Pierce Brosnan in Mama Mia Movie- Page 2

[H.Higgins]

Posted: 7/22/08 at 6:15pm

-- "Well, then, my analogy of Christopher Plummer and 'Edelweiss' stands!"

This analogy has me thinking. I'm not sure who the hell is actually singing Edelweiss in the Sound of Music motion picture. Is it Christopher Plummer or the hired singer dubbing? I just played the track on the soundtrack and whoever it is sounds WONDERFUL (which leads me to believe it's not Plummer). But regardless, the analogy is probably lost simply because the Captain's "Edelweiss" sounds beautiful in the film. It ain't no cringe-worthy moment.

Just wanted to throw my thoughts in there, but I totally get what you are saying about Brosnan, NYadgal, and I agree with you. All Sound of Music analogies aside

[best12bars]

Posted: 7/22/08 at 6:32pm

He doesn't lack singing ability! He just doesn't have one of those nasal, pointed tones like everyone else seems to HAVE to have today. I'm really tired of it, and it's BORING. Generic and forgettable. That's what I thought of the young leads' voices. Dull as dirt water.

As I said on the OT Board thread about Pierce:

His voice reminded me of an aging rock singer ala Joe Cocker, with a little untrained Phil Collins, and a dash of Tom Waits. For those of you who are saying he was off-key, get your ears checked. I have "relative pitch" (look it up), and he was not off key ever. But his tone is guttural and throaty. I kinda dug it. I'm tired of every modern singer having a nasal, pointed focused tone. Most of them are whiny and thin (even Meryl had her moments here). I liked a little "meat" and "history" on his voice. It didn't bother me a bit.

[Weez]

Posted: 7/22/08 at 6:38pm

It's 'Guys & Dolls' all over again. Just because he can hold a tune doesn't mean he's a singer. And it's a good job he's James freakin' Bond. ^_^

[choitoy]

Posted: 7/22/08 at 6:44pm

I think the main problem with Pierce for me was trying to divorce his "James Bond" persona with the "Sam Carmichael" character.

He was in enough "James Bond" films (and "James Bond-esque" films like Thomas Crown Affair), that it is hard to seperate the actor/persona from the new role that he is taking (kinda like when an actor does a hit TV show for 8 seasons, and then has trouble finding new roles, because they are so "wedded" to thier own character.)

I too found that his singing voice was OK on the Soundtrack (proper use of the term!!!). Not the best (it sounds a little restrained, like he didn't/couldn't go all out with the singing), but definately passible in a movie using ABBA tunes.

My beef came when I went to the movie and tried to watch him sing. It just looked like "James Bond" singing up there, as he still looks a lot like he did while playing Bond (although, a little greyer and scruffier). Everyone else I accepted because they don't have a role that they've played previously that I strongly identify with (except for Christine Baranski, who's merely playing a looser version of her Maryann character on "Cybill", so I could accept her singing, as I believe she did warble a few times on that show).

[neddonovan]

Posted: 7/22/08 at 9:32pm

Reading old posts is painful. Delete :)

Updated On: 11/8/17 at 09:32 PM

[Eagleman]

Posted: 7/22/08 at 10:05pm

Nice job Best12Bars.

And cudos to the poster who called the rancor for what it is: mean-spirited.

The bottom line is, some people take a vicious pleasure in such vitriole.

There was a great line in "The Rainmaker" where the old farmer tells his sanctimonious son, Noah,

"You're so concerned with doing the right thing, you've forgotten about doing the kind thing."

It's so easy to hide behind a monitor and take cheap shots from the tall grass. I wonder how the people on this board who so flippantly dish out the odious comments about the man would hold up if they were in the cross hairs.

You could justify such callousness by saying it comes with the turf.

You could say that but then kindness is still taking a back seat to empty opinion.

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 7/22/08 at 10:11pm

He was on key. Sure, it wasn't the greatest singing ever but it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. I was more surprised at how weak Meryl's vocals were. I expected better from her.

[BwayBaby18]

Posted: 7/22/08 at 10:21pm

Atleast it was better then Gerard Butler...not saying much but still

[mc1227]

Posted: 7/22/08 at 10:51pm

As a big fan of The Producers who was disappointed at the movie version, my heart goes out to the Mamma Mia fans who are disappointed in the film. It's really tough to bring a stage musical to film and most times than not, the movie disappoints.

Having seen Mamma Mia on film was one of the most disppointing things I've ever seen. I should have just kept playing the trailer over and over because from that it looked great.

