by Hal Erickson
synopsis
Though filmed in Italy, Drei Wenschen (Three Wishes) was spoken in Dutch and aimed at the Netherlands market. The titular wishes are those granted to the modern-Cinderella heroine Maria, charmingly played by Annie van Duyn. One of her wishes is to marry into wealth, but she finds out that there are just some things that money can't buy. The villain of the piece is not a wicked stepmother or cackling witch, but a contemporary "vamp," well played by Mimi Boesnach. Drei Wenschen is most decidedly a fairy tale, but the director never overplays his hand with Disneyesque "magic trick."
