CATS Film Adaptation Thread — Page 25

morosco said: "After seeing the misguided designs for the film I've come to the conclusion that John Napier's original designs were rather brilliant. Hisdesignsmade it much easier for the audiences to suspend disbelief."

Indeed. I watched the filmed stage version earlier and WOW! After this CGI mess in the cinematic film adaptation, seeing the actors in painted leotards and fur was now on another level. You truly appreciate the make-up design. What we once trashed now truly is appreciated.

BrodyFosse123 said: "morosco said: "After seeing the misguided designs for the film I've come to the conclusion that John Napier's original designs were rather brilliant. Hisdesignsmade it much easier for the audiences to suspend disbelief."

Indeed. I watched the filmed stage version earlier and WOW! After this CGI mess in the cinematic film adaptation, seeing the actors in painted leotards and fur was now on another level. You truly appreciate the make-up design. What we once trashed now truly is appreciated. "

I’ve been thinking about this, too. How the make-up onstage so much better communicated who these characters are. How the actors could so easily and effectively emote through the make-up whereas the CGI feels like a roadblock.

I’ve also been thinking about quotes from the creatives where they attempted giving the performers more cat-like features like cat noses but pulled back because audiences want to see the performers’ faces. I guess maybe that’s true for a song like Memory, but why should the starry cast of Cats be any different than the A-list cast of a Pixar or Dreamworks movie where the actors very rarely resemble the characters they’re playing? Even in the world of mo-cap movies, Robert Zemeckis’ characters usually share some or most of the features of the actors who are playing them but they aren’t always complete clones, either.

I can’t help but think the film would have been much better off to have used a combination of practical make-up and fur costumes with CGI effects. Imagine Napier’s cats with cat noses that could crinkle or mouths that opened like actual cats. Would have conquered the uncanny valley? Maybe not but if they had looked more cat-like and a little less human the effect might have been just a little less unsettling.

And the human feet were strange too. I thought for sure they’d give them cat paws for their feet... It’s like Donald Duck— I accept that his hands are not like wings because he needs to be able to articulate with them, but his feet are not so important! Imagine Donald Duck with human feet and it’s fairly unsettling too. Or at the very least, they could have given all the characters shoes to wear, which is an easier pill to swallow than human feet on furry felines!

Gosh it was all so weird! I can’t get it out of my head.

Updated On: 12/22/19 at 03:52 AM

morosco said: "How will one know if they are seeing the re-released version? Will the ads change from "Now and forever" to "New and improved fur"?"

After Tuesday, EVERY movie house will be playing the new version. Today Sunday is its debut and for theatres that couldn’t download it their hardcopy arrives Tuesday.

All I have to say is: When Judi Dench spreads her legs and points one high in the sky because of Ian McKellen... I had a moment of serenity that cannot be described. . A kindness. A joy. It washed over me. I couldn't shake the feeling that Old Deuteronomy? That cat? That cat was me.