I have never been a Pierce Brosnan fan, I think he is totally one dimentional. You can also add that he can't sing or act. After seeing Brosnan and John Travolta in recent film musicals, I have come to appreciate Matthew Broderick's performance in the Producers even more. However, the charmed Brosnan and Travolta will continue to be excused for performances because "they're not singers". Then why are they in musicals?? Their performances couldn't hold a candle to Broderick's, who by the way, is also not a singer by trade. Susan Stroman's direction (that was horrible) of the movie version of the Producers can now be somewhat excused after seeing Phyllida Lloyd's disaster.

[WickedBoy2]

Posted: 7/22/08 at 11:19pm

Hear it and weep!

[amoni]

Posted: 7/22/08 at 11:51pm

Jeez Roscoe, who peed in your popcorn? relax, it's just a movie.

Why all the blame on Pierce? You do realize that he didn't just show up on the set and say please put me in this movie. He was hired then they pre-recorded the songs by none other than Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus who obviously didn't have a problem with him. Many, many people heard those songs before a foot of film was printed, no one seemed to have a problem with it. All of you bitching and moaning are probably the ones who were outraged that Harvey didn't get the "Hairspray" movie. Now that voice in Dolby Stereo would scare kids right out of the theater.

[degrassifan]

Posted: 7/23/08 at 12:20am

I really hate to soil your analogy, but Chris Plummer did not sing in "Sound of Music." Bill Lee (who's wife played Sister Catherine in the movie) was hired to dub Plummer's vocals. When Plummer was cast, Robert Wise said that his singing would have to be dubbed. After hearing this, Plummer wanted to quit the picture. Plummer was determined to have his own voice recorded on the film, and to that end he took voice lessons. But when Plummer was told his voice was going to be dubbed, even in the prerecordings, he almost walked off the set. Plummer wanted to do his own prerecording, with the chance to redo his singing, if necessary, after shooting was completed. He felt that by the time the picture was in postproduction he would have improved on his voice enough so that it could stay in the picture. However, no matter how much he rehearsed, Plummer's voice just wasn't strong enough.
When it was time for postproducrion, Plummer was given the opportunity to redo his singing with hope that his new voice tracks would be good enough to use in the picture. Then came the fateful day when he would listen to his own voice on tape and decide whether or not it was good enough for the film. Robert Wise and Saul Chaplin already knew it wasn't. But they agreed that Plummer would make the final decision. Wise ran three songs for him (The Sound of Music, Edelweiss, & Something Good). After listening to them four times, Plummer asked Wise what he really though. Wise was honest and said he thought it wasn't good enough for the picture, and Plummer agreed that it's just not musical enough.
Plummer later reflected, "If I had been singing with someone else other than Julie, my voice might have been OK to use, but Julie's voice is so perfect, there's just a difference in quality. But I learned a lot from the film."

Sorry this was too long, but yeah that's what happened over 40 years ago.

Anyway, I'm going to see the movie later this afternoon. Honestly, I've heard the soundtrack and seen a clip of SOS, and he just doesn't sound...great. Hopefully, I'll get use to it when I watch the film.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 7/23/08 at 12:31am

Pierce Brosnan's singing reminded me of Peter Gabriel's. And that's a good thing.

(Addy, Christopher Plummer's voice WAS dubbed, as was Charmiane Carr's and Peggy Wood's. But your point is still a good one. )

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 7/23/08 at 12:39am

I just saw the movie a second time, and really enjoyed Brosnan-- though I still can't see why they added a song for him to sing.
It's a great campy performance.
And I'm sorry but this movie can't even begin to compare to the train-wreck that is THE PRODUCERS. THE PRODUCERS is not only bad but INSANELY boring! It feels stagey to no end, and has no reason to be whatsoever. Plus, actors actually singing to the camera as if they were on stage does not a movie make.
MAMMA MIA might not be the next CITIZEN KANE but it certainly is an enjoyable camp fest. I understand those who don't like it, but to say that Stroman did better is sort of preposterous. Even if Lloyd does a number of mistakes, this movie actually feels like a movie, the performances are fantastic, and the musical numbers soar. I can't think of any number that just sits there (which can be said for every number in THE PRODUCERS).

[degrassifan]

Posted: 7/23/08 at 12:48am

"Addy, Christopher Plummer's voice WAS dubbed, as was Charmiane Carr's and Peggy Wood's."

