Cinderella or the Glass Slipper

Cinderella or the Glass Slipper (French: Cendrillon ou la Pantoufle merveilleuse) is a 1912 French silent film directed by Georges Méliès, based on the fairy tale by Charles Perrault.

Production

The film was made in the summer and autumn of 1912.^[1] Cinderella is played by a sixteen-year-old actress, Louise Lagrange.^[2] Prince Charming is also played by an actress.^[3] Méliès himself makes an appearance in the film as the Prince's messenger who searches for the owner of the glass slipper.^[3] The film features extensive use of outdoor location filming, a practice common in Méliès's later films.^[2]

Like all of Méliès's 1911–1912 films, Cinderella was made under the supervision of Charles Pathé for his studio Pathé Frères.^[3] After receiving Méliès's work, Pathé authorized the filmmaker Ferdinand Zecca to edit it. Zecca cut the film down to half the length Méliès intended, and is also probably responsible for adding the cross-cutting effects and medium shots seen in the film, as these devices are highly unusual in Méliès's style. (Méliès's mistress and eventual wife, the actress Jeanne d'Alcy, later accused Zecca of deliberately sabotaging the film in order to ruin Méliès's career. This charge was never proven, however.)^[3]

Release and reception

According to December 1912 advertisements, the film scheduled for release on 3 January 1913.^[4] It was advertised as a féerie en 2 parties et 30 tableaux, d'après le chef-d'œuvre de Charles Perrault.^[5] It was not a success, partially because of the directorial conflict between Méliès, Zecca, and Pathé, and partially because Méliès's theatrical style had fallen out of fashion by 1912.^[3]

References

External links

• Cinderella or the Glass Slipper at the Internet Movie Database