A little bit of magic still goes a long, long way

CINDERELLA: If only real life was like the fairytales.A-290509SPLICE1

Recent films have recycled some classic fairytales, including the story of Cinderella, the girl with three ugly sisters who becomes the poor bullied family slave.

This story of a girl who is supported by her Fairy Godmother and a little magic is loaded with stereotypes that would, at first glance, seem blindingly obvious to modern eyes but yet it still it remains a favourite for girls.

Young lives that have more possible directions than were ever available to past generations can still be distracted by the charms of One Direction and romantic notions of a handsome prince and life in a castle.

They can enjoy the story of Cinderella while pondering how a girl could let a mother, fairy by title or not, decide what should be worn on a night out or concede without argument to wearing shoes made of glass without spending hours consulting with friends on the phone to see what others are going to be wearing.

The "Be home before the clock strikes midnight" edict passes without argument in the story. In real life this point would be litigated for hours accompanied by slamming doors and tears (and that's just the parents).

The whole pumpkin coach thing transpires with no question of whose turn it is to ride in the front - a constant matter of furious debate when our daughter was young. The fairy godmother sends Cinderella off into the night with a bunch of mice in tuxedos. What adult in their right mind would even consider that a good idea?

In that sense, Cinderella is very modern person - she has faith in the support of those who love her, trusts in the power of magic and is clearly unafraid of the future.

The prince is not in One Direction, but he can dance. They twirl, they hold hands and he is smitten but she disappears suddenly without explanation as the clocks strike midnight (she has not brought her trendy sneakers, so sheds her glass shoes as she runs, losing one on the way).

He finds the abandoned glass slipper (never mind the plot fault-line that means it should have vanished along with the rest of her fairytale outfit) and he decides he must find out who she is. Does he go on Facebook? Does he use Twitter to send her a message? Does he send out his guardsman to hunt for her? Does he hire a private detective to trace her address, or lurk the backstreets like some sort of stalker?

No, he has faith that somewhere out there is a young woman who will fit into the shoe left behind as she raced home in the dark. Never mind the logic. The city has a thousand girls with the same shoe size as Cinderella but he is not daunted by the task and goes forth trying the glass slipper on the feet of all of them.

This kind of breathtaking optimism is to be admired in a fella.

When she finally slides her foot into the glass slipper she recognises that this young man is indeed a prince among men as there are not many blokes who would kneel down in the street and help a girl with her shoes. It is the kindness rather than the regal title that she is taken with. If he had been an arrogant prat she would not have even bothered trying the shoe.

In that sense, Cinderella is a modern girl. She knows her own mind and recognises the values that matter, while retaining the ability to understand that a little bit of magic can go a long way in a world where so much is so complicated.

Terry Sarten is a parent, writer, musician and social worker - feedback: tgs@inspire.net.nz