Actually, only Christopher Plummer, Peggy Wood, and Anna Lee were dubbed. The children all did their own singing (when they had solos). But, when they sang as a group, seven other children and five adults were used to fill in the children's voices for a full effect, including Charmian Carr's sister, who provided the high note sung by Duane Chase during "So Long, Farewell." The only time the children actaully sang alone as a group was in the scene after Maria had left and the children are sad. They try to sing "The Sound of Music" on their own.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 7/23/08 at 12:56am

I saw it for a second time tonight, too, and I think it's a better "movie" than I felt it was the first time. Tonight, I was looking at it purely "cinematically," and I think the director made excellent choices

Anyway...Pierce is rather dashing, especially when he wears that crisp white button-down shirt. Has anyone ever looked THAT good in a plain white chemise???

And I actually LIKE his voice. He's no Frank Sinatra, but then again, Sinatra wasn't NEARLY as cute as Pierce, now was he?

[NY_Broadway2]

Posted: 7/23/08 at 8:35am

I was a little shocked when he first started singing because I didn't think he would be that awful. SOS was a lot better than the last song he sang that they added for him...that was torture. But I will give him props and the film makers for not dubbing him and actually letting him sing. That took some guts because he has to know he can't sing.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 7/23/08 at 10:01am

Right. His total lack of singing ability doesn't matter, as long as his HEART was in it. Just like the crappy screenplay, crappy direction, crappy acting, crappy cinematography, and generally crappy production don't matter, because the movie is SO MUCH FUN!!!

Exactly. Some people can overlook the flaws of a film or stage musical and still love it simply because of the way it makes them feel emotionally. I am one of those people and it is exactly how I feel about both the stage production and the film of Mamma Mia.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 7/23/08 at 10:15am

He sounded like he was getting a prostate exam and Phyllida Lloyd's asinine non-direction didn't help him one bit.


Nonetheless, it was the only moment in the whole movie that felt remotely real.

[broadwayjim42]

Posted: 7/23/08 at 10:34am

Remotely real--good turn of phrase because that how I felt about "What All Is Said And Done." A very sweet, low-key moment and I think Brosnan handled it really well.

Seeing it again at the Ziegfeld Friday morning...don't know if a huge screen and great sound will make the movie seem any better or just inflate the flaws.

[Glinda2]

Posted: 7/23/08 at 10:47am

Anyone who thinks he was off-pitch can't hear and is looking for mistakes. He was totally on pitch. At any rate, I started this thread and I have to tell you, it's great to debate. That's what it's all about, isn't it? (I was very surprised to learn that Christopher Plummer was dubbed, because his singing sounds very much like his speaking voice, as opposed to Audrey Hepburn/Marni Nixon.) As far as musicals go, there will never be a right answer to all of this. Can you imagine if someone had decided not to cast Rex Harrison in "My Fair Lady" because he couldn't sing? Musical theatre history would have forever been altered. I would be very interested in hearing what Pierce Brosnan has to say about his own voice. He most likely has a sense of humor about it. The man has had a long, successful career, and you don't get that from being un-directable or unwilling to learn. Since he's on-pitch, if he had been given the time needed, he could have improved his singing voice for the movie. I suspect he worked like a lunatic to try and get his voice in as good as shape possible, but didn't have the time needed. You could tell there was absolutely no training....he didn't hold a vowel for more than 1/2 a second. I wonder if they even had a vocal coach around when it was all being done. I had a lot of fun seeing this movie. My biggest disappointment was Meryl Streep. Her voice is fine. I felt her exhuberance was forced, and it was like she was saying: "Look at me, I'm Meryl Streep and I'm actually singing and dancing and being exhuberant. Woo hoo." And while I'm causing controversy, I'd also like to say that I loved Uma Thurman in "The Producers." She was totally appropriate for that role.

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 7/23/08 at 11:24am

I have to disagree about Uma. Not only did they have to take the song down for her, but she doesn't come off as ditzy to me. It seemed forced. She looked smashing, though, as did Angie Schworer, who doubled for her.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 7/23/08 at 11:40am

I was really surprised the film went with "When All is Said and Done" (I love that song) instead of the anthemic "The Way Old Friends Do" (which I love even more). Musically and lyrically, it seemed more appropriate for the scene and the story.

Times of joy
And times of sorrow
We will always see it through

I don't care what comes tomorrow
We will face it together
The way old friends do

[TheDodge]

Posted: 7/23/08 at 3:28pm

All I've heard is how bad he is and how it's the worst part of the movie!! Ugh.

[Mistress_Spouzic]

Posted: 7/23/08 at 3:46pm

Ok whether or not you think hes a bad singer, Id definitely say hes the worst singer of the three adult men (were the other two dubbed?) and if he was the worst singer why cast him as the part with the most songs and then add another song? I think Colin Firth is about as famous as Pierce Brosnan.