Two days ago, @therapeuticfairy and I watched the 2011 Sechs auf einen Streich adaptation of Cinderella (Aschenputtel) at the same time and commented back and forth on it. That was very fun, and I was reminded of how much I like that adaptation. I think it's tied with Lotte Reiniger's 1922 animated short as my favorite German Cinderella.
But out of curiosity, I thought I'd read some German reviews of that version, to see how it was received in its native country. For the most part, it seems to have been well-received: in fact in a survey, it was voted as the all-time favorite installment of Sechs auf einen Streich. But I did come across one negative review, which is linked in the German Wikipedia article on the film.
This German critic complained that this Cinderella doesn't "let a fairy tale be a fairy tale." That it lacks the gentleness, sweetness, and magic of an ideal retelling of the tale. I'll admit that it is a very down-to-earth adaptation. But it's no more so than Three Wishes for Cinderella: a movie to which it clearly owes some inspiration and which has always been popular. What's wrong with a down-to-earth adaptation amid the more "magical" ones now and then?
The critic also claimed that Cinderella and Prince Viktor's interactions lacked any real sense of romance, but were just two grumpy people being rude to each other. I couldn't disagree more! Couldn't this critic recognize playful banter? Now, maybe it doesn't suit all tastes for Cinderella and her Prince to be a playfully bantering couple; of course it's fine to prefer the more old-fashioned starry-eyed romance of the Disney or Rodgers and Hammerstein versions. But I can see the romance in this version too! Again, I think their dynamic is clearly inspired by Three Wishes for Cinderella, but improves on it, IMHO: I think if there's one weakness in Three Wishes, it's that Cinderella and her Prince don't have enough chemistry, but here I think they do.
The critic also complained that the royal court was "unnaturally cheerful" – but that's one of the aspects of this version that I love! I love the fact that the King is a fun dad, who gives noogies to his son and who keeps the conversation tone light even as he pesters him to be more responsible and get married; that Prince Viktor feels free to joke with his father and speak to him like an equal; and that the stable master is the King's best friend and a mentor to Viktor too, who calls him by his first name instead of "your Highness." Their cheerfulness, informality, and lack of snobbery stands in contrast to Cinderella's pretentious stepfamily and make it clear that this court will be a happy place for this free-spirited version of Cinderella.
Last but not least, the critic hated the fact that Aylin Tezel's Cinderella is "always" angry and complaining. They insisted that Cinderella is supposed to be calm, patient, and gracefully resigned to her fate because she knows complaining wont change anything. Now of course there have been excellent portrayals of Cinderella that fit that description, but personally? I like the fact that there are also Cinderellas like Tezel's version (and she's far from the only one), who are angry, who do complain and try to stand up to the stepfamily, and who fail to always be calm and patient in the face of abuse. Sometimes it's nice to have a break from idealized role model Cinderellas and see her portrayed as very human for a change.
To be honest, if every Cinderella were calm, patient, and resigned, I'd think she was a nauseating character. One of the main reasons why I like exploring the different adaptations and retellings of the tale is because her portrayal varies so much with each version. The variety shows that there's no wrong way to be a woman, or to deal with abuse and grief, or to relate to a romantic partner as long as there's mutual love and respect, just like there are no wrong ways in real life.
