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''Three Wishes for Cinderella'' (; , also called in English ''Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella'' or ''Three Gifts for Cinderella'') is a 1973 Czechoslovak- East German film based on the fairy-tale ''
Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...
''. It was directed by
Václav Vorlíček Václav Vorlíček (3 June 1930 – 5 February 2019) was a Czech film director. His filmography includes several comedies made in collaboration with screenwriter Miloš Macourek. He also specialized in directing children's and fairytale films, mos ...
in a co-production between DEFA-Studio für Spielfilme and Barrandov Studios. The story was based on the fairy tale ''O Popelce'' written by Božena Němcová (a
Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
n variation of the classic
Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...
fairytale). It still remains a popular Christmas holiday film in many European countries.


Plot

Cinderella's stepmother has the village in a frenzy preparing for the arrival of the king and queen, who will be stopping en route to their nearby castle. Cinderella takes the blame for a kitchen boy's accident, prompting her stepmother to berate her as well as her late father. Enraged, Cinderella snaps back at her, and is subsequently punished by having to separate lentils and ashes mixed together in a bucket. As she settles down to work, her friends, a flock of white doves, come in to separate the mixture for her. Freed of her punishment, Cinderella visits the stable to see her white horse, which she used to ride in the forest with her father while hunting. As the royal party approaches, everyone gathers to greet them, except Cinderella, who is forbidden to attend as the Stepmother wants to showcase her own less attractive daughter, Dora, since the Prince is expected to marry soon. Cinderella uses the distraction to slip away with her horse, visit her pet owl and enjoy the wintry forest. Her ride is cut short as she happens upon the Prince and his companions, Vítek and Kamil, hunting there. They spot a doe struggling in the snow, but the Prince's crossbow shot is foiled by a snowball thrown by Cinderella. They give chase and catch up with her, laughing at her as an impudent child. She insults the prince, escapes and mounts his horse, Dapples. They chase her with renewed urgency since Dapples has a reputation of being unmanageable. To their surprise, she rides him easily before transferring to her own horse and sending Dapples back to the Prince. The Stepmother uses the royal visit to wrangle an invitation to the
ball A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but sometimes ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used for s ...
from the King, who reluctantly offers it out of politeness. En route to the castle, they are joined by the Prince's party. The King, annoyed by his son's youthful irresponsibility, says the Prince must get married. The Stepmother sends Vincek the
servant A domestic worker is a person who works within a residence and performs a variety of household services for an individual, from providing cleaning and household maintenance, or cooking, laundry and ironing, or care for children and elderly ...
to town to purchase fabrics and supplies to make new dresses for her and Dora. En route, he sees Cinderella forced to wash
laundry Laundry is the washing of clothing and other textiles, and, more broadly, their drying and ironing as well. Laundry has been part of history since humans began to wear clothes, so the methods by which different cultures have dealt with this u ...
in an icy stream. Feeling sympathetic but helpless, he promises to bring her a gift of whatever hits him on the nose. After hearing his father's plans to force him to become engaged at the ball, the Prince returns to the woods. He sees Vincek asleep in his
sled A sled, skid, sledge, or sleigh is a land vehicle that slides across a surface, usually of ice or snow. It is built with either a smooth underside or a separate body supported by two or more smooth, relatively narrow, longitudinal runners ...
, the horses drawing it home. Using his crossbow, he mischievously shoots a bird's nest from a tree branch, which falls on Vincek's face. Vincek finds a twig with three
hazelnut The hazelnut is the fruit of the hazel tree and therefore includes any of the nuts deriving from species of the genus '' Corylus'', especially the nuts of the species ''Corylus avellana''. They are also known as cobnuts or filberts according to ...
s in the nest and decides that will be Cinderella's gift. Cinderella likes the present although her stepmother derides it as "fit for a squirrel." The Stepmother and Dora realize they forgot to get new
jewellery Jewellery (or jewelry in American English) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment such as brooches, ring (jewellery), rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the ...
and go to town to choose it themselves. The Stepmother punishes Cinderella for impertinence again by forcing her to separate corn kernels from lentils. Once again, the doves help Cinderella. She visits her owl, wishing she had the same freedom to come and go. She wishes she had a disguise so she could venture out. One hazelnut drops from the twig and magically opens to show a complete hunter's outfit within. Suitably clothed, Cinderella goes into the woods, and sees the Prince with a hunting party. The lead huntsman shows a bejeweled ring that the King promises to the first hunter to shoot down a
bird of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...
. The hunters, including the Prince, cannot do so. Cinderella shoots it down, then shoots the arrow from the Prince's hand. Impressed by the "young huntsman," he puts the ring on Cinderella's gloved hand. He asks her to do better by shooting a pine cone from the top of a tree. She does so and then slips away as he marvels at her marksmanship. Chasing after her, he finds her high in a tree in her own clothes, refusing to tell where the "young huntsman" went. The Stepmother and Dora leave for the castle ball. Visiting her owl, Cinderella wishes she could go then wonders if she could get another outfit. A second hazelnut opens to reveal a lavish ball gown. Her horse is also saddled with an ornate sidesaddle. Riding to the castle, she makes her way to the ballroom. Donning a
veil A veil is an article of clothing or hanging cloth that is intended to cover some part of the human head, head or face, or an object of some significance. Veiling has a long history in European, Asian, and African societies. The practice has be ...
, she greets the Prince, who was tired of being pursued by the female guests. He finds the veiled stranger mysterious and charming. The King and Queen are amazed at his softened manner. She refuses to accept his proposal unless he can solve a riddle, which referenced their earlier meetings. She runs out and the Prince gives chase, following her back to her village. There, he has the women try on the slipper Cinderella had lost. Meanwhile, the Prince plays a game of darts against a mysterious figure known only as "Robin". The Stepmother and Dora return. Seeing the Prince, they scheme to snare him, tying up Cinderella and stealing her clothing. When he asks that the disguised Dora try on the slipper, the Stepmother snatches it and they ride away in a sled. The Prince chases until the sled falls into a pond. Seeing that it is actually Dora, he takes the slipper and returns to the village. Cinderella visits her owl again. She is ecstatic to find that the final nut contains a wedding dress. Donning it, she rides out on her horse, surprising the village and the Prince. The slipper fits and she wants to return the ring, but he slips it back on her finger. She offers the riddle again and the Prince remembers his encounters with her
alter ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I") means an alternate Self (psychology), self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original Personality psychology, personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other ...
s. He proposes to Cinderella, who accepts, with the entire village cheering for her.


