Cinderella (1977) User Reviews (15)

Oh Cinemax...

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 29 May 2019]

From The Baby to The Pink Angels, Graduation Day, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, Love at First Bite, Michael Pataki is in so many great movies. He's even the Klingon Korax who starts a fight in the Tribbles episode of Star Trek. He's everywhere - The Sidehackers, The Return of Count Yorga, Airport '77, Grave of the Vampire, Dracula's Dog, Dead and Buried, The Glove, Sweet Sixteen, Rocky IV, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers...man, I love Pataki! He's even the voice of George Liquor on The Ren & Stimpy Show!

What you may not know is that he also directed this movie, a soft core musical version of the Cinderella story that played on Cinemax After Dark off and on throughout the late 80's and early 90's. That's where I first encountered it, with no idea that Pataki directed it. I certainly did take notice of its star, Cheryl Lynn "Rainbeaux" Smith, however!

If Cheryl Smith didn't exist, someone would have to invent her. Much like Pataki, her resume literally reads like a list of some of my top films of all time: Lemora, Caged Heat, Phantom of the Paradise, The Incredible Melting Man, Laserblast, Up In Smoke, Nice Dreams, Vice Squad, Parasite...she shows up in so many films worth watching. For example, the movie Video Vixens has her and pretty much the entire cast of The Last House on the Left in a silly sex comedy.

She was even a member of The Runaways after the band broke up during the making of We're All Crazy Now. She even played drums for an early version of Joan Jett's solo band. Sadly, she died at just 47 years old after two decades of heroin abuse. But let's not dwell on the negative. Let's celebrate this ridiculous film.

Cinderella features Smith in the title role, as she suffers at the hands of her incestuous stepsisters and maneater stepmother (Yana Nirvana, Marilyn Corwin and Jennifer Stace, who were all members of the LA Knockers, an all-female dance troupe that has a crazy history that I've been exploring online. One of their members, Lissa Kastin, was killed by the Hillside Stranglers, for example.). Until she can escape, she sings songs and dreams of a better life.

On the other side of the kingdom, The Prince no longer can enjoy sex and his parents are fighting over the fact that he won't get married. So the King throws a party where his son can find the one woman who can satisfy him. He sends the Royal Chamberlain to find willing women, but the servant is too interested in getting those women for himself. And keep in mind - throughout these sexy shenanigans, there are songs for each scene.

Cinderella is left behind to have a nightmare about being assaulted, which is such a 70's thing that wouldn't appear in movies today. She's saved by her fairy godmother, who is a black gay man who happens to be a kleptomaniac and transvestite. Basically, this is the kind of movie that if it played in a hipster movie theater in 2019, there'd have to be all manner of social media apologies and handwringing over problematic content.

Sy Richardson, who played this role, does a similar turn in another sexy take on children's stories, 1978's Fairy Tales. He also shows up in Petey Wheatstraw as Petey's father, as well as Detective Wasserman in Bad Dreams.

Somehow, a magic wand the fairy godmother once stole works, so he helps her get to the party while he gets to work stealing the crown jewels. He also enchants Cinderella's private parts so that they become a snapper, whatever that means. Honestly, it sounds painful.

The Prince has a blindfolded orgy with every willing girl in the land, but Cinderella's magical ladybusiness is exactly what he's been looking for. Now, the Prince has to go back throughout every single bedroom all over his father's land to find that perfect fit. By the time he gets to Cinderella, he's on a stretcher, but she takes care of him and together, they save the fairy godmother from an angry mob.

Obviously, this entire movie is completely goofy. You kind of have to watch it through the lens of 1977, when people didn't really worry about offending anyone. I've always loved that it's also called The Other Cinderella, just in case you'd mix it up with the Disney movie. No, this is the one with titties.

"Camp" version of Cinderella - weirdly hilarious!

[magica-2 · 7 April 1999]

I thought this was one of the funniest soft-core porn films I ever saw. Of course, you have to have a twisted sense of humour. If you're just out to get titillated, this isn't the movie for you. (I loved the black "fairy" godfather.)

Cinderella the musical in 1977?

