kit - i mean, cinderella

Guys, I just had a brain-blast about how to solve a pacing issue that's been bugging me! Two surprises were happening too close to each other but I realized that if I shuffled a few things around I could keep the core of those moments while spacing them better throughout the story. I'm not going back to rewrite it right now but just knowing I'm going to restructure this makes me feel so much better about where the story's at right now.

I finally saw Cinderella last weekend with a friend and I really enjoyed it. We both spent the whole film coveting the costumes [I think every girl wants to try on one of those dresses at least once] and appreciating the character development they added, primarily for the king, the prince, and the step-mother. All three were filled out in a very satisfying way. I was pleasantly surprised by the level of humor but my favorite part, as morbid as it may sound, is the scene where the king dies. As the camera pans up from the bed you see Kit curled up next to his father. That is probably the best thing they could have done to bring a tenderness to that scene that is generally lacking in moments like it in other movies. So many adaptations of this fairy tale emphasis the parent-child relationship between Cinderella and her father so I was happy to see them carry that strength over to this father and son relationship.

Also, this guy has the bluest eyes I've ever seen. I mean:

 Really.

To go back to costuming really quickly, I also appreciated the nods they gave to the original Disney animated film which I noticed specifically with Kit's outfit at the ball and the wedding:

Seem familiar? All of the clothing was amazing but I really enjoyed little throwbacks like this.

For a story that's generally princess-centric [and Lily James was phenomenal, don't get me wrong] I was rather more taken with the prince in this version. Richard Madden somehow managed to bring an honest sincerity to a roll that typically isn't given much personality. It didn't feel like he was overacting or crossing the line into cheesy territory when he gazed into her eyes or talked about her with love-sick rapture. You simply believe him. Which is pretty impressive for a story that banks a lot on love at first sight.