Movie Analysis: Ever After

1092 Words3 Pages

Ever After, a movie based on the classic Cinderella story, was an intriguing and enriching movie, which supports much of what we have been learning, about the Renaissance era. This visual media is an excellent tool for teaching students about this period of history, and the way of life during those times. Many connections are made to the Renaissance throughout the movie, with rich examples tied to religion, various fields of studies, and social status. Through the plot and actions of the characters, an accurate portrayal of life during the Renaissance was portrayed. As was typical during this era, the Catholic religion played a significant role in people's lives, which is clearly shown throughout this interesting movie. The distinct …show more content…

For example, in one scene, Danielle and Henry go to a huge library, where monks can be seen studying and writing. This would be typical during the Renaissance, as most books were written by hand by monks. After the invention of the printing press, the publication of books would drastically change, and books would be printed instead of written by hand. Furthermore, Henry dreamed of building a university where people could learn and study. In the Renaissance, people wanted to be inspired by new ideas, and this would result in more and more schools and universities opening. Topics such as science, English, art, history and literature would be studied, and these subjects were also evident in the movie. Lastly, as the movie closed, the narrator stated: "And, while Cinderella and her prince did live happily Ever After, the point is that they lived." This quote reflects that it is not enough to just live as most people did in the Renaissance. Their thoughts were consumed with God and church, and what would happen after death. Danielle and Henry, however, lived life to their fullest potential and had many wonderful experiences. They didn't worry about the afterlife, just their life here on earth. This is reflective of Humanism, which evolved throughout the Renaissance, and is clearly evident in Ever After as well. In closing, only the higher class citizens …show more content…

At one point in the movie, Rodmilla sells Danielle to Pierre Le Pieu in exchange for many goods. This supports the belief of that time: people were not valued and could be easily traded. However, this only applied to slaves, peasants and lower class citizens. A clear example of Sumptuary laws was reflected in the different colors of clothing that each social level would wear. For example, reds, golds and purples were worn by the upper class, oranges, browns and greys were worn by the middle and lower classes, and greens were worn by children. People were forced to wear these colors based on their status, in accordance with the Sumptuary laws, which stated that you couldn't dress nicer than your social class allowed. Ever After accurately demonstrated these laws throughout the movie, as each social level wore the appropriate color. Additionally, people could only marry in their level of status, and it was uncommon to do otherwise. This was why Henry's father was so upset about Henry's love interest with Danielle, as he was a prince and she was a lowly servant. Most commonly, peasants and upper class citizens didn't even meet, and peasants weren’t invited to private events like balls and dances. Lastly, the way in which people in each social level spoke to each other also demonstrated this class discrepancy. The scene in which Danielle calls the prince by

Open Document