[pietclausen · 3/10 · 13 August 2022]

Not knowing that Cinderella was made into a musical, I was immediately interested, but had to make sure it was not an animated production, I eagerly sat down to watch this musical? Musical? Yeah there is some smutty singing in it, but for the rest I was more surprised than anything else, that this film was made in 1977. It is nothing more than a boring soft porn movie with lots of naked girls, terrible acting and a horrible, phony story. Certainly not the Cinderella that I remember from the Disney Studios some 70 years ago! How this film passed the Censors in 1977 is anybody's guess. I was duped into seeing something entirely different from what I expected! Still entirely my own fault to watch it until the end.

The Best of the 'Erotic Fairytale' films

[Joe Schmoe · 10/10 · 1 February 2000]

Although it's probably gone on before, and most certainly after, the 1970's seem to be a time in which the makers of "erotic film" turned towards classic literature for subject matter. But unlike films such as "Lady Chatterly's Lover," a group of films turned toward even older and even more sacred texts: fairy tales. Several different production houses released erotic fairytale films during this period, including this 1977 version of Cinderella. While not the first (or the last), this film stands head and shoulders above the others.

Using the well-known rags-to-riches story of Cinderella as its base, this film creates a surprisingly effective result in both erotica and satire. The momentum of the film is suitably id-based; that is, every time a situation arises in which ribaldry might occur, it most certainly does. Cinderella's stepsisters prance around half-naked and demand Cinderella to run a cleverly devised spinning wheel for their pleasure. The Lord Chamberlain delivers invitations for the great ball to the lovely women of the village, acquitting himself at every opportunity. And of course, the prince finally must go to every hovel and reveal which fair maiden had been the best "fit" the night of his blindfolded orgy. The material basically writes itself.

But what sets this film apart is its wry take on the whole situation. It never forgets that this is a revisionist telling of the tale, and other earmarks besides the sex appear in the form of vaudevillian dialogue and references to the swinging disco lifestyle that was popular at the time. The music of the film is wonderfully dated and, had the subject matter been toned down a bit, could have easily overtaken "Le Freak" on the pop charts. And certainly we cannot forget Sy Richardson's hilarious performance (later retread for "Fairytales") as the Fairy Godmother with an attitude strictly from black exploitation films of the 70's.

The producers of this film made a wise decision to keep its sexual level strictly softcore, a decision with which the makers of the earlier "Alice in Wonderland" seemed to have great difficulty. Full pornography would have caused the film to lose its fun-loving heart, which ultimately is its most redeeming feature.

The other erotic fairy tale films, including the aforementioned "Alice," as well as the later "Fairytales," and the horrid "Erotic Adventures of Pinocchio," attempt the same feat, with less success. "Alice" is too choppy and just plain dopey, "Fairytales" has its moments but fails to capture the spirit of "Cinderella."

A diamond in the buff (where's the widescreen DVD?!!)

[TelevisionJunkie · 9/10 · 7 August 2005]

As others have previously commented here, this version of Cinderella is a true gem. A campy, near-porno retelling of the classic tale, b-movie goddess Cheryl "Rainbeaux" Smith takes the lead in what is perhaps her greatest screen performance. In fact, it's Smith who makes the film work. The renowned nympho somehow managed to convey such innocence and conviction as the lead that it's a shame she never snagged a leading role in a Hollywood production (the girl had some real acting chops and could've gone far had her situation been different). Cinderella herself is played totally straight while the rest of the cast ham it up. Even though she practically begins the film topless (singing with her corset flying in the breeze), one can still see this character as virginal – a true testament to Smith's acting abilities.

Kirk Scott (best remembered as Christian Slater's psychotic father in "Heathers") devours the scenery whole in nearly every scene he appears in. An equal mix of bumbling, inept and commanding, Scott was perfectly cast as the hunky Lord Chamberlain. Character actor Sy Richardson is also particularly memorable as the Cinderella's "fairy godmother" (emphasis on the word "fairy"), a petty thief who stumbles into the cottage seeking refuge and winds up befriending our heroine. Boris Morris was also outstanding as the giddy King, and Pamela Stonebrook gave an appropriately campy performance as the horny Queen. Both the King and Queen seem so utterly familiar to me that I'm certain their names must have been aliases. Yana Nirvana and Marilyn Corwin are also deliciously campy as the bisexual step-sisters who pleasure each other with spinning-wheel powered… Well, you have to see it to believe it. Evil stepmother Jennifer Doyle is okay, though she feels like she stepped straight out of Robert Altman's "Popeye" (which was filmed three years later). Brett Smiley was either miscast as the Prince, or simply badly written – you never really have sympathy (or a fondness) for the prince after his initial appearance/song.

The comedy is hit-and-miss (most of it is a bull's-eye) and the songs have a tendency to get stuck on a loop in your brain. The mere uttering of the line, "Ooooh, a snapper," is instantly familiar to anyone who's sat through this film. The songs are catchy and delightfully dirty in lyric without ever being profane. If this were made today, they'd have certainly shoved in the f-word at every chance, but the word never surfaces once…

The only real shortcoming of the film is the sex scenes. Meant only to titillate, not excite, the sex is a little too hard for an R-rating, but a little too soft for triple-X. If they had been shooting for an R-rating, it would have been so much better – the film grinds to a halt each time the characters stop to get it on (or watch others get it on). If they'd shot for a triple-X, the scenes that halted the film might've felt worthwhile. How titillating the scenes are is a matter of taste (I'm gay and being that there's only 3 or 4 brief glimpses of penis, they don't do much for me), but all of the people that I've made sit through the film through the years have griped that the Buttgammon scene goes on far too long. The only sex scenes that really work are a dream sequence (perhaps the only filmed sex scene ever to involve popcorn!), a royal ball attendant's seduction of her husband and the "happily ever after" ending. Much of the nudity is for comical effect of one sort or another, and that seems to be where the film works best. This gripe aside, they certainly blended the sex and story better than any other film in the genre ("Alice in Wonderland," "Beach Blanket Bango," etc.).

The film greatly benefits from unusual angles and some innovative camera-work, which, at times, make you forget that the film is as low budget as it was. Many of the songs play with few cuts (the Prince's "My Kingdom Won't Cum" features no cuts – just one continuous, wandering shot) and thankfully the cast did very well, lipsynching to their pre-recorded tracks (major props to Kirk Scott and Pamela Stonebrook for their lipsynching abilities). There are many elements that elevate this beyond that standard sexploitation film, not the least of which is the cinematography.

With Smith's cult fanbase and so many truly awful old films receiving lavish DVD releases these days, it astounds me that there's yet to be an official DVD release. The net's overrun with bad bootlegs with abysmal picture/sound quality. I've introduced the film to tons of people since I first saw it 15 years ago, and whether they were straight or gay, male or female, I've yet to find anyone that didn't like it (though I tend to surround myself with friends who are equally bent). I'd love to see this get the widescreen release with remixed audio that it so desperately deserves, so future generations can experience this '70s sleazefest for what it is – a true gem. If the aspect ratio listed here is correct (2:35-1), more than half of the picture is cropped on the TV/Video prints…. Come on, Charles Band, and get a DVD distributor for this gem!

A different take on the Cinderella story

[augustian · 9/10 · 6 June 2003]

I saw this film at the cinema when it was first released. An adult rated fairytale sounded interesting but what I saw was an absolute gem. A camp comedy musical soft core skin flick - how different is that? I've seen several adult interpretations of fairytales but this beats them all into a cocked hat. Cheryl Smith who sometimes uses the name Rainbeaux in other films is on top form playing it straight as a foil to the comedic campness of the other cast members, especially Sy Richardson who gives a whole new meaning to the term Fairy Godmother.

I'm sure you all know the Cinderella story but this one being an adult version, various changes have been made to justify the adult rating. It isn't Cinderella's prowess on the dance floor that so enchants Prince Charming and it isn't a glass slipper that must be the perfect fit. Come on now, this is an adult film, you don't need to be a rocket scientist to work that one out.

This version of Cinderella is probably the most enjoyable fairytale romp ever committed to screen, hilarious, erotic and entertaining. Recommended.

You have to be in the mood for this treat.

[jessy_to_tha_v · 7 November 2002]

You have to be in the mood for this movie. (maybe a brewski and no dress if in Ohio). If you know what to expect, you will like this.

