Lily James Goes to the Ball in First Cinderella Trailer

Posted on November 21, 2014

Here is the first trailer for Disney's live action film Cinderella. . Cinderella is played by Lily James, who is best known for her role as the irrepressible Lady Rose MacClare Rose on Downton Abbey and as Korrina in Wrath of the Titans.

Lily James has the right look for Cinderella, but it remains to be seen if she can carry the film. The supporting cast is outstanding. Helena Bonham Carter plays Cinderella's Fairy Godmother who gives Cinderella glass slippers that are really comfortable (so important when dancing the night away at the castle.) The very charismatic Hayley Atwell, who plays Peggy Carter in the upcoming Marvel TV show Agent Carter, plays Cinderella's mother who is seen in flashbacks giving sweet little Cinderella lots of good advice that she will desperately need after her mother dies.

Richard Madden, who is best known as Robb Stark from Game of Thrones, plays Prince Charming. Cate Blanchett is the evil stepmother, Lady Tremaine. Derek Jacobi (I, Claudius) is the King. Ben Chaplin (The Truth About Cats and Dogs) plays Cinderella's dad, who has the worst taste in second wives in the Kingdom.

In this trailer we see Cinderella as a child being given some wise advice: "have courage and be kind." Fast forward to a few years later when her father has remarried to the ghastly Lady Tremaine who has two perfectly horrid daughters. When her dad heads off to who knows where, Lady Tremaine banishes Cinderella to the cinders in the hearth. They tear up her mother's gown so she can't go to the ball at the palace. Luckily, the Fairy Godmother has other plans for poor Cinderella.

The tone of the film is a bit hard to pin down. Cinderella is quite earnest. The stepmother and stepsister are perfectly vile. Prince Charming seems like a good fellow and is not quite so callow as this character usually is played. Kenneth Branagh directed the film from a screenplay written by Aline Brosh McKenna and Chris Weitz. This movie is scheduled to hit theaters on March 13, 2015.

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