Ella Enchanted by miramax, or how to take a perfectly adult book and teeny-bopper it into a movie.
So anyways Ella enchanted by Gail Carson Levine is a perfectly wonderful book. I read it; thoroughly enjoyed it; and will be recommending it for years to come. It's a very interesting change the the Cinderella story. But I'll let you read the book for yourself. In fact, stop here, go buy it, and read it. Then come back. I'll wait. Note that the next sequence has some spoilers. If this ruins movies or books for you, please don't read this until you've read the book or seen the movie as you like. (I recommend the book if you're feeling older than 11 and the movie if you aren't)
That's right. That wonderful book you just finished reading (you did read it right?) has very little to do with the movie by miramax. For those of you who bothered to read it. Find Uncle Edgar in the book....No luck? That's because he doesn't exist. Luckily miramax caught that clerical error and re-added the evil uncle, replete with talking snake, and cheesy lines. Aren't you happy that this compelling character was saved? Now moving on. Remember char? The cute somewhat realistic prince? Well in Ella Enhanced (the movie) he's become a highschool girl's fantasy. All hunk and no actual brains at the start of the movie, although to be fair by the end he's done a wonderful Eliza Doolittle, but since he didn't need to do one in the book to begin with, it's off topic.
Now don't take this for criticism of the movie, it's a fine film filled with a lighthearted humor and refusing to take itself seriously, although I do wish that the actresses playing the stepsisters had tried harder to be believably wretched instead of vacillating between air headed char-fan-club-president (not kidding loyal book readers) and near-tears drama-queen.
Back to the movie. Ella does what she does in early life, which is handled in a rather abrupt manner although we do get some bits right (Lucinda does indeed give a gift etc) She grows up, we totally skip her father's attempts to marry her off, and instead he's the one getting married. Now if you've read the book you'll know that his marriage does indeed occur, along with a gift from Lucinda. If you've just seen the movie, sorry no gifts. I suppose it would be too hard for the target audience to follow, but since the book does such a lovely job explaining the horrors of absolutes it's a shame they skipped it in the movie.
At this point we're exposed to Olga (passable) and Hattie/olive (not). They behave as you might expect, and we have a lovely time watching Hattie figure out Ella's curse at home, community college, etc. Most of this section isn't in the book, but it's at least a credible and pretty looking attempt to show off the curse blatantly and makes the vast majority of persons in frell look like idiots, which is accurate (for the movie at least) and somewhat amusing. Finally Ella is forced to give up her best friend "I could never be friends with an aurach" *sniffle* and we move on.
To the woods, (into the woods I have to go, I hate to leave, I have to tho....) we skip merrily. Ella saves an Elf who wants to be a lawyer (He can't because Edgar has decreed elves are only to be entertainers, just like giants are farm laborers...more on this later) , from some tormenting humans by performing ninjitsu as the elf tells her to. On the elf he's an interesting character, but like the uncle you'll be hard pressed to find him in the book. Luckily after we beat up the humans, and stop in at the elven village (let us entertain you!), we get a trio of *gasp* ogres. It's almost funny, because they were supposed to be the first encounter, but now we have elf-the-lawyer along. So the ogres beat them up, and are proceeding to cook Ella, when char rides in to save them. Of course this neatly avoids having Ella save herself, but why would she do that? It's not part of her typecasting. Hunk does his thing, swings the sword brains the ogres, threatens them and asks if they killed his father (remember we've got Edgar's kingship to account for). They claim the king was a good guy etc, and char lets them live. Useful since they show up later and zombie ogres wouldn't be as believable.
We move on, watching Ella and char and come across a field full of giants as slave labor. Luckily we have the prince along so he can command his uncles soldiers to stop whipping them right? Well no, he's just going to tell his uncle about it. He's carrying his uncles snake in his silly saddlebag, he could just pull him out and threaten to beat him to a pulp and ask if the guy knows anything, but that's too difficult for the new improved char and so we just move on to the giant's wedding. Which proceeds as expected minus the crying giants, we never find out about Lucinda's gift, we do get a charming char and giant talk. The elf falls for a rather large giantess (also not in the book, but hey the extras need loving too) and then Ella is given one of the more asinine sequences of the movie. Why Hollywood can't tell a fairy tale without a song and dance number is beyond me, but Disney has ruined the fairy tale genre forever. So Ella sings "Find me somebody to love" repleat with "louder, dance, etc" commands. And ends up in chars arms. Admittedly that's where she's supposed to end up but not here or this way so it's a tad disorienting.
Well there's no sign of Lucinda (remember the reason for this song and dance tour?) so we decide to go check the royal index (sort of a census) in the capital, -- At this point I should mention that Ella is indeed given the fairy tale book, no it does not have any fairy tales, nor is it even very old. Well actually it's Benny. The talking book. For those of you who read the book you might wonder where the real book went? I'm thinking it was taken by the real Mandy when she ran off in a fit, but that's just my opinion. Wait Mandy isn't in the movie either you say? Well she is and she isn't. There is a house fairy called Mandy. She can't do any magic right....yeah I know, thats silly, but it's how miramax decided to handle the ethics of big magic question. Sometimes it is time for turtle to dodge. -- Back to the tale.
