The story of Cinderella is over 2000 years old, so which Cinderella is your Cinderella.
First Cinderella was Greek story around 6th century BCE, the ancient story is about a Greek Courtesan named Rhodopis She had one of her shoes stolen by an eagle, who flies it across the Mediterranean and drops it in the lab of an Egyptian king. The shoe dropping from heaven, (literally and metaphorically), was a sign to the king, he goes on a quest to find the owner of the shoe. The king finds Rhodopis. marries her, and lifting her from the lowly status to the throne.
The 9th century, a Chinese fairytale, Ye-Xian is a young girl granted one wish from the magical wishbones. She uses it to create a gown in hopes of finding a husband. The monarch comes in possession of the shoe and goes on a quest to find the woman whose tiny feet will fit the shoe. Ye-Xian's beauty convinces the king to marry her, the mean stepmother is crushed by stones in her cave home.
The European version of the story originated in the 17th century, more than 500 versions of the Cinderella story have been found just in Europe, including the one we all know.
The 17th-century story called "Cenerentola" was published in a collection of Italian short stories. It has all ingredients of the modern day tales, the wicked stepmother, wicked stepsisters, magic and missing slippers. But, this is a story of forced marriage and six very wicked stepsisters. The woman named Zezolla escapes the king, who wants to marry her, but she escaped two separate celebrations. The third celebration she was caught by the king and prevented from leaving.
Some 60 years later, the Italian tale gets a French twist and became the story we know. "Cendrillon" by Charles Perrault, a French writer credited with inventing the fairy tale. He introduced the glass slippers, the pumpkin, and the fairy godmother.
The Brothers Grimms has a whole another take on this tale, "Aschenputtel" appeared more than 100 years after Perrault's version. It's a much darker tale, Cinderella's wishes come not from a fairy godmother but from a tree growing on her mother's grave. The heroines' slippers were made of gold when the prince comes to test the stepsisters' feet for size one of them cuts off her toes to try and make it fit. Cinderella marries the prince with her stepsisters serving as her bridesmaid and doves peck their eyes out during the ceremony.
The first credited short film is in 1899, it was produced by a French man named George Meiles. In 1911, a silent film featuring Florence La Badie as a leading lady and it was a hit with the audience. Walt Disney 's Cinderella first became animated in a feature piece produced by Wlat Disney with Laugh-O-Gram. This film was released December 6 and ran for 7 minutes.
"The Glass Slipper" adapted in 1955 by MGM and was directed by Charles Waters and produced by Edwin H. Kopf, music by Bronislau Kaper.
Rodgers & Hammerstein made three different made for television movies featuring Julie Andrews in 1957, Lesley Ann Warren in 1965 and again in a 1997 remake film featuring Brandy Norwood, Whitney Houston, Jason Alexander and Whoopi Goldberg.
"Ever After" in 1998 featuring Drew Barrymore, deemed more of a feminist take on the original.
Well, 2004 brought two different versions of Cinderella, one was "Ella Enchanted" starring Anne Hathaway and "A Cinderella Story" starring Hilary Duff as Sam who works in a diner and is a modern take on the tale. The sequel to "A Cinderella Story" with Selena Gomez called "Another Cinderella Story."Then of course in 2014 "Into The Woods" an assortment of fairy tales from "Little Red Riding Hood" to "Sleeping Beauty", Cinderella featured Anna Kendrick.
Finally, we come to the live action movie, "Cinderella" starring Lily James.
No matter the tale that you chose is your favorite the strong history of this fairy tale will continue to grow and may end up being changed again.