Cast

* Libuše Šafránková as
Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...
(Popelka / Aschenbrödel) * Pavel Trávníček as The Prince * Carola Braunbock as The Stepmother * Rolf Hoppe as The King * Karin Lesch as The Queen * Daniela Hlaváčová as Dora, Stepmother's Daughter and Thus Cinderella's Stepsister * Vladimír Menšík as Vincek / Vinzek The Churl * Jan Libíček as The Preceptor, Tutor to The Prince * Vítězslav Jandák as Kamil, Aide of The Prince * Jaroslav Drbohlav as Vítek, Aide of The Prince * Míla Myslíková as The Stepmother's Housekeeper * Jiří Růžička as The Kitchen Boy * Helena Růžičková as Princess Droběna, Dressed In Red At The Ball; called ''Kleinröschen'' In German The film was released in a Czech and a German version. The ensemble was composed of Czech and German actors all speaking their native languages. In the respective editions, they were dubbed to Czech or German. Jana Preissová was sought for the title role but could not take it due to her pregnancy. Libuše Šafránková was hired instead.


Production

The film was originally written for warm weather, but director
Václav Vorlíček Václav Vorlíček (3 June 1930 – 5 February 2019) was a Czech film director. His filmography includes several comedies made in collaboration with screenwriter Miloš Macourek. He also specialized in directing children's and fairytale films, mos ...
suggested setting the film in winter instead and delayed filming for months. Screenwriter František Pavlíček was blacklisted by the Czechoslovak government at the time the movie was made. He was credited under a
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
instead, with the Barrandov Studio head and the director keeping his identity secret. Theodor Pištěk and Günter Schmidt designed the costumes for the film. Theodor designed for the main and memorable characters (Cinderella, the Prince, the King, the Queen, the Stepmother, the Stepsister and Princess Droběna) while Günter designed for all other ones. The film was shot between December 11, 1972 and March 29, 1973 at the DEFA studios in
Potsdam-Babelsberg Babelsberg () is the largest quarter (urban subdivision), quarter of Potsdam, the capital city of the Germany, German state of Brandenburg. The neighbourhood is named after a small hill on the Havel river. It is the location of Babelsberg Palace an ...
(
Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...
),
Moritzburg Castle Moritzburg Castle () or Moritzburg Palace is a Baroque palace in Moritzburg, in the German state of Saxony, about northwest of the Saxon capital, Dresden. The castle has four round towers and lies on a symmetrical artificial island. It is name ...
in
Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...
, in the Barrandov studios in
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
, and in various places in Bohemia in what was then
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
, including the
Švihov castle Švihov Castle (; ) is a Gothic water castle in Švihov in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is ...
in western Bohemia and the
Bohemian Forest The Bohemian Forest, known in Czech as () and in German as , is a low mountain range in Central Europe. Geographically, the mountains extend from Plzeň Region and the South Bohemian Region in the Czech Republic to Austria and Bavaria in Germ ...
.


