CapnHook's thoughts on the movie musical NINE

[CapnHook]

CapnHook's thoughts on the movie musical NINE#1

Posted: 12/25/09 at 10:25pm

(Yes, I am aware there are existing threads discussing the topic. I am prepared for snarky comments questioning the need for my own thread.)

THIS FILM WAS WRETCHED. I was thoroughly disappointed.

I saw a minimalist production of NINE last year at the Southeastern Theatre Conference community theatre festival. It won first place. They cut the show down to less than 60 minutes. At the end, I was in a mess of tears. It presented the heart and soul of the story with incredible acting and little production elements. It was a gem. Perfection.

That is ALL I know about the show. I am only familiar with the songs they left in that production. Regarding the film, I do not know what songs were added or cut except that "Cinema Italiano" is new and "Getting Tall" was cut.

The film left me emotionless. I didn't sympathize with Guido. I didn't care if he made his movie or not. The only thing I cared about was Marion Coltiard's character. And we never know if she finds happiness.

The individual numbers were OK. "Be Italian" was the best staged production number I have seen in recent movie musical history.

I don't know what the point of the film was. The ending could have made a statement but the film didn't set the ending up for what it could have been.

The film also looks and feels way too contemporary. It's too sharp. The colors don't seem right. The music is also too contemporary-sounding.

And one final thing to nit-pick, during the dinner scene where Guido's wife has a solo song...she stands up from the table and everyone else is frozen. The cigarette of Judi Dench's is emitting smoke while everything else remains still, except for his wife. If it's intentional, I don't understand why. It was distracting and contrasted to the device.

Those are all the stand-out thoughts I can remember after seeing the film.

What a disappointing evening.

"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle

[ljay889]

re: CapnHook's thoughts on the movie musical NINE#2

Posted: 12/25/09 at 10:26pm

Did you REALLY need to make your own thread?

[BrodyFosse123]

re: CapnHook's thoughts on the movie musical NINE#2

Posted: 12/25/09 at 10:44pm

Seen the film twice already. I. Loved. It. Saw the original 1982 and the 2003 Broadway productions. Loved them. Love Fellini's OTTO E MEZZO. Love the NINE score. Again... I loved Rob Marshall's film. I still cried at the end this 2nd time around.

[MusicSnob1]

re: CapnHook's thoughts on the movie musical NINE#3

Posted: 12/25/09 at 10:46pm

The fact that you're "prepared" means that you actually spent the time deciding between sensibility and self-indulgence.

Congrats, CapnHooker. Love you!

When I think about you, I touch myself.

[TimesSquareRegular]

re: CapnHook's thoughts on the movie musical NINE#4

Posted: 12/25/09 at 10:48pm

I think I'm even more confused than you ..... the film was "wretched", but "the individual numbers were OK", and one of 'em was "the best staged production number in recent movie musical history". You have a strange definition of wretched.....

The colors seemed right to me, and the music did not strike me as "too contemporary sounding". While many many movie critics found fault with the film, I don't recall either of those being issues any of them raised.

But hey, I guess your expertise on the substance and concept of the award-winning musical, and the film, is based on your having seen a "less than 60 minutes" amateur production.

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[CapnHook]

re: CapnHook's thoughts on the movie musical NINE#5

Posted: 12/25/09 at 10:58pm

Absolutely not. It's to say that a 60-minute scaled down production of the show moved me more than this big-budget high-profile star-studded production.

Snob, Merry Christmas!

"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle

[adamgreer]

re: CapnHook's thoughts on the movie musical NINE#6

Posted: 12/25/09 at 11:02pm

I didn't sympathize with Guido.

I've never seen the show onstage, only the film, but the film makes a very conscious decision for you to NOT sympathize with Guido, but with the women. You're not supposed to sympathize with Guido.

[Mr Roxy]

re: CapnHook's thoughts on the movie musical NINE#7

Posted: 12/25/09 at 11:07pm

Having seen the revival,I cannot get past the fact that 75 % of the score has been cut. If I had not seen the show that would be one thing but I would know what is gