MovieChat Forums > Midnight (1939) Discussion > Great re-telling of Cinderella

Great re-telling of Cinderella

posted 16 years ago by TheDuchessofM
3 replies | jump to latest

It wasn't until I was halfway through the movie that the title suddenly had meaning for me: this was a really witty take on Cinderella! While I don't consider this to be a true screwball comedy (my definition is one that makes me die of laughter and each scene grows successively zanier--Midnight was rather sedate, more a precursor of todays romantic comedies), it was a movie I couldn't look away from for a second. I'm really beginning to be impressed by Claudette Colbert.

[–] HarlowMGM 13 years ago

I love all the great romantic oomedy heroines of the era but to me no one is anywhere near Claudette in this genre, she is the greatest of them all. It's worth noting that when the AFI did their "greatest stars" list she was far and away the highest ranked of this sisterhood - at number 12 - while Lombard came in at 23 and Loy, Dunne, Arthur, and Russell did not place.

[–] johnlsullivan 13 years ago

They didn't? Jeez, what a crappy, pointless list.

[–] mathmaniac 7 years ago

I did not see this movie as a take on Cinderella. The family aspect of the story was missing - so someone coming in and playing 'fairy godfather' (Barrymore) was not such a strong element. There was no deadline. A prince was not looking to match up an item with its owner. If anything, the chauffeur for the pumpkin would have won out.

But it was really very funny. A juicy role for Claudette Colbert.