On 20 October 2022, I watched two movies. One of them was The Adventures of Pluto Nash (reviewed by me here), which I'd fully expected to enjoy, but didn't. Far more to my taste, though I hadn't expected it to be, conversely, was my second, and very different, movie watch on that same day – the Disney live-action feature film Cruella, set in London's late-1970s punk-pervading fashion world.
Directed by Craig Gillespie, and released in 2021 by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Cruella presents a newly-construed back story for one of Disney's greatest villainesses – the 101 Dalmatians' fur-obsessed nemesis Cruella de Vil. The notoriously nefarious fanatic is played with smirking, diabolical delight by Emma Stone, her spellbinding performance earning her in 2022 a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress.
Originally created by Dodie Smith in her delightful 1956 children's novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians, Cruella first appeared on screen as a Disney character in their classic 1961 animated feature film One Hundred and One Dalmatians (in which her distinctive appearance was apparently based upon flamboyant actress Tallulah Bankhead), as well as in a straight-to-video animated sequel movie, 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure (2002). She also stole the show in two live-action Disney films – 101 Dalmatians (1996), which was a reworking of their 1961 cartoon movie; and 102 Dalmatians (2000), presenting an all-new, totally original story – due entirely to the wholly unrestrained, fittingly psychotic, rabid portrayal of her in two outstanding performances by Glenn Close (who also served as an executive producer for Cruella). So Disney certainly has excellent form when it comes to providing superb big-screen representations of everyone's favourite fur fetishist.
Even so, I still began watching this newest Disneyfied Cruella incarnation with great trepidation, because I feared that in devising an original back story for her the Disney studio would repeat the travesty that imho they had concocted for Sleeping Beauty's wicked fairy Maleficent in their eponymous 2014 live-action/CGI feature film starring Angelina Jolie in the title role. Namely, seeking to transform an unequivocally, irredeemably evil entity into a misconstrued, misunderstood waif who'd simply had some bad press after she'd been done wrong by her lover (all of which was conspicuous only by its absence in Disney's original 1959 Sleeping Beauty animated feature!). Click here for my review of Disney's movie Maleficent.
Happily, however, I was both delighted and heartily relieved to discover that my fears were entirely unwarranted, inasmuch as this take is not taken in Cruella. Instead, we are shown a character who, even as a child, is, shall we say, difficult – and feisty, insanely so at times – albeit with a huge, innate talent for fashion design, not to mention her unique black-and-white hair that she dyes red throughout her youth to avoid unwelcome, unpleasant comments from outsiders.
Cruella's birth name is actually Estella Miller, but after her mother is killed, for which Estella wrongly blames herself, she decides that a radical reinvention of her life is in order. So she inveigles an initial invitation but subsequent formal engagement to work as a junior designer at the highly prestigious London fashion house of a ruthlessly despicable, shamelessly unprincipled, autocratic, egotistical, and thoroughly narcissistic monster of a leading designer named The Baroness – played in absolutely scintillating OTT style by Emma Thompson (who won the role over the likes of Nicole Kidman, Demi Moore, Julianne Moore, and Charlize Theron). However, she also creates a secret identity to use for future fashion design purposes of her own, separate from her work for The Baroness's fashion house, naming it Cruella (a childhood nickname), later expanding it to Cruella de Vil.
But when Estella discovers that it was The Baroness, not herself, who was responsible for her mother's death, she loses it big time, becoming thoroughly unhinged and determining to avenge her mother at all cost – by unleashing her still-cryptic yet coruscating fashion designer alter ego Cruella de Vil upon the unsuspecting fashion world in general, and the Baroness in particular.
Except, as it turns out, Estella's mother, so kind and demure (and hence entirely unlike Estella/Cruella), was not her real mother after all, Guess which ruthlessly despicable, shamelessly unprincipled, autocratic, egotistical, and thoroughly narcissistic monster of a leading designer (and therefore a wholly Cruella-comparable character) was – and still is??
Dastardly diva designer is promptly pitted against dastardly diva designer, daggers – and much else too! – are drawn, but there can only be one winner, one cut-throat cut above all others, when competing for the highest of stakes in the high-risk, hubristic, hedonistic fashion world. So who will it be?
Visually, Cruella the movie is a spectacular sight to behold, with extravagant costumes that make even the most flamboyant catwalk creations of late look positively bland and impoverished in comparison. Those in black and white are especially effective, like gothic versions of the iconic Cecil Beaton haute couture on show in the unforgettable Ascot Gavotte scene from the timeless 1960s movie musical My Fair Lady. Deservedly, therefore, in 2022 Cruella duly won both an Oscar and a BAFTA award for Best Costume Design.
Incidentally, if you've already watched this film and are wondering why Cruella is never seen with her trademark long-stemmed cigarette holder, smoking a cheroot, which was always so visible in Disney's earlier dalmatian movies, this is because since 2007 the Disney Studio has banned the showing of characters smoking in its films.
As for this movie's soundtrack – it samples snatches of an extraordinarily eclectic selection of popular songs – just about everything by everyone, in fact, from Doris Day, Judy Garland, Nina Simone, Nancy Sinatra, and Ken Dodd to Black Sabbath, The Rolling Stones, Ike & Tina Turner, David Bowie, and The Clash!
It may be over 2 hours long, but Cruella is – to steal the title of a popular TV comedy show – absolutely fabulous, with all manner of tantalising twists and turns unveiling themselves throughout the storyline. My attention never sagged, and its teasing ending left the door wide open for a sequel. Sure enough, Disney subsequently announced that a sequel is now being developed – I can't wait!!
If you'd like to venture briefly into the mad, bad, but bedazzling world of fashion à la Cruella, be sure to click here and here to watch on YouTube a couple of devilishly delightful Cruella trailers, darling!
Finally: to view a complete chronological listing of all of my Shuker In MovieLand blog's other film reviews and articles (each one instantly accessible via a direct clickable link), please click HERE, and please click HERE to view a complete fully-clickable alphabetical listing of them.