This movie is a living adult comic book, and as such all of the actors except Cheryl Smith (Cinderella), play their roles predictably and very campy. They got it...don't take this seriously and overact. Pretend you are in a High School play. Cy Richardson reprises his role from "Faery Tales", and fits in just fine here. The film I viewed was from cable many years ago, and it shows obvious choppy editing which removed, I presume, some X stuff. Probably these cuts improved the film (such as was claimed by the reviewers of "Alice in Wonderland). The direction is right on target for a sophomoric film. The Chamberlain dismounts his horse and falls screaming down an unseen cliff. He bumps his head while seriously speaking in a farmer's hut. He has an episode with a knife and his finger, ala three stooges minus two (see also Jerry Lewis). This fits if you are really in the mood for this type of film. Doooooooooooooo, Dooooooooooooooo, Dooooooooooooo enjoy.

Cheryl Smith stands out in this film because she acts her part seriously and seems to miss the juvenile theme of this movie. Her acting makes this movie work. Intentional or not, her acting evokes the demanded sympathy toward her character. She is really outstanding here, either by design or because she really thought this was a serious film. Without her it would be junk. Good mindless fun to watch. I liked it.

Walt Disney meets Larry Flint meets Saturday Night Live

[BenDecho · 9/10 · 8 October 1999]

Wow, where do you begin to describe this movie. This is the one that mothers tried to sue video stores over renting them and finding their kids were watching an adult version.

Now don't get me wrong, this is NOT X-rated, but your typical Friday night HBO T&A type movie. But the wild part is, it's still a musical!! And many of the tunes you'll be singing in your head for days after.

This movie does not try to be serious anywhere. It's a very funny movie. It has all the ingredients for a great movie, it just isn't, but that is the fun of it.

The "fairy godmother" is a black, gay-acting man! What a twist.

There is nudity abound, but most of my female friends thought the movie was hilarious too.

If you're looking something just a little bit different, funny, amorous and a blast to watch; rent this today, better yet, buy it so you can force your friends to watch it with you.

Hilarious (and risque) adaptation of the classic children's tale

[Mike-DD · 8/10 · 23 August 2000]

I must admit I didn't expect to see the classic in this light when one of my girlfriend's brought this home from the rental office. At first, I thought it was a little crude, but as the movie went on and I started to get into enjoying for what it was - an entertaining (and somewhat risque) movie - I realized that it was actually quite a good and interesting movie. Imagine a Cinderella who was tested not by the ability to fit into a show, but the ability to bring the prince to sexual heights with an amazing female sexual organ. I pity (or is that envy?) the prince though, having to have sex with almost all the girls in the entire kingdom before being able to find his Cinderella!

Oh, the Memories

[Michael_Elliott · 7 January 2010]

Cinderella (1977)

*** (out of 4)

My rating certainly comes with a bit of nostalgia but I'm sure there are many out there who will go into this movie with memories such as mine. I remember this film quite fondly from my teenage years as my friends and I stumbled across it on Cinemax one night. We also saw bits and pieces of it but we'd try to catch it every time it was on. I'm not sure if we ever watched the film from start to finish but we'd quite often get into fights about the hottest girl or which one we'd most like to be the Prince with. Seeing the film after all these years certainly brought back a lot of fun memories but the film itself held up rather well. The simple storyline has the Price having a party thrown for him so that he can pick a bride but it's pretty much just an orgy. Cinderalla (Cheryl Smith) gets cleaned up by her fairy "godmutha" and he also gives her a snapping vagina (a different word is used in the film). This softcore effort from producer Charles Band is certainly a very memorable film and once you see it you're bound to have scenes stuck in your mind for life. I'm sure seeing it has a teen had an impact on several male viewers but even outside all the nudity there's just something charming about the film. I think the most credit must go to Smith who does a wonderful job with the role of Cinderella. It's not Oscar-worthy but it's fun and she comes off so sweet that you can't help but believe her in the part. The supporting players are all pretty good as well with Yana Nirvana and Marilyn Corwin excellent in the parts of the ugly step sisters and Kirk Scott as a dumb Lord. There are several musical numbers that are decent but nothing great. What makes the movie are all the softcore moments and this is certainly what attracted us to the film many years ago. I don't think more than five seconds go by without some sort of nudity and for the most part it's quite erotic whenever it's not trying to be funny (like the scene with the two girls bathing while their father is out hunting a certain creature).

