Václav Vorlíček's 1973 reworking of the classic Cinderella is one of the most beloved films in all Central European cinema. Delightful and unconventional, Three Wishes for Cinderella places the familiar fairy tale into a wintry setting with down-to-earth characters and a feisty and rebellious Cinderella. Far from being just a passive beauty, she is a spirited rider, a champion hunter and takes every opportunity to challenge - and actively pursue - her handsome Prince.
A perennial favourite on television throughout Europe (including as a dubbed BBC serial), Three Wishes for Cinderella continues to charm with its magic and beauty. Second Run are delighted to present this much-loved classic film in its original Czech version, newly restored from original materials and available for the first time ever in the UK.
Second Run present Three Wishes for Cinderella from a new high-definition transfer of the brand new 4k restoration of the film from original materials, supervised by the Czech National Film Archive and includes a new, exclusive and expansive filmed appreciation by writer, editor and film historian Michael Brooke - plus a booklet featuring a new essay on the film by fantasy film critic and historian Tim Lucas.
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• Presented from a high-definition transfer of the brand new 4k restoration of the film from original materials, supervised by the Czech National Film Archive.
• New, exclusive and expansive filmed appreciation by writer, editor and film historian Michael Brooke.
• 16-page booklet featuring a new essay by fantasy film critic and historian Tim Lucas.
• Original theatrical trailer and 2015 re-issue trailer.
• New and improved English subtitle translation.
• Available for the first time on home video in the UK.
Directed by Václav Vorlíček
Screenplay - František Pavlíček (as Bohumila Zelenková)
based upon the story by Božena Němcová
Cinematography - Josef Illík
Editor - Miroslav Hájek
Music - Karel Svoboda
Costume design - Theodor Pištěk, Günter Schmidt
Sound – František Fabián
Main Cast
Libuše Šafránková - Cinderella (Popelku)
Pavel Trávníček - The Prince
Carola Braunbock – Stepmother
Rolf Hoppe - The King
Karin Lesch - The Queen
Daniela Hlaváčová - Dora
Vladimír Menšík - Vincent
"A delightfully unconventional retelling of the classic story that is remarkable for the degree to which it empowers its put-upon protagonist from the outset... Three Wishes for Cinderella is a charming little movie whose winning unpredictability succeeds in revitalizing an overly familiar story" Tim Lucas, Video Watchdog
"A beautifully photographed, feminist reworking of the classic story of Cinderella" TV Guide
"Director Václav Vorlíček retells the classic Cinderella fairy tale with modern-day socialist feminism" The New York Times
"The film plays like the wish-fulfillment fan fiction of a thirteen-year-old girl... [Libuše Šafránková] possesses all the innocence, enthusiasm and ethics that a good fairy tale heroine needs, but demonstrates a competence in horsemanship, archery and climbing that modernize her into a girl-power emblem" Film Walrus
