- quoting the stepmother from the 2015's version of Cinderella. I must agree: the movie *First Love* is truly a charming one. I had my doubts before I started watching it but it turned out to be just lovely. As a huge Cinderella fan, finding this hidden gem in the list of adaptations of this old fairy tale was like a miracle. Probably this was the last live-action version on Cinderella I haven't seen (until now). Watching *First Love* was a bittersweet journey for me: I was sad that there aren't more Cinderella stories I can watch but at the same time I was happy and grateful that this last one was one of the best versions of them all. Naturally *First Love* has some faults: the characters are one- dimensional, Connie is a Mary Sue and the love between her and Ted Drake is really superficial. But still, I loved it. I also liked the idea of making one of the stepsisters (cousins here) a boy while the other one remained a girl, such a clever twist. The only part I didn't like was (Spoiler alert?) when Uncle Jim went crazy and hit his children. I know it was a different time but I think this kind of punishment was way too violent for a sweet movie like this. Oh, and lastly but definitely not least: Deanna Durbin was a wonderful singer and a talented actress. I can't wait to watch more movies she's in.
Review of First Love
First Love
(1939)
"Charming, how perfectly charming!"
25 May 2016
Warning: Spoilers