A delightfully naughty farce that could have only been made in the 1970's

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 6 June 2015]

Sweet fair maiden Cinderella (a radiant and winning performance by lovely drive-in cinema starlet Cheryl "Rainbeaux" Smith), blessed with a certain special snapping distaff endowment, strikes the fancy of a jaded prince (a nicely smarmy Brett Smiley) after doing the deed with him at the royal ball.

Director Michael Pataki, working from a blithely bawdy script by Frank Ray Perilli, keeps the enjoyable story moving along at a quick pace, astutely evokes the easy'n'breezy carefree anything-goes vibe of the happy'n'hedonistic 70's, milks plenty of laughs from the merry raunchy humor, and delivers oodles of tasty distaff nudity and sizzling soft-core sex. Moreover, it's acted with tremendous gusto by an enthusiastic cast: Sy Richardson contributes an outrageously campy portrayal of a jive hipster kleptomaniac Fairy Godmother, Kirk Scott has a field day as the bumbling Lord Chamberlain, Pamela Stonebrook really sinks her teeth into her juicy role as the evil emasculating queen, and Yana Nirvana and Marilyn Corwin gleefully ham it up as Cinderella's homely'n'horny stepsisters. Andrew Belling's funky score hits the get-down groovy spot while the discoid songs are quite bouncy, catchy, and funny. Joseph Mangine's sunny cinematography provides a pleasing bright look. Best of all, the gals featured herein are stone foxes, the simulated sex scenes are red hot stuff, there's a gloriously bizarre dream sequence, and the whole thing is way too giddy and loopy to even be remotely offensive. An absolute hoot.

Really bad cult soft-core fairy tale. ?

[shark-19 · 24 October 1998]

I remember renting this in high school because the cover seemed to portray a porn film, yet this wasn't in the "big wooden cabinet." It attempts to be a soft-core pornographic comedy, which I guess it succeeds at without ever really delivering on the "pornographic" or the "comedy" part. Strangely enough, I've talked to many other people and if this film is mentioned, they've all seen it. Why? I don't know. Two memorable parts are the black man playing a fairy godmother (?) and the king announcing "The Kingdom has a Snapper!" (You'll have to figure that one out yourself.)

Remember the 80's

[rothrules69 · 9/10 · 23 August 2022]

I remember this when I was in High School and I lived in the Philadelphia area, we had a channel there called "Prism" and Friday and Saturday nights they use to show Unrated movies like this and when your 13 yrs old and seeing boobs it's the greatest thing ever. Yes the movie is cheesy but that's the fun of it, everything can't be "The Deer Hunter" I haven't seen this in probably 38 years and I'll probably laugh at it for being bad but movies like this made staying up on Friday and Saturday so much fun as a kid.

The only one you really ever need to see

[moviebuff72-223-265524 · 9/10 · 24 February 2024]

Cheryl Smith rest in peace. You made this movie far more enjoyable than all the other cinderella movies combined. I'm watching a more family friendly one. It's decent but not the one I really wanted to see. Let's get one thing here. Hollywood had made a snooze fest full of fairy tale flicks. Here's one that wasn't made for an Oscar but it should have won best picture in 1977. Ms. Smith took a role, even if it was not meant to be taken serious and did an above average job. She did, admit it. Actresses don't like doing nudity and many can't sing. She did it all. It's just too bad she fell into the wrong path. I think she could have made a fine actress. She died too young from having too many skeletons in her closet. I recommend it. Don't watch it with a date. She might not like this mature fairy tale for adults.

saw this film in the 70's at a x rated movie theatre

[slowryder1 · 3 May 2001]

I saw this movie, uncut, in a x rated movie house in Little Rock Arkansas in the 1970's. I've seen it since, on some of the premium channels, on cable, in the r rated vcr format. You lose the "in and out" portions of the film, but it makes it a funnier movie. And everyone has seen this film and remembers it by the line, "It's a snapper!"