Ever After

The Leonardo da Vinci portrait Head of a Woman (c. 1508) is portrayed in the film as a depiction of Danielle

In 19th century France, the Grande Dame summons The Brothers Grimm to her palace. The brothers discuss their interpretation of the Cinderella story. The Grande Dame then shows them an old glass slipper and tells them the story of Danielle de Barbarac.

The story goes back to the 16th century Renaissance-era France. Auguste de Barbarac is a wealthy widower and the father of eight-year-old Danielle. Auguste marries the Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent, a rich but haughty noblewoman with two daughters, Marguerite François Louise and Jacqueline, and also gives Danielle a copy of Sir Thomas More's Utopia. While leaving for a one-week trip to Avignon, Auguste suffers a fatal heart attack and collapses off his horse. His dying declaration of love is directed towards Danielle, sparking Rodmilla's lifelong jealousy towards her stepdaughter.

Ten years later, the manor has fallen into debt, due to Rodmilla's negligence and expensive lifestyle, and Danielle is forced to work as a servant along with Paulette, Maurice and his wife, Louise, for Rodmilla and her daughters. Jacqueline is the only one out of her family to show her stepsister any kindness and respect.

One day, Danielle stops a man from stealing her late father's horse, only to realize that it is Prince Henry of France, running away from the palace in frustration. He gives her 20 gold francs in exchange for her silence on the incident, as he is fleeing an arranged marriage set by his parents, King Francis and Queen Marie, to the Princess Gabriella of Spain. The royal guards catch him, however, after he stops to recover the Mona Lisa for Leonardo da Vinci, which had been stolen by gypsies. Meanwhile, Danielle uses the gold Henry gave her to buy back Maurice, whom Rodmilla sold to Cartier and into slavery to pay off her debts. She dresses as a noblewoman and confronts the Cargomaster taking the slaves away to be shipped to the Americas. Henry overhears Danielle arguing with the Cargomaster and orders Maurice's release. Impressed with her confidence, Henry insistently begs for Danielle's name until she finally gives him the name of her deceased mother, Nicole de Lancret, with the added title of comtesse (countess). King Francis tells Henry that he is throwing a masquerade ball, where he must choose a bride by midnight or wed Gabriella. Meanwhile, Rodmilla schemes to marry Marguerite to Henry, finding excuses for the two to run into each other - things also start to go missing around the manor following Maurice's return.

While Danielle is talking to her childhood best friend, Gustave, Henry rides up and asks for directions; she runs and hides. Henry notices one of Da Vinci’s inventions given to Danielle, and Gustave is forced to admit he knows the "Comtesse de Lancret" and tells Henry where she lives. Danielle runs home, changes clothes, and spends the day with Henry at the monastery’s library. They are accosted by gypsies, and after spending the evening at the gypsies camp, they share their first kiss. The next day, Danielle is woken up by Rodmilla and Marguerite, and she refuses to prepare their breakfast, much to their displeasure. Later that day, Danielle catches Rodmilla and Marguerite stealing her late mother's dress and shoes for the upcoming ball. When Marguerite insults Danielle’s mother, Danielle punches her stepsister and chases her through the house. Marguerite threatens to throw Auguste's book into the fire unless Danielle gives up the shoes. Danielle reluctantly obeys, but Marguerite, spiteful as always, throws her stepfather's book into the fire regardless and Danielle watches in anguish as it burns. Afterwards, Rodmilla lashes Danielle as punishment for punching Marguerite. Jacqueline, feeling sorry for Danielle, tends to her wounds, agreeing that what Marguerite said about Danielle’s mother was wrong and the stepsisters bond.

Rodmilla discovers that Danielle is the mysterious countess in whom Henry is interested, so she lies and tells Queen Marie that Danielle is engaged to a Belgian. Meanwhile, Danielle meets with Henry to tell him the truth, but he interrupts her and reveals to her that she has transformed his life and given him a sense of purpose. He also gives Danielle back the book, revealing that the book Marguerite burned was actually a copy from the library. Danielle struggles to tell him the truth, but after a passionate kiss, she runs away. Later, Rodmilla and Marguerite confront Danielle, demanding to know where she hid the gown and shoes, but Danielle refuses to produce them. As a result, Rodmilla locks Danielle in the pantry. Leonardo, whom Danielle has befriended, helps free her, and makes her a pair of wings to wear to the ball with her mother's dress and slippers. When Danielle arrives at the ball and tries again to tell Henry the truth, Rodmilla, determined to make Marguerite a princess, intentionally exposes Danielle as a fraud, and Henry angrily rejects her. Humiliated, Danielle bursts into tears and runs away, leaving a slipper behind. Leonardo finds the slipper and sternly reprimands Henry, leaving him with the slipper. Henry, hurt and angry, decides to wed Gabriella, but calls the wedding off after realizing that Gabriella, who's taken by Don Pepito, a Spanish courtier, doesn't want to marry him either and that he is still in love with Danielle. Just as he goes searching for her, he learns from Maurice and Jacqueline that Rodmilla has sold Danielle to the wealthy and lecherous landowner, Pierre le Pieu, as an exchange for returning Auguste's missing possessions that Rodmilla actually sold to him. Pierre makes sexual advances towards Danielle, but frees her after she threatens him with his own swords. Henry finds her as she is leaving the castle, apologizes for his behavior at the ball, and proposes to her by placing the slipper on her foot.