So we arrive, and we lose our campy elf at the door to the castle to a guard (are you an entertainer for the coronation ball? no. Then no entering *slam*) but luckily Ella is now firmly enthralled by Char's cute butt and doesn't notice her disappearing companion. I personally believe it's because he wasn't there in the book so why worry about him? but that's me. We get Ella to the index and char goes off to his uncle. He declares he's going to marry Ella and even where he's going to propose...Cue gloomy music...and the evil uncle pulls in Hattie and olive, interrogates them and finds out about the "gift". Edgar then goes to the library and tells Ella several fairly predictable things: hop, pat your stomach and head, etc to verify the curse. Then to (while Benny the book listens) kill char, at midnight, in the hall of mirrors with this dagger (I had the urge to ask why not in the kitchen with the candlestick, but I held my tongue.) He also tells her to not tell anyone about it.
Ella runs off at this point, is found by the elf, gets him to chain her up to a tree and then sends him to round up a posse, it's ass-kicking time. So Ella's chained to a tree, the elf goes into the woods and cue creepy music* Lucinda shows up. At this point we're so far off course that the added iceberg doesn't worry anyone, we weren't planning on getting home alive anyways. Ella pleads, Lucinda sneers, and then to show how good her "gifts" are she frees Ella, dresses her in finery, and tells her to "go boogy down with your prince" Who she's never met, but whatever. Flash to the coronation ball. Char's forced to dance with Hattie, which is nauseating as expected, and Ella arrives, dragged by the curse. She holds onto furniture etc and finally ends up in Char's arms. They dance some, then she asks him to tell her to never see him again, he won't and instead drags her off to mirror land. The hall of mirrors is pretty. Pretty pretty pretty. And somewhat appropriate for the scripted release from the curse. I say somewhat because instead of finding inner courage etc and overcoming the curse she fights with it for a while, then looks in a mirror and tells herself to no longer always be obedient. She then falls down, the knife falls from her hand, she says free, and Edgar walks in and has her arrested before she can explain anything to char. Who just stands there like an inanimate object. I can imagine the inventory of the castle. Hatrack, check! Doors, Check! Throne, Check! Prince, Check! Spears, Check! etc.
So we have some angst by char but no action, and then the posse arrives. They find ogres in an alley, and Benny in the recycle paper bin. He tells the elf what's going on, and they break into the castle and free Ella. Ella asks to see Edgar in Benny's pages and notices he's poisoned the crown. Ella and co then crash the coronation, *fight scene* and Edgar is revealed. "This crown is Mine!" *Puts on poisoned crown* He falls over, and char asks Ella about that marriage thing again. This time she accepts. Hattie makes a scene and Ella gets her locket back. The movie ends with the wedding, and one last song and dance number.
It's a fun movie. But please for the love of god read the book..
That's right. That wonderful book you just finished reading (you did read it right?) has very little to do with the movie by miramax. For those of you who bothered to read it. Find Uncle Edgar in the book....No luck? That's because he doesn't exist. Luckily miramax caught that clerical error and re-added the evil uncle, replete with talking snake, and cheesy lines. Aren't you happy that this compelling character was saved? Now moving on. Remember char? The cute somewhat realistic prince? Well in Ella Enhanced (the movie) he's become a highschool girl's fantasy. All hunk and no actual brains at the start of the movie, although to be fair by the end he's done a wonderful Eliza Doolittle, but since he didn't need to do one in the book to begin with, it's off topic.
Now don't take this for criticism of the movie, it's a fine film filled with a lighthearted humor and refusing to take itself seriously, although I do wish that the actresses playing the stepsisters had tried harder to be believably wretched instead of vacillating between air headed char-fan-club-president (not kidding loyal book readers) and near-tears drama-queen.
Back to the movie. Ella does what she does in early life, which is handled in a rather abrupt manner although we do get some bits right (Lucinda does indeed give a gift etc) She grows up, we totally skip her father's attempts to marry her off, and instead he's the one getting married. Now if you've read the book you'll know that his marriage does indeed occur, along with a gift from Lucinda. If you've just seen the movie, sorry no gifts. I suppose it would be too hard for the target audience to follow, but since the book does such a lovely job explaining the horrors of absolutes it's a shame they skipped it in the movie.
At this point we're exposed to Olga (passable) and Hattie/olive (not). They behave as you might expect, and we have a lovely time watching Hattie figure out Ella's curse at home, community college, etc. Most of this section isn't in the book, but it's at least a credible and pretty looking attempt to show off the curse blatantly and makes the vast majority of persons in frell look like idiots, which is accurate (for the movie at least) and somewhat amusing. Finally Ella is forced to give up her best friend "I could never be friends with an aurach" *sniffle* and we move on.
