Ever After is the re-telling of the Cinderella fairy tale, replacing magic with the power of love and the fairy godmother with Leonardo da Vinci and a seriously strong-willed Danielle, our Cinderella, played by Drew Barrymore. Danielle is way more pro-active than any version of Cinderella I have ever read and this, combined with many contemporary opinions and uses of language creates a strange, but fascinating, patina over the old story. Anyone who doesn't already know the 'old story' should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves and is set the task of going and learning it. Even in the 90s anyone should be able to tell these classics to children.

Barrymore is amusing, strong, intelligent and a solid centre to this film. Anjelica Huston is a truly nasty, but not evil, stepmother fighting for her favoured daughter's place beside the prince on the throne. She is so good at being so bad. The favoured daughter, Marguerite, well played by Megan Dodds, is petulant and spoiled, and [did I mention some anachronisms] too slender to have been considered the beauty they apparently considered her. Well, mostly too slender. That is one hell of a brooch. Patrick Godfrey is a strange da Vinci who is even capable of walking on water. Our prince was perhaps a little nondescript, but that may have been merely a solid actor set against the enthusiasm of the sword-wielding, prince-bashing, well-read Cinderella.

This is a most worthy interpretation. See it.

When suave Nicky Ferrente (Cary Grant) boards a luxury liner bound for America, he is returning to an heiress. Glamorous Terry McKay (Deborah Kerr) is also returning to her wealthy lover. Both are travelling first class - courtesy of other people. Naturally when they meet, neither wants an involvement but circumstances conspire to make it an affair to remember.

This film is memorable for far more than its title song. The acerbic dialogue between Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr and the skilful use of extras makes this a very funny film. Yet the leads provide versatile performances which make the tragic scenes truly terrible. Unfortunately they just don't make films like this anymore.