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| Dvdivas
was founded by John Gabbard in 2000. It's purpose has been and
remains to be to provide you, the entertainment community with
the latest dvds and movie reviews. It will continue to be your
link to the most popular dvd movies. |
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“Ella
Enchanted“
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Reviewed
by: |
Wayne A. Klein |
| Genre: |
Fantasy/
Comedy |
| Video: |
1.85:1 Anamorphic
Widescreen |
| Audio: |
Dolby Digital
Surround 5.1 |
| Languages |
English,
French |
| Subtitles |
English,
Spanish |
| Length |
96 minutes
|
| Rating |
PG |
| Release Date |
8/31/04 |
| Studio |
Miramax Home
Video |
| Commentary:
|
Director
Tommy O’Haver, Anne Hathaway and Hugh Dancy |
| Documentaries:
|
None |
| Featurettes:
|
“The Magical World of
Ella Enchanted”, “Red Carpet Premiere Special” |
| Filmography/Biography:
|
None |
|
Interviews: |
None |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
None |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
Deleted and
extended scenes |
| Music
Video: |
“It’s Not Just Make Believe”
|
| Other:
|
“Prince Charmont’s
Fan Club”, “Happily Ever After” DVD-ROM feature |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Anne Hathaway,
Hugh Dancy, Minnie Driver, Vivica A. Fox, Joanna Lumley, Cary
Elwes, Patrick Bergin, Eric Idle |
| Written
By: |
Laurie Craig,
Karen McCullah Lutz, Kirsten Smith, Jennifer Health, Michael
J. Wolff based on Gail Carson Levine’s novel |
| Produced
By: |
Jane Startz
|
| Directed
By: |
Tommy O’Haver
|
| Music:
|
Nick Glennie-
Smith, with songs written by Jeff Lynne, John Farrar, Elton
John, Freddie Mercury, Vini Poncia, Leo Sayer, Kimberly Rew,
Matthew Wilder, Otis Redding |
| The
Review: |
A delightful and charming romantic/fantasy/comedy,
“Ella Enchanted” echoes “Shrek” and “The Princess Bride” in
a clever fairytale about Ella (Anne Hathaway) who is given
the gift of obedience by a goofy fairy godmother (Vivica A.
Fox). So, for her whole life Ella must do what others tell
her which can lead to some unexpected complications for example
her mother instructs her daughter to “dig in” on her birthday
and she proceeds to stuff her face with cake using her hands.
When Ella’s mother dies her father Sir Peter (Patrick Bergin)
remarries and suddenly she has a wicked step mother (Joanna
Lumley) and two manipulative wicked step-sisters. Ella decides
that she must find the fairy godmother that gave her gift
and ask her to take it back. Along the way she meets and falls
in love with Prince Charmont (Hugh Dancy), ogres, fairies
and giants. When Charmont realizes he loves Ella as well,
his evil uncle Edgar (the delightful Cary Elwes) uses Ella
for a wicked plan. Featuring great performances of songs performed
by ELO, Queen, Katrina & The Waves and others, “Ella Enchanted”
captures much of the spirit of “Shrek” without copying it.
---
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| Image
and Sound: |
The widescreen
anamorphic transfer looks spectacular with rich storybook colors
and fairytale blue skies. There’s some minor edge enhancement
but, on the whole, the film looks marvelous. The sound comes
across with tremendous presence. Since many popular songs from
the 70’s and 80’s are integrated into song and dance numbers
in the movie, the carefully blended sound and the 5.1 mix become
almost as important as the image. --- |
| The
Extras: |
Two featurettes are included
on this disc. The first is a nice glimpse behind the scenes
of the making of the movie. The “Red Carpet Premiere Special”
was originally telecast on the Disney Channel. It’s nothing
special but fans of Anne Hathaway will want to watch it to
get a glimpse of her looking radiant at the movie premiere.
There are also deleted and extended scenes, a music video
performed by Kari Kimmel and “Prince Charmont’s Fan Club”
game. Watching the deleted scenes it’s clear that many of
these scenes would have worked in the final film, it’s just
that they were cut for time constraints or pacing. It provides
a clever variation on a running joke throughout the movie
regarding the prince. We also get the “Happily Ever After”
DVD-ROM feature which I couldn’t quite get to work correctly.
---
|
| Commentary:
|
A
fun, informative commentary by the attractive stars of the film
Hugh Dancy and Anne Hathaway with their director Tommy O’Haven.
Both O’Haven and Dancy also provide commentary for the deleted
scenes. --- |
| Final
Words: |
A delightful
film filled with magical, funny moments and dancing Ogres, “Ella
Enchanted” manages to channel the spirit of “Shrek” in a live
action movie. The brisk direction, witty script and deft performances
make this a delightful movie for all ages despite the PG rating.
By the way, the PG is for some crude humor but nothing your
kids probably haven’t already heard or seen in their school
(or “Shrek” and “Shrek 2” for that matter). |
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