To the woods, (into the woods I have to go, I hate to leave, I have to tho....) we skip merrily. Ella saves an Elf who wants to be a lawyer (He can't because Edgar has decreed elves are only to be entertainers, just like giants are farm laborers...more on this later) , from some tormenting humans by performing ninjitsu as the elf tells her to. On the elf he's an interesting character, but like the uncle you'll be hard pressed to find him in the book. Luckily after we beat up the humans, and stop in at the elven village (let us entertain you!), we get a trio of *gasp* ogres. It's almost funny, because they were supposed to be the first encounter, but now we have elf-the-lawyer along. So the ogres beat them up, and are proceeding to cook Ella, when char rides in to save them. Of course this neatly avoids having Ella save herself, but why would she do that? It's not part of her typecasting. Hunk does his thing, swings the sword brains the ogres, threatens them and asks if they killed his father (remember we've got Edgar's kingship to account for). They claim the king was a good guy etc, and char lets them live. Useful since they show up later and zombie ogres wouldn't be as believable.
We move on, watching Ella and char and come across a field full of giants as slave labor. Luckily we have the prince along so he can command his uncles soldiers to stop whipping them right? Well no, he's just going to tell his uncle about it. He's carrying his uncles snake in his silly saddlebag, he could just pull him out and threaten to beat him to a pulp and ask if the guy knows anything, but that's too difficult for the new improved char and so we just move on to the giant's wedding. Which proceeds as expected minus the crying giants, we never find out about Lucinda's gift, we do get a charming char and giant talk. The elf falls for a rather large giantess (also not in the book, but hey the extras need loving too) and then Ella is given one of the more asinine sequences of the movie. Why Hollywood can't tell a fairy tale without a song and dance number is beyond me, but Disney has ruined the fairy tale genre forever. So Ella sings "Find me somebody to love" repleat with "louder, dance, etc" commands. And ends up in chars arms. Admittedly that's where she's supposed to end up but not here or this way so it's a tad disorienting.
Well there's no sign of Lucinda (remember the reason for this song and dance tour?) so we decide to go check the royal index (sort of a census) in the capital, -- At this point I should mention that Ella is indeed given the fairy tale book, no it does not have any fairy tales, nor is it even very old. Well actually it's Benny. The talking book. For those of you who read the book you might wonder where the real book went? I'm thinking it was taken by the real Mandy when she ran off in a fit, but that's just my opinion. Wait Mandy isn't in the movie either you say? Well she is and she isn't. There is a house fairy called Mandy. She can't do any magic right....yeah I know, thats silly, but it's how miramax decided to handle the ethics of big magic question. Sometimes it is time for turtle to dodge. -- Back to the tale.
So we arrive, and we lose our campy elf at the door to the castle to a guard (are you an entertainer for the coronation ball? no. Then no entering *slam*) but luckily Ella is now firmly enthralled by Char's cute butt and doesn't notice her disappearing companion. I personally believe it's because he wasn't there in the book so why worry about him? but that's me. We get Ella to the index and char goes off to his uncle. He declares he's going to marry Ella and even where he's going to propose...Cue gloomy music...and the evil uncle pulls in Hattie and olive, interrogates them and finds out about the "gift". Edgar then goes to the library and tells Ella several fairly predictable things: hop, pat your stomach and head, etc to verify the curse. Then to (while Benny the book listens) kill char, at midnight, in the hall of mirrors with this dagger (I had the urge to ask why not in the kitchen with the candlestick, but I held my tongue.) He also tells her to not tell anyone about it.
Ella runs off at this point, is found by the elf, gets him to chain her up to a tree and then sends him to round up a posse, it's ass-kicking time. So Ella's chained to a tree, the elf goes into the woods and cue creepy music* Lucinda shows up. At this point we're so far off course that the added iceberg doesn't worry anyone, we weren't planning on getting home alive anyways. Ella pleads, Lucinda sneers, and then to show how good her "gifts" are she frees Ella, dresses her in finery, and tells her to "go boogy down with your prince" Who she's never met, but whatever. Flash to the coronation ball. Char's forced to dance with Hattie, which is nauseating as expected, and Ella arrives, dragged by the curse. She holds onto furniture etc and finally ends up in Char's arms. They dance some, then she asks him to tell her to never see him again, he won't and instead drags her off to mirror land. The hall of mirrors is pretty. Pretty pretty pretty. And somewhat appropriate for the scripted release from the curse. I say somewhat because instead of finding inner courage etc and overcoming the curse she fights with it for a while, then looks in a mirror and tells herself to no longer always be obedient. She then falls down, the knife falls from her hand, she says free, and Edgar walks in and has her arrested before she can explain anything to char. Who just stands there like an inanimate object. I can imagine the inventory of the castle. Hatrack, check! Doors, Check! Throne, Check! Prince, Check! Spears, Check! etc.
So we have some angst by char but no action, and then the posse arrives. They find ogres in an alley, and Benny in the recycle paper bin. He tells the elf what's going on, and they break into the castle and free Ella. Ella asks to see Edgar in Benny's pages and notices he's poisoned the crown. Ella and co then crash the coronation, *fight scene* and Edgar is revealed. "This crown is Mine!" *Puts on poisoned crown* He falls over, and char asks Ella about that marriage thing again. This time she accepts. Hattie makes a scene and Ella gets her locket back. The movie ends with the wedding, and one last song and dance number.
It's a fun movie. But please for the love of god read the book..