The Slipper and the Rose (Widescreen)

Sherrie Hewson (Actor), John Turner (Actor), Bryan Forbes (Director) | Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) | Format: VHS Tape

4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (98 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Actors: Sherrie Hewson, John Turner, Rosalind Ayres, Keith Skinner, Polly Williams
Directors: Bryan Forbes
Writers: Bryan Forbes, Charles Perrault, Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman
Producers: David Frost, Stuart Lyons
Format: NTSC
Number of tapes: 1
MPAA Rating:
Studio: Paradox
VHS Release Date: Oct 1 2002
Run Time: 127 minutes

Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (98 customer reviews)

ASIN: B00004RERO
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #8,977 in Video (See Top 100 in Video)
- #15 in Video > Musicals & Performing Arts > Musicals > Rodgers & Hammerstein
- #21 in Video > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Fairy Tales
- #45 in Video > Kids & Family > Adapted from Books > Fairy Tales

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Product Description

From Amazon.com

You know the story: Cinderella rides in a magical pumpkin to the ball, enchants the prince, and flees at midnight. He finds her slipper and tracks her down, and they live happily ever after. But wait! In The Slipper and the Rose, it turns out there's more to the life of a prince than being charming. The king prefers to choose the prince's wife, one of proper social station who would provide a strong political alliance to ward off the kingdom's enemies. That's one of the twists in this 1976 British take on the classic fairy tale, one of a long line of musical versions.

The disgruntled prince, who's as much of a focal point here as the lady with the footwear, is played by Richard Chamberlain, during the years when he was taking on the classics and had not yet been crowned king of the TV miniseries. He displays a pleasant voice opposite Gemma Craven as Cinderella, and veteran character actor Michael Hordern as the king leads the supporting ensemble. Add lavish sets and lush scenery (partially filmed in Austria), humor, fun choreography, and an Oscar-nominated score full of charming songs by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman (veterans of such Disney movies as Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book, and who also cowrote the script with director Bryan Forbes), and you have a grand, engaging family musical. The 143-minute running time and dreamy, deliberate pace might test the patience of antsy viewers, but this is the first time The Slipper and the Rose has been available on video in its uncut version, and its legion of fans wouldn't have it any other way. --David Horiuchi

Video Details

The Slipper and the Rose is a grand musical adventure in the tradition of The Sound of Music and My Fair Lady. This lavish production features Richard Chamberlain in a spirited retelling of the classic Cinderella fairy tale, and the Academy Award-nominated score is provided by the Oscar-winning song-writing duo the Sherman Brothers (Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang). The Slipper and the Rose is a brilliant mix of fantasy and realism that will enchant viewers of all ages. No musical collection would be complete without this romantically delightful film. Directed by Bryan Forbes (The Stepford Wives, King Rat). Available for the first time on home video in its complete, full-length version.

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Customer Reviews

98 Reviews

5 star:		(77)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

Average Customer Review

4.7 out of 5 stars (98 customer reviews)

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Most helpful customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Stunning Version of a Classic Tale, Dec 24 2007

ERT (Victoria, BC, Canada) - See all my reviews

I remember going to see "The Slipper and the Rose" at a local theatre in the summer of 1977 with my best friend, her mother, and her grandmother...and after the matinee credits rolled, we went into the lobby, phoned home to our scheduled "ride" and told them not to come back for another 2.5 hours, because we were going to stay and watch it again, it was so enchanting.

Later, when it was broadcast on a cable channel that my grad school roommate and I didn't get (being unable to afford cable on our meager budget), we splurged on a hotel room for the night to enjoy the show.

Say what you like about the uneven audio levels, the pacing, and so on...the flaws are more than made up for by excellent performances by some of the leading lights of British acting, by a lushly-costumed and lovingly-staged production, and most especially by the clever lyrics and tuneful melodies of the Sherman brothers. Anyone who can rhyme "Phineas" and "ignominious" is OK in my book, and numbers like "Why Can't I Be Two People?," "Secret Kingdom," "Protocoligorically Correct" and "What a Comforting Thing to Know" belong squarely alongside the best musical theatre numbers in the business. In fact, I would love to see "The Slipper and the Rose" revived as a stage production - the consciously-theatrical staging of many of the numbers already lends itself to it, and other Sherman outings like "Mary Poppins" and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" have already proven the concept.

If I have a criticism to raise as regards the DVD, it is that it offers only the "expanded" cut of the film, and not the original theatrical release version. In my view, the edits made for theatrical release were wise and lended needed pacing to the film. I'd have preferred to see the deleted numbers and scenes not edited back , but instead included as bonus material.

In any case, it's a film watchable again and again, and despite its being a product of its time, without the many bells and whistles now available, it's a splendid reinvisioning of a classic story, well worth including in anyone's film library.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely film let down by a poor quality DVD, July 31 2006

Ms. H. Sinton "dragondrums" (Ingleby Barwick. U.K.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Slipper and the Rose (Widescreen) (DVD)

The Slipper and the Rose is a musical version of Cinderella and stars Richard Chamberlain as the Prince who is being forced into choosing a bride but who yearns to find love. Gemma Craven is Cinderella, young and beautiful but forced into drudgery by her 'wicked stepmother' (Margaret Lockwood). Other well known faces are Kenneth More as the Lord Chamberlain, Michael Horden as the King, Annette Crosby as the fairy godmother and dame Edith Evans as the dowager queen.

The story closely follows the fairy story so beloved by generations of children but with the inclusion of numerous songs which, while not being works of musical genius, are very catchy nonetheless and find you tapping your foot alongside them. Although this film is almost 30 years old it should still entertain children (and young-at-heart adults) as much now as it did then.

The main flaw with this DVD, and the reason it lost a star, is its poor transfer from film. There has been no effort made to clean up the picture or sound, so it looks a little faded and grainy, and the sound is not nowhere as clear as it could be. In other words, if you already own this movie on VHS then the DVD really isn't worth purchasing but, if you don't already possess it, then it is worth buying purely for the entertainment value.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Not your mother's Cinderella, April 7 2004

S. E. Fanning (Nashville, TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Slipper and the Rose (Widescreen) (DVD)

I love this movie, absolutely and positively. Can't remember how I stumbled on it.

The DVD verious needs serious work by those who restore movies. The colors are awful and the editing of the last few minutes is unforgiveable.

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