We watched the latest Disney incarnation of Cinderella the other night (the live-action one with the girl with the blue gown that practically glows). The movie itself was okay–nothing earth-shattering, really. But what stood out for me was the relationship between the king and the prince. It’s rare these days to have a father who is not either a bumbling idiot or a domineering tyrant. This father was neither. He loved his country and he loved his son, and found his desires for each to be in conflict.
Clearly there was tension between them, as “Kit” did seem to feel some measure of disapproval from his father, but he seemed to recognize the love behind his father’s efforts to teach him to be a good king, and acknowledged his own inadequacy. Their conflict was merely present, and did not define their relationship. The scene when the king dies after giving Kit his blessing to marry whomever he wishes was perhaps the most touching scene of the movie. The king knew Kit didn’t need his blessing, but gave it anyway, partly to ensure no conflict remained between them, and partly to show that he trusted Kit’s judgment on that matter as well. It was not some grand, tragic deathbed “repentance” so much as a final acknowledgement of his love.
It was refreshing to see a healthy relationship between father and son where neither of them are jerks and their love for one another is clear. Kit was not really being rebellious in his insistence on pursuing Ella because he knew on a basic level that his father’s love went deeper than that.
It was touching for Kit to unashamedly curl up next to his father to be near him as he died.
Ella was lovely, and Cate Blanchet was delightfully evil, but there was no new ground covered in either of them. If anything at all, the movie was an exploration of relationships between parents and children. And for Disney, notorious for either killing off or marginalizing parents, there was surprising depth there.