In the 2015 remake of Cinderella, directed by Kenneth Branagh, Ella is subjected to many human rights violations. Cinderella runs for 105 minutes and Sandy Powell was the costume designer. The film stars Ella played by Lily James, the Prince by Richard Madden, stepmother Lady Tremaine by Cate Blanchett, stepsisters Drisella and Anastasia by Sophie McShera and Holliday Grainger, and the fairy godmother by Helena Bonham Carter. The fantasy, romance, family film was rated PG for mild thematic elements. Cinderella follows the life of Ella after her mother and father’s death; leading to her life with her evil stepmother and stepsisters.
Human Rights and the Effects of their Abuses
As Ella works tirelessly day in and day out, the narrator shares that she is misused by her stepmother and stepsister. They considered Ella less of a sister or daughter and more of a servant. Through the ways that Ella is forced to do extreme amounts of labour, she is subjected to cruel treatment; thus, violating article 5: “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” Based on the poor quality of life that Ella is exposed to, she sees herself as a creature of ashes and turmoil. Through being seen as a servant, and the way others make her feel, her rights of article 6 are detained: “Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law” Ella’s stepmother and stepsisters do whatever they please and have no care in the world for how it may affect Ella. In the things that they do, Ella’s stepfamily violates her rights, as outlined in article 30: “Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein” As a result of the abuses, Ella’s self esteem is broken; she fears society in the sense that she feels she can’t be herself or be seen. She knows there is discipline waiting for her at home if she were to ever do anything for herself instead of for her stepmother and stepsisters. This is especially seen when Ella avoids sharing her name and identity to the Prince in the forest and at the palace.
Cinematography
The use of cinematography throughout the film is quite evident and very much arouses the emotions of the audience. The director takes advantage of angles, music, colour, costumes, and attentive details. In Ella’s mother’s death scene, sad music was played in the final embrace with Ella and her parents, the camera slowly zooms out of the scene and shows the family getting smaller and smaller. The lengthened scene allows for the audience to register her mother’s death and feel the pain that Ella and her father must feel. Close ups on Ella and the news bearer are used in the scene where the audience finds out that Ella’s father passed away of sickness. Ella is shown with tears in her eyes and viewers can see the hurt in her face; the news deliverer is shown with great sorrow and sympathy. By being able to clearly see the emotions of these characters, the audience is able to truly understand how they are feeling and feel a range of those emotions themselves. Music was also used in the father’s death scene; since he passed away in the forest, the sound of wolves howling and dark music was played. This was to give more reality to the situation and allow a deeper connection to the scene for viewers. Alternatively, in much happier scenes, bright colours, sparkles, and happy music were used to give an enchanted, magical experience to the viewers. When Ella was preparing for the ball, every time her fairy godmother casted a spell on an object, sparkles and bright colours were projected. Happy, upbeat music was also played in the background and butterflies flew around Ella in her magical transformation scene. The use of cinematography in this scene creates a happy feeling and excites the crowd. When Ella is on the way to the palace, fireworks are seen in front of her. Fireworks are used in reality to celebrate, using the connection that viewers have with fireworks makes them feel happy and reminds them that something good is going to occur. The use of cinematography enhances the emotions of the audience and greatly increases their experience while viewing the film.