References to Cinderella in the Movie, The Barefoot Contessa

Every little girl, at some point in their childhood, dreams of being whisked away from their mundane lives by a charming prince and have their happily ever after.[i] Fairy tales like Snow White, Rapunzel, Sleaping Beauty, and Cinderella are told in some form or another to practically everyone in the world, and with good reason. These stories combine the universal desire for a better life with the hope of finding true love. But the fairy tales always end with the prince and newfound princess getting married, whereas in reality, that is just the beginning. The problem with fairy tales is not that they romanticize romanticism, but that they end with the assumption that everyone, aside from the villain, lives happily ever after.

The story of Cinderella is a nearly universal tale made all the more famous by Walt Disney’s animated film[ii]. Cinderella is left alone in the world, after her father’s untimely death, with a step-mother and step-sisters who don’t love or want her. Treating her like a servant instead of a member of the family, her step-family even refuses to call her by her name, instead choosing a moniker equating her with the dirt, ash, and cinders that they force her to clean up. With the help of her Fairy Godmother, Cinderella as a chance encounter with the prince, who is immediately taken with her. Due to the nature of the magic at work, Cinderella must leave the prince abruptly, leaving behind only one of her shoes, a glass slipper, as a clue to the prince can use to find her. Of course, the prince does find her, using the shoe to confirm her identity, they are married, and live happily ever after. But in truth, not much is really known about the prince, and it’s never clear if Cinderella actually has the opportunity to get to know her future husband before they’re married. As the story ends so abruptly after Cinderella’s marriage to the prince, it is just assumed that their lives together were long and happy. But in reality, it is possible that with the prince’s privileged upbringing, he could actually be a horribly abusive husband, or into really kinky sex, or unable to father children, or even remain faithful. The fairy tale is an idealized story of hope, but it seems the only way to idealize married life is to ignore it completely.

The Barefoot Contessa is the story of Maria D’Amata’s (Ava Gardner) rise from relative obscurity in Madrid to becoming a world-famous actress. The film makes many references to Cinderella, often likening Maria to the heroine of the fairy tale. But unlike the Disney version, the film seeks to shine a light upon the tragic reality of the ever after that fairy tales often neglect. The film begins at Maria’s funeral in a cemetery on the Italian Riviera. As the mourners look upon the life-size statue that marks her grave, her story is told from the perspectives of some of the friends she acquired on her rise to stardom and beyond. Through the flashbacks of memories of her friends, her story unfolds, beginning with her “discovery” in a nightclub in Madrid, Spain. Harry Dawes (Humphrey Bogart) is the first narrator as he recounts his, and the audiences, first introduction to a woman named Maria Vargas.

The first scene, after the introduction in the cemetery, takes place in the Madrid nightclub of Dawes’ memories, though Dawes himself has yet to arrive. Along with the upbeat spanish music, the sound of heals on the dance floor and castanets can be heard. Though it can be inferred that the dancer is Maria, she is not actually revealed during her performance. Instead, the viewer is treated to several views of the night club audience enthusiastically cheering and clapping along with the music. It is clear, from this, that though everyone is there to see Maria, there is a distance between the audience and the performer in that though she touches their lives, she is not so touched by them. This also contrasts with several vignettes of couples at tables in the midst of conversations, some of which are clearly tragic, though it is impossible to tell what is being said, or even what language the people are speaking in. These glimpses into the lives of the patrons serve to further foreshadow the tragedy that will eventually befall Maria.

It is only after Maria has finished her routine and left the stage that Dawes enters the scene and introduces the rest of the cast and their roles in Maria’s life, and the film. Kirk Edwards (Warren Stevens), is a business tycoon and an aspiring movie producer who has brought his team to Madrid in the hopes of discovering a “new face” to launch first movie and studio. Maria, initially, refuses to mingle with the patrons of the bar, regardless of the fact that Edwards and his crew are there to offer her a deal, showing her love of being a big fish in such a small pond. Even after meeting Edwards’ emissary, the publicist Oscar Muldoon (Edmond O'Brien), she remains hidden in her dressing room. It is Harry Dawes’ kindness and sincerity that eventually convinces her to come out of her dressing room, and ultimately, accompany them to Hollywood. Though Edwards is the financier and the catalyst bringing about Maria’s new life, Harry Dawes is the Fairy Godmother to Maria’s Cinderella. The parallel is not only drawn, but also referenced in a scene in which Dawes and Maria step outside to a moonlit patio to discuss what this move could mean for her. It is here that Dawes explains to Maria that if she has talent, he can help her become better, but no teacher in the world can help her if she doesn’t have any ability. Dawes also comments on her seemingly magical ability to use the moonlight as a key light, essentially making herself radiant without even trying.

The scenes in Madrid acted as the introduction to the Cinderella story, illustrating the tragic life Maria hoped to one day escape. After she meets her Fairy Godmother in Dawes, the overwhelming success of her first three movies and nearly instant stardom that comes with it is essentially her time Cinderella at the ball. If this were a typical Cinderella story, this would be the point at which Maria finds her prince, marries him, and they live happily ever after. But it’s not. Instead, she is faced with the tragedy of her mother’s death at her father’s hands. Then, in an attempt to escape the overly controlling nature of Kirk Edwards after publicly humiliating her at her birthday party, she joins the entourage of the shallow but wealthy Latin American playboy, Alberto Bravano (Marius Goring). Finally, her knight in shining armor appears in the form of Count Vincenzo Torlato-Favrini (Rossano Brazzi) when he comes to defend her honor after Bravano publicly berates her. Finally, with Torlato-Favrini she finds love, and this should be her happily ever after. But it’s not, thanks to injuries sustained during the war that left Vincenzo “incomplete.” This leads to Maria cheating, not only to satisfy her own needs and desires, but also in the hopes of giving Vincenzo that which he wants most of all, an heir. The final tragedy of the film is that he learns of her infidelity before Maria can explain her reasoning or her pregnancy, and kills both Maria and her lover.

Part of the tragedy of The Barefoot Contessa is due to the time in which it took place. The attitudes towards sexuality and relationships that were held in the 1950’s were much more puritanical than they are now. Maria’s desire to find true love drove her much harder than it should have, simply because she had to keep her flings and boys on the side so hidden. And once she finally found her prince, his chastity during their courtship was simply attributed to him being a gentleman. Nowadays, his behavior would be construed as a red flag, rather than simply a sweet. At the very least, the subject could have been brought up and discussed without shame or guilt for even asking what the problem might be. But in broader terms, this is the problem with fairy tales as a whole. The heroine of the story always has her backstory fully disclosed. Her tragic past is revealed and her hopes and dreams are explained. But rarely do we ever know anything about her prince charming, other than the fact that he is a, presumably wealthy, heir to the kingdom. And what happens after “The End” is never revealed. It is entirely possible that the prince was, in fact, a an abusive sexual deviant.[iii] Or the prince might have been gay, and the marriage a sham to appease the king and queen. Or the kingdom might just be embattled with the peasantry ready to rebel.[iv] Instead, it is implied by the author that the prince is truly a great guy and the newly minted princess is, of course, happy forever after.

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[i] Alan, Morgan. Personal interview. 1 Dec. 2012.

[ii] Cinderella. Dir. Clyde Geronimi. Perf. Ilene Woods, Verna Felton. Walt Disney Home Entertainment :, 1950. Film.

[iii] Martin, George R. R.. A game of thrones. New York: Bantam Books, 1996. Print.

[iv] Marie Antoinette. Dir. Sofia Coppola. Perf. Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 2006. Film.