Directed by Václav Vorlíček, written by František Pavlíček
Eng: Three Wishes/Hazelnuts/Gifts for Cinderella
An old friend of mine showed me this movie during a visit a few years ago. If watching Le Belle et la Bête in high school taught me that I love dreamy old fairytale movies, watching this five years later reminded me. It also introduced me to the world of Czech fairytale movies that I swear were made in a lab to check every box on my fantasy movie vibe wishlist. This was a very different take on the Cinderella story than the ones I grew up reading, so I found it really fun and fresh despite the movie being almost 50 years old when we watched it. One of my favourite things about fairytales is the fact that they're so widespread and there are so many different versions of the same story throughout the world.
The costuming and set design of this movie is very fun and whimsical. I found it very easy to be drawn into the story and it was easily my favourite movie we watched that night. The friend told me (and I've since seen a lot about this online) that this is a classic holiday movie in a lot of European countries around Christmas time. I even saw a post once of someone from Norway saying their family would watch it every year. It's hard for me to pick a favourite look from this movie, honestly. Her brown dress at the beginning with the fur on top makes me think of old Robin Hood adaptations I would watch growing up, the ball outfit with the veil and long bishop sleeves is something I would have killed for as a kid, and the white dress at the end of film suits Libuše Šafránková (the actress for Cinderella) so beautifully. The Prince, played by Pavel Trávníček, also gets some pretty great outfits in the film with my personal favourite being this one. The bright reds and blue contrast with the snowy forest beautifully.
Like I said before, this was a version of the fairytale I wasn't familiar with before watching and I think I prefer this one now. It used to frustrate me a bit growing up when the leading ladies of the fairytales I read just sort of sat there and did nothing, so Cinderella taking a much more active role in this story is something I would have loved growing up. Having the magic come from Cinderalla making wishes herself instead of a fairy godmother solving all the problems makes the magic virtually the same but puts more of the control in Cinderella's hands. Yes, the fairy godmother is simply there to grant Cinderella's every wish, but having the magic come from her own direct action as opposed to someone doing it for her makes it feel as though she has much more power over the direction of her own story and like she is the real driving force of the plot instead of just being along for the ride. There are a lot of people who have critizisms of the (mostly Disney) versions of fairytales that we're used to in North America, and I think people need to learn to look to other countries and see these stories from different perspectives. She still gets the prince at the end with marriage and status being her happy ending, so it could be argued this isn't exactly a feminist film, but She pushed for all of this happen. She wasn't wisked off her feet by fairygodmothers and royalty, she is resourceful and clever and talented in her own right.
23rd August, 2025