Release

The film's gala premiere was at the Sevastopol cinema in
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
on October 26, 1973. After being theatrically released in Soviet Union on November 1, 1973 and in Czechoslovakia on November 16, the film had its international premiere in
East Berlin East Berlin (; ) was the partially recognised capital city, capital of East Germany (GDR) from 1949 to 1990. From 1945, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet occupation sector of Berlin. The American, British, and French se ...
in March 1974.


International history

The
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
serialized the film in three thirty-minute segments under the title ''Three Gifts for Cinderella'' in 1974, adding English-language
narration Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the ...
rather than
dubbing Dubbing (also known as re-recording and mixing) is a post-production process used in filmmaking and the video production process where supplementary recordings (known as doubles) are lip-synced and "mixed" with original production audio to cr ...
the dialog. Another English dub was made in the United States and the film was edited down to an hour, to be shown on the '' CBS Children's Film Festival'' miniseries, three times in 1974 through 1976. The American dub was also shown in Canada on CBC TV (CBHT Halifax / CBIT Sydney / CBCT Charlottetown) in the Maritimes on 18 November 1978 and 10 March 1979. The film has become a holiday classic in several European countries. It is shown on TV around
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
time every year in the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
,
Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
and
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
, but it is also popular for example in
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
,
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
, the
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...
or in the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
. In some countries, there are multiple broadcasts during December. This film's status has been likened to that held by Frank Capra's 1946 '' It's a Wonderful Life'' in the United States as a holiday staple. This movie was released in
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
on VHS with Japanese dubbing. In 1977, it was premiered in
Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...
with Catalan dubbing. It was the first time that a product oriented to children was translated into that language.


Soundtrack

The soundtrack was composed by Karel Svoboda. The love theme, ''Kdepak ty ptáčku hnízdo máš'' ("Where Is Your Nest, Little Bird?"), was sung by Czech pop singer Karel Gott.


Digital restoration

With the financial and technical support from Norway and its authorities, the Czech Film Archive and the National Library in Mo i Rana, the film ''Tři oříšky pro Popelku'' was
digitized Digitization is the process of converting information into a digital (i.e. computer-readable) format.Collins Dictionary. (n.d.). Definition of 'digitize'. Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english ...
, restored, and got modern image quality. The project was financed through the EEA and Norway Grants which represent Norway's contribution to social and economic cohesion in the
European Economic Area The European Economic Area (EEA) was established via the ''Agreement on the European Economic Area'', an international agreement which enables the extension of the European Union's single market to member states of the European Free Trade Asso ...
(EEA). Norway has granted just under 7.5 million NOK for efforts to digitize ten older Czech films. The digitization was completed by December 2015.


Home video releases

Czech, Norwegian and German DVDs are available. A region-free DVD with monophonic Czech audio track was released in the United Kingdom by Second Run in December 2016. A
Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
edition with stereo Czech audio was also released in December 2016.


Remake

'' Tre nøtter til Askepott'', a Norwegian remake of the movie, was released on 12 November 2021, starring
Astrid S Astrid Smeplass (born 29 October 1996), known professionally as Astrid S, is a Norwegian singer and songwriter. In 2013, she placed fifth in the Norwegian version of '' Pop Idol'', entitled '' Idol – Jakten på en superstjerne''. In 2020, she ...
and Cengiz Al in the two lead roles and featuring Kristofer Hivju.


References


External links

*
Fan page
* *
Filming locations (in Czech)
*
Three Nuts for Cinderella
' at Filmový přehled
Video from the digital restoration process
{{Authority control 1973 films 1973 fantasy films Czech children's films Czech independent films East German films 1970s Czech-language films Films based on Cinderella Films based on works by Božena Němcová Films directed by Václav Vorlíček Films set in the Czech Republic Czech fantasy films German multilingual films Czech comedy films Czechoslovak multilingual films 1973 multilingual films Czechoslovakia–East Germany relations Cross-dressing in film Films based on Charles Perrault's Cinderella