Botched Film Musicals- Page 2
Botched Film Musicals
#25re: Botched Film Musicals
Posted: 11/15/09 at 5:47pm
The Midler GYPSY is every note of Jule's score, every word of Steve's lyrics and EVERY line from Arthur's book. It IS a replica and was meant to be which is why no screenwriter is credited. It pretty much defines "faithful" and may be the only film version so similar to its stage counterpart. The DVD version includes the Overture at the start as well making it absolutely comprehensive.
P
ETA: Ok, NEARLY every note! I knew this post would bring out all the obsessive GYPSY queens! Carry on, ladies, I'm one of you too but I need to renew my membership card I guess!
Updated On: 11/15/09 at 05:47 PM
#27re: Botched Film Musicals
Posted: 11/15/09 at 6:01pm
Can you elaborate a bit more on this :)?
My dislike of the TV version comes more from the performances than the direction. I thought Bette Midler's Rose was way over the top. She played it as if she were playing to the last row of the balcony of the St. James or the Schubert. Her portrayal was just too exaggerated and too big for the small screen. Now if she were playing it on stage it probably would've been perfect.
Peter Reigert's Herbie was awful IMO. His delivery of some of his lines was cringe worthy. Cynthia Gibb was serviceable as Louise, but overall her performance was nothing special.
#28re: Botched Film Musicals
Posted: 11/15/09 at 6:01pmMidler's movie does not have the "Some People/Traveling" reprise.
#29Re: Botched Film Musicals
Posted: 11/15/09 at 10:05pm
I think that, problems notwithstanding, the Midler GYPSY is enjoyable and I would never put it on my list of botched musicals. Like Eric, I also think that A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC has a lot going for it; obviously, it's not the ideal film adaptation of the show - there are parts that just don't work and sometimes Prince's direction really doesn't cut it - but I don't think it's as bad as it's reputation would have you believe.
As to ON A CLEAR DAY being ripe for revival... well, I just think it's ultimately a mediocre musical with a few nice tunes and the big truth that the lyrics reveal to us is than Alan Jay Lerner was the Tim Rice of his day. (That sounds a bit harsh, I guess. There are things that I like about the show, but I don't feel it ever got to grips with what it was trying to achieve. And I think Lerner gets very lazy with the lyrics in certain parts of this show. Some of the cuts and changes we've seen in the years that followed the show's opening - the verse to "Hurry! It's Lovely Up Here!", for instance - are a testimony to that. I guess I'd say if ever a show was ripe for a "revisal", a type of production of which I'm traditionally not in favour - especially when the original authors aren't around to do the tweaking themselves, this would be it.)
Unknown User
Joined: 12/31/69
#30Re: Botched Film Musicals
Posted: 11/16/09 at 2:07am
"The Midler GYPSY is every note of Jule's score, every word of Steve's lyrics and EVERY line from Arthur's book. It IS a replica and was meant to be which is why no screenwriter is credited. It pretty much defines "faithful" and may be the only film version so similar to its stage counterpart. The DVD version includes the Overture at the start as well making it absolutely comprehensive."
And don't forget Jerome Robbins' full choreography (supervised by him shortly before his death)
Oh and I forgot The Wiz. What an ugly, bizarre, awful film
Unknown User
Joined: 12/31/69
#31Re: Botched Film Musicals
Posted: 11/16/09 at 2:10am
"Mr. Roxy, thank you for mentioning JCSS. If there is a bigger disaster of a musical film it is, in my opinion, that one. They tried so hard to make it hip and "look how cool everybody, it's a ROCK OPERA!" and it completely overpowers the score for me. So many incongruous visuals and horrific choreography - it's just a badly made film and I can't watch it. An abomination I tells ya!! "
I know many agree but I LOVE the movie. I think it suits the score--and let's keep in mind the visuals are far less overpowering and out there than the O'Horgan Broadway original that came before. If anything it made the movie look tame.
#32Re: Botched Film Musicals
Posted: 11/16/09 at 4:02am
The 2001 remake of South Pacific with grandma Glenn Close playing Nellie, Rade Serbedzija playing Emile like he is in a coma, Lori Tan Chinn portraying Bloody Mary as a filthy bag lady and worst of all, Harry Connick attempting to play Cable, who is from Philadelphia, with his usual fake Cajun accent. And if that isn't enough, the score was truncated beyond recognition and sung badly. A misfire from the word go.
#33Re: Botched Film Musicals
Posted: 11/16/09 at 4:37amI HATE both of the JCS movies. The 70's one due to 95% of the cast couldn't sing a frickin' note. And the 2000 one because.....well....do I even need to go into why it was bad?
Unknown User
Joined: 12/31/69
#34Re: Botched Film Musicals
Posted: 11/16/09 at 6:26am
I actually like the singing in the JCS film--I play the soundtrack as much as any recording. It's too bad they filmed the later stage production by Gale Edwards (the Broadway/European tour) and not the superior earlier UK version she did (I never got why she redid it) I also have a thing for those pseudo filmed live productions (the Nunn Oklahoma has the same problem but is even more annoying as they pretend there's a live audience) where they film it on a soundstage but pretend it's live theatre--I dunno why but I find them kinda disconcerting to watch lol
It's also interesting (well to me) that both Night Music and Mame (which I find far worse, but I'm not a big Herman fan) were done by their stage directors who had big success with them on stage, but it didn't transfer to screen (the same could be argued about Joshua Logan who was great, apparantly, on stage but his screen stuff tended to get bogged down in over literalness--South Pacific is flawed but not awful, even with those filters, but his other stage adaptations like Picnic and Camelot and Paint Your Wagon are just so weighed down).
Updated On: 11/16/09 at 06:26 AM
Marquise
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/1/04
#35Re: Botched Film Musicals
Posted: 11/16/09 at 8:41amI love the JCSS film. It's surreal and Neely, Elliman and Anderson's performances are pretty definitive of the piece.
Wenn ich tanzen will2
Swing Joined: 11/15/09
#36Re: Botched Film Musicals
Posted: 11/16/09 at 1:24pm
Jesus Christ Superstar- The plot/songs are ridiculous enough, but boy was that horror fest filmed in a terrible manner!
Gypsy (1962)- The only amazing thing about this movie was the gorgeous Natalie Wood. I thought her performance was flawless... one of my favorites from her. All of the songs were completely lackluster, and even though Rosalind was dubbed with another actress, they didn't bother using someone with great vocals to provide the singing voice, in all fairness. Every song left me cold.
Hairspray- Yeah, I like the soundtrack and a lot of the cast is adequate... but, boy, was John Travolta horribly miscast. His portrayal basically freaks me out. The dialogue is pretty bad in a lot of places... they shouldn't have gotten rid of the "campiness" of the original film, nor of the musical. But the script, other than the songs themselves, was borderline mediocre. The plot changes were for the worse... including the ending and Edna thinking Wilbur had had an affair. And don't get me started on how disgusting Nikki Blonsky's speaking voice is... love her singing though.
MCfan2
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/29/06
#37Re: Botched Film Musicals
Posted: 11/16/09 at 7:08pm
"Camelot." Nearly broke my heart, it was so bad. And I loved the play and the Broadway cast album so much.
I wouldn't even see the "Phantom" movie after I heard they were getting a young hot guy who wasn't much of a singer. Talk about unclear on the concept!!
#38Re: Botched Film Musicals
Posted: 11/16/09 at 7:36pmI'm gonna hope spiderdj is including Neeley and Anderson in the percentage that can sing.
Unknown User
Joined: 12/31/69
#39Re: Botched Film Musicals
Posted: 11/16/09 at 11:38pm
"I wouldn't even see the "Phantom" movie after I heard they were getting a young hot guy who wasn't much of a singer. Talk about unclear on the concept!!"
Yet I'd rather hear him sing than hear Crawford "sing" any day! Oy.
#40Re: Botched Film Musicals
Posted: 11/16/09 at 11:45pm
Here's to Gerard Butler as Krolock in the film version of DOTV!
P
P.S. He ACTUALLY would be quite good. Seriously. DOTV not TANZ.
#41Re: Botched Film Musicals
Posted: 11/17/09 at 12:06am
"I know many agree but I LOVE the movie. I think it suits the score--and let's keep in mind the visuals are far less overpowering and out there than the O'Horgan Broadway original that came before. If anything it made the movie look tame."
Though "King Herod's Song" is so friggin bizarre.
Unknown User
Joined: 12/31/69
Marquise
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/1/04
#43Re: Botched Film Musicals
Posted: 11/17/09 at 1:15amI'm surprised no one has bothered to mention the 1995 film version of THE FANTASTICKS.
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