Popelku lives with her stepmother in the house that used to belong to her father before he passed away. The stepmother is a cruel woman, eager to mock and berate the girl at every opportunity. She punishes Popelku for the slightest mistakes, and often has her do things as time-consuming and boring as separating lentils and ashes mixed in a bucket. Popelku should be treated as a daughter, for her father's sake, but instead, the stepmother treats her as a servant. Her step-sister isn't much better.
In spite of all that, however, Popelku is a joyful young girl, beloved by all those who live and work in her village. She is particularly fond of animals and seems to have the talent of speaking to them in a manner they can comprehend. The animals of the village seem to be her only friends, and two of them in particular: her white horse, Jurasex, and Rosarco, an owl.
The village is in a frenzy. The king and queen will stop by soon, on their way to the castle, and there will be a ball. The prince is single, old enough to be married, and every eligible female is looking forward to dancing with him at the ball. Popelku's stepmother has big plans for her daughter, Dora. If she can help it, Dora will be the next princess of the kingdom. And as for her stepdaughter, Popelku, well, she can spend her time separating lentils and corn kernels.
Popelku wishes to go to the ball, like most young ladies, but how could she, with nothing to wear?
It's at this point in the story that magic happens.
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| Hats, in this movie, are a spectacle all on their own. |
Popelku has three magic hazelnuts. They were a present. One day, Vincek, one of the servants in the stepmother's house is sent to town to purchase fabrics and supplies. He sees Popelku washing clothes in a freezing stream and takes pity on the girl. He asks her what she wants, says that he will bring it for her, something from the town, and Popelku asks for the first thing that hits him in the nose (it's a classic element of fairy tales, similar to the rose Belle asks of her father in the original text of Beauty and the Beast). Vincek brings her three hazelnuts. he didn't know that, but they are magic. They grant wishes. And one of Popelku's wishes is a dress to go to the ball.
If the story sounds familiar at all, up to this point, it's because it is. Tři oříšky pro Popelku (or "Three wishes for Cinderella") is a retelling of Cinderella's story, an East-German/Czech production of 1973. It's not technically a Christmas movie, but it has become a holiday classic in many European countries, including the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, and Norway, where it is shown on TV around Christmas time every year.]
Interestingly enough, the movie was originally designed to be filmed in warm weather, but the director decided to film in winter delaying filming for months. The result was beautiful, with horses riding in the snow and gorgeous scenes in snow-covered forests. I can't imagine how this movie could have become such a holiday classic without this element.
It is also delightful to watch. Everything about it seems inspired in central/eastern European Mythology and History, which translates to clothes and settings that don't feel like something you see every day. Everything reminds you of classic fairy-tale stories, and for some reason, there aren't many movies like this anymore, so it's quite cool to watch.
This is not the first time I wrote about this movie in a Christmas Marathon, but this time it fitted the theme so perfectly that I couldn't resist watching it again! There's also something really cool about joining in the Christmas tradition of far away places, even if it is in such a small way.
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