Rodmilla and her daughters are summoned by King Francis, who accuses Rodmilla of lying to Queen Marie about Danielle. The queen strips Rodmilla of her title and threatens to banish her and Marguerite to the Americas as punishment for their crimes unless someone speaks for them. Danielle enters, in her royal garb as she's now a princess, and speaks for them, as they are her stepmother and stepsister. Danielle is introduced as Henry's wife (much to the horror of Marguerite) and per her request, Rodmilla and Marguerite are given much more fitting punishments: they are sentenced to permanently work as servants in the palace laundry, much to their chagrin and humiliation. Meanwhile, Jacqueline, for having always shown Danielle kindness, is instead rewarded with permission to move into the royal palace with Danielle and Henry. She also begins a relationship with Laurent, the captain of the guards, who met her at the ball.

After Leonardo gives Henry and Danielle a portrait of Danielle, the newlyweds share a kiss, and the extended flashback comes to an end. Back in the present, the Grande Dame explains to The Brothers Grimm that Danielle was her great-great-grandmother and that her portrait hung in the university until the outbreak of the French Revolution. She concludes the story by stating that while Henry and Danielle did live happily ever after, the point is that they lived.

While the story is fictional, it involves several historical figures, places and events. The film is set in the 16th and 19th centuries and features the presences of Francis I, King Henry (later Henry II of France), Leonardo da Vinci, The Brothers Grimm, as well as allusions to the explorer Jacques Cartier, fairy tale collector Charles Perrault, the French colonies in the New World, and the French Revolution.[5]

Though the main portion of the film takes place in early 1500s France,[6] the royals shown are most likely not meant to be the historical figures for which they are named. King Francis I summoned Leonardo da Vinci to his court around 1516, 3 years before King Henry II was born; neither of King Francis I's wives were named Marie (the first was named Claude and the second Eleanor). King Henry II was married to Catherine de' Medici at the age of 14, and had no known children with Diane de Poitiers, a French noblewoman of great influence and the historical figure most likely represented by Danielle. The characters are not meant to be historically accurate figures themselves, but perhaps instead to inspire curiosity about their historical counterparts.

Ever After was filmed in Super 35.

Rotten Tomatoes reports that 91% of critics gave the film a positive review based on 65 reviews, with an average score of 7.56/10.[7] The critical consensus states: "Ever After is a sweet, frothy twist on the ancient fable, led by a solid turn from star Barrymore."[7] Metacritic calculated a favorable score of 66 based on 22 reviews.[8]

Lisa Schwarzbaum from Entertainment Weekly gave the film a B-, saying: "Against many odds, Ever After comes up with a good one. This novel variation is still set in the once-upon-a-time 16th century, but it features an active, 1990s-style heroine—she argues about economic theory and civil rights with her royal suitor—rather than a passive, exploited hearth sweeper who warbles 'A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes'."[9] She also praised Anjelica Huston's performance as a cruel stepmother: "Huston does a lot of eye narrowing and eyebrow raising while toddling around in an extraordinary selection of extreme headgear, accompanied by her two less-than-self-actualized daughters—the snooty, social-climbing, nasty Marguerite, and the dim, lumpy, secretly nice Jacqueline. "Nothing is final until you're dead", Mama instructs her girls at the dinner table, "and even then I'm sure God negotiates."[9]

Chicago Sun-Times film critic, Roger Ebert, praises the film with three out of four stars and writes, "The movie [...] is one of surprises, not least that the old tale still has life and passion in it. I went to the screening expecting some sort of soppy children's picture and found myself in a costume romance with some of the same energy and zest as The Mask of Zorro. And I was reminded again that Drew Barrymore can hold the screen and involve us in her characters. [...] Here, as the little cinder girl, she is able to at last put aside her bedraggled losers and flower as a fresh young beauty, and she brings poignancy and fire to the role."[10]

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

• 2002: AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions – Nominated[11]

On March 3, 1999, the film was released on DVD & VHS.[7] On January 4, 2011, the film was released on Blu-ray.[12]

A report in 2012 indicated that a musical theatre production was in the works, with the book and lyrics by Marcy Heisler and music by Zina Goldrich.[13] The musical was originally scheduled for its world premiere in April 2009 at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco, but the pre-Broadway run was postponed.[14] In May 2012, the project was back on track with Kathleen Marshall signing on to direct a Broadway run.[15][16]

A workshop of the musical was held from April 25, 2013 – May 15, 2013 with Sierra Boggess as Danielle, Jeremy Jordan as Prince Henry, and Ashley Spencer as Marguerite.[17] The musical made its world premiere at the Paper Mill Playhouse from May 21, 2015 – June 21, 2015.[18] Christine Ebersole played the role of Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent.[19] Alongside Ebersole, Margo Seibert starred as Danielle, James Snyder as Henry, Charles Shaughnessy as King Francis, and Tony Sheldon as Leonardo da Vinci.[20] Another production of the musical played at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre from January 15, 2019 to February 19.[21] The production was directed by Susan V. Booth and starred Sierra Boggess as Danielle de Barbarac, Terry Burrell as Queen Marie, Todd Buonopane as Captain Laurent, David Garrison as Leonardo da Vinci, Chris Kayser as King Francis, Jeff McCarthy as Pierre Malette, Tim Rogan as Prince Henry and Rachel York as Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent.[22][23] [24]

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• Ever After on IMDb
• Ever After at Box Office Mojo
• Ever After at Rotten Tomatoes
• Ever After at Metacritic