I rented the film a long time ago on a whim and, yes, it did make me whimper and sob like a babe without its mother. I loved that it made me sob 'n laugh at the same time when they were at the cemetery and the Olympia Dukakis character grabbed MacClaine and said, "Here! Hit Ouiser!!!!" I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it as I was initially resistant to watching it and my gut feelings are rarely THAT wrong, LOL.
The all-black/purple/yellow/pink/lavender/tri-color thing can be irritating, especially when it's obvious it's a gimmick, but this sounds great. One of the things that, apart from the moving tale, is a feature worth noting in the work itself are the potential for varying takes on the same roles due to their rich characterization.
So it also points out we are not equal, as blacks are apparently different enough to warrant another go on film. You could view it that way or just view it for what it is, which is likely more a way of showing just how similar we are that an all-black variation of the story won't hurt a bit and could even offer an interesting perspective worth experiencing for ourselves.
I doubt the intention here is to top the original. But if it does, then so be it, and I'm certain it will have something to do with the performances rather than anything to do with race.
Recreation of original John Cameron orchestration to "On My Own" by yours truly. Click player below to hear.
Updated On: 10/15/11 at 12:44 AM