Cinderella (1950) Movie Analysis Essay Sample

A fairytale, happiness and chasing dreams are all in the 1950 Cinderella film directed by  Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, a classic children's movie. Following Cinderella, an orphaned child where she lives under her stepmothers and stepsisters' control. She is forced to labour around the house all whilst living in a kingdom where the king is trying to find an eligible wife for his prince. In the end Cinderella ends up marrying the prince. A sexist film many have called it, commenting on the relationship between Cinderella and her prince. However rarely is it highlighted how the plot of the movie is based on a capitalist society. How the town is under the influence of higher achievements. By applying marxist theory, this is evidenced, through the costumes, the town's false consciousness, and finally the competition to be the prince's wife. 

The film begins to establish class struggle through the characters' clothing. What Marxism calls bourgeoisie and proletariat are definitions of different classes and how much they inherent economic and social power. The proletariat provides the means of product and the bourgeoisie owns them (The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx and 

Friedrich Engels, 1985). Cinderella is clearly shown wearing the same attire with muted colors contrasting her stepmother and step siblings are shown wearing strong finely designed clothing with expressive colors, symbolizing the riches the bourgeoisie gains from the proletariat. This is even more enhanced later on in the film when Cinderella marries the prince, wearing a glamorous gown presenting how she's moved onto an upper class. Throughout the film Cinderella's clothing reflects where she is economically and socially. 

Cinderella's characters all live in the Marxist concept of false consciousness where people who are exploited by the privileged minority cannot recognize their social or economic state resulting in a pursuit of being in a higher rank. In so doing they also misunderstand the real motivation in doing labour which is in favor of the bourgeoisie and systematically dismiss it to eradicate the presence of social class. Cinderella demonstrates this by shutting down the dog Bruno. Lucifer, the stepmother's cat, is picking on the dog and tries to lay on the mat the dog owns, in response Cinderella says to Bruno “you know the orders, if you don't wanna lose a nice warm bath you'd better lose those dreams. Wanna know how to? Just learn to like cats' '. Cinderella in this scene expresses how the wrong or change in behavior is Bruno, that to be a higher up you must accept the bourgeoisie in order to become one of them.  As herself being a proletariat in her mind the only way to have that valuable time is by working towards it not against it. Cinderella doesn't understand how she is similar to Bruno and does not recognize the unfairness in her position. 

False consciousness according to Marxism creates tension between people to become a member of a higher rank, resulting in class warfare in which people from the same ranks pit against each other. This false consciousness has not only seized Cinderella but the whole town. As the king, for his selfish reasons to become a grandfather, announces that the prince is looking for an eligible bachelorette, the bourgeoisie is the royal family and the rest of the town collectively becomes the proletariat. Instead of creating a class solidarity through class consciousness, which is where people from the same class can recognize their status and create a fellowship to overthrow the bourgeoisie. The inhabitants begin to prepare for the ball, creating a competition between them. This is shown in one scene where the stepmother tells her biological daughters that “only one girl” can be picked. The notion that only one single girl can become the prince's wife or of a higher rank even more fuels the idea of competition while diminishing that they're all in the same boat. The people are so paralyzed by this idea that the stepdaughters' fake the shoe fitting just to be that “one girl”. Even Cinderella is tranced in this as she rebels against her stepmother and proves that it is her shoe. Cinderella in this case might be gaining class consciousness however she is still under the influence of the strive of becoming the bourgeoisie. 

Finally Cinderella reveals a capitalistic society functions. The contrasting attires between Cinderella and her stepfamily convey the power the upper class holds the lower. Absence of class counsiness as a result of a dream to ascend towards a different socio-economic class, building up a division between the same class members. As the town inevitably competed  with each other to end their class fixity. Despite the fact that Cinderella will forever be a classic about finding true love there are other dilemmas that should be in conversations. Perhaps Cinderella should also be acknowledged as a capitalistic movie rather than a misogynistic one.