EVER AFTER (1998)
Summary
Andy Tennant's "Ever After" is a clever and romantic rendition of the "Cinderella" fairy tale set in Renaissance France. At the outset, the Brothers Grimm arrive at the home of a wealthy Grande Dame (Jeanne Moreau) who chastises the writers for perpetuating an inaccurate legend surrounding the cinder girl, and then relates the "true" story of her ancestor. In flashback, the story focuses on Danielle De Barbarac (Drew Barrymore), the daughter of a nobleman whose unexpected death leaves Danielle and his estate under the control of his new wife, a cold-hearted Baronness Rodmilla De Ghent. Ten years later, Danielle is treated as a servant in her own home by her stepmother. When Danielle, disguised as a lady of the court to plead for the freedom of a fellow servant, meets Prince Henry (Dougray Scott), she captivates the heart of the young heir to the French throne. The Baronness, however, hatches a scheme to divert the attentions of the prince to her own daughter, Marguerite. Danielle's hopes for true love and happiness are nearly dashed, until inventor-artist Leonardo da Vinci lends a hand and counsels the young prince on matters of the heart. Danielle retains the grace of the princess from the Grimm Brothers' story, but is inventive for her ability to quote Sir Thomas More's Utopia, brandish a sword, and rise above the restraints of a commoner to inspire the future king. Supporting performances by Anjelica Huston (Baroness) and Megan Dodds (Marguerite) are also praiseworthy, while the lavish sets and costumes on this period film are simply breathtaking.
This film is rated PG for brief language and mild thematic elements.
Auditions and Casting
Actress Drew Barrymore fell in love with the role of Danielle when she first learned of it: "I'll
never forget hearing about the project. I was at the Woody Allen premiere [of "Everyone Says I Love You,"
a film in which Barrymore had a supporting role], and after that I was going nuts for a month hoping
that I would get an offer. It's every girl's dream to do this part."
On Location
In order to protect actor Dougray Scott
during the scene in which Danielle frantically throws a chicken in his
face, director Andy Tennant placed a glass shield in front of Scott. Drew
Barrymore, who is an animal activist, could not bring herself to throw
the helpless chicken at the glass. Needless to say, the scene took several
takes to shoot.
Although Barrymore was happy to have
the chance stand up for herself in ways the storybook heroine never did,
she found the sword fighting scenes to be a challenge: "I've seen a lot
of really great movies where men do it, and they make it look really easy...
it's not." 1 Barrymore found some of the other action sequences easier: "This
is a running Cinderella, and thank God I run or I'd be constantly out of
breath! And I've always ridden horses, so at least I felt pretty comfortable
with that." 2 Scott, on the other hand, had to take riding lessons for months
before they started filming.
Barrymore was known for being generous
and friendly on the set. In hoping to unite the cast and crew, she brought
snacks for her fellow cast members and threw a party during the filming:
“I did my best to bring people together. When you're making a movie, you're
actually with these people for three months, every day, day in, day out,
all day long. I think this is a functioning, working family, and that is
so great." 3
Relationships On and Off the Set
Relatively unknown at the time, actor
Dougray Scott "was really looking forward to working with Drew." 4 He remarks:
"She's not the Hollywood starlet she could be. She is one of the most generous
people I've ever met... When they offered me the part of Drew Barrymore's
prince I was really excited... She's a terrific actor and I'd always loved
her work. I met her a few times before filming. She's lovely, really nice
and great fun." 5 Of his other costars, Scott remarks: "It was such a great
experience because everyone was so generous and welcoming to work with.
They're such brilliant actors and not intimidating at all." 6
On Scott, Barrymore has nothing but
praise: "He's so handsome and yet he's doesn't rely on a 'Hey, Baby!' macho
[attitude]... He can play all sorts of men from different times and places...
Dougray is very, very talented." 7
The Actors on their Roles
Actress Drew Barrymore hoped that the
strength of Danielle's character would be a positive role model for young
women: "I didn't want to portray a girl who sort of sat around and wished
for what she wanted, and it magically came to her. In this version, it's
really her brains and the fact that she's well-read that make [Danielle]
win in the end. It has nothing to do with anything that could be aesthetic
or, to be honest, shallow. There are so many pressures that are put upon
young women. Whatever we can do to alleviate that and [help women] feel
beautiful about who we are inside, which is the only beauty there truly
is, is so nice... Let's be a real girl here, you know?" 8
On Prince Henry, Barrymore remarks:
"The Prince is not a person you meet at the ball who is a complete mystery
up until then and a complete mystery after... This is a real, living, breathing,
interesting young man who's very heroic in his own way." 9
Scottish-born Dougray Scott says of
his character: "This prince has a story and a complex family history. You
watch this character change and grow through the film... I'm always attracted
to characters with many dimensions." 10
Film Stills
