timashworth04 I first saw this at the movie theater with my soon to be husband a soldier in the U.S. Air Force), when it was first shown, and saw it again today on t.v. This movie is one of my favorites and just gets better with time. James Caan plays a sweet spirited, kind hearted sailor who takes on responsibility for a prostitute he meets while on Cinderella liberty (a term for a short shore leave) and her son. It is a beautiful story of love and forgiveness and one I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a realistic story about the human condition. Although not listed in Caan's IMDb bio, it is one of his best performances. This movie will stay on my list of great movies.

JLRMovieReviews James Caan and Marsha Mason star in Cinderella Liberty, which is a service term for a liberty for a day that ends at midnight. While Navyman Caan is on his liberty in New York City, I believe, he goes to a local hangout/bar and discovers Marsha playing pool with guys. But it's evident right away she practically lives there and does more than flirt with the guys. When James wins a game of pool, she takes him to her place. Long story short, through meeting her son and seeing her soft side, he takes a liking to her. Then, he discovers she's pregnant. Through a series of highs and lows, they decide to get married. But there's a hitch. The service lost his papers and he can't get married or any of his pay without his id #, etc. The son who is black had an attitude, but then the boy warms up to James. This is one of those rare films that you just don't want to end, like Annie Hall; you could go on watching these likable and complex people, if the movie didn't have to end. So what happens? This doesn't end quite the way you expect. But it does end with good closure. Cinderella Liberty is shown on Fox Movie Channel from time to time. So next time it comes on, don't miss this great film.

Peter Swanson When Cinderella Liberty was released I'd only been out of the Navy about a year, so I was automatically biased in favor of it. I happened across the film on AMC this morning, and was pleased to see that it holds up well. James Caan is perfect as the lifer-by-default, a guy apparently motivated by inertia and the need for a job rather than any driving patriotic force. Marsha Mason is likewise great as the whore-with-a-heart (not necessarily a heart of gold), and the boy who plays her son is superb. Eli Wallach is flawless as the lifer left over from the old "Rocks and Shoals" Navy, a genuinely tough era much more closely-related to life in the 19th century than the 21st. If you want a look at enlisted life in the Navy, especially in the early 70's (yes, they did allow mustaches and a bit of hair in those days), I would recommend this film wholeheartedly.

helpless_dancer Veteran sailor meets and walks the plank for a 2 bit, drunken slut with a welfare child who lives in a hovel that was so nasty a rat wouldn't slip inside and take a dump. Plus, the hooker was pregnant from an unknown source. If swabbie marries the worthless drunk it'll make him feel good. Feel good. Can anybody spell moron? All it will do is make certain the tramp stays on the dole so taxpayers will have something to donate their money to. This jerk couldn't wait to ruin his life. I suppose this film was striving to convey the message "this poor old soul just needs a helping hand". What they both needed was a boot up their butts: this picture was dull and lifeless; the characters were all losers and fools.