We've even got a nice power ballad (or the post-war Soviet equivalent) to add a bit of poignancy to the tale and the attention to the detail is pretty special, too. It's got the obligatory Soviet messages of equality, brotherhood etc. in it, but they are largely smothered in a shiny, fantastic, gloss that is both light-hearted and enjoyable to watch.