Synopsis

In 16th-century France, Danielle de Barbarac is forced into servitude by her cruel stepmother after her father's death. When she meets Prince Henry, a royal heir resisting an arranged marriage, their growing bond challenges the rigid expectations of court life. Presenting herself as a noblewoman, Danielle fights to reclaim her freedom and win a future shaped by love rather than social rank.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film is a revisionist take on Cinderella that removes magic, talking animals, and an actual fairy godmother. Leonardo da Vinci fills the story's mentor role instead.

• Danielle's portrait is modeled on Leonardo da Vinci's "La Scapigliata," rather than on the Mona Lisa.

• The story uses real historical figures, including Leonardo da Vinci and King Francis I, but the romance and most of the characters are fictional.

• The framing story presents the Cinderella legend as a family history being recounted to the Brothers Grimm, adding a playful explanation for how the familiar fairy tale came to be told.

• Much of the movie was filmed at castles in France's Dordogne region, including Chateau de Hautefort, Chateau de Fénélon, Chateau de Losse, and Chateau de la Roussie.

• Principal photography took place from September 12 through November 18, 1997.

• 20th Century Fox released the film theatrically in the United States on August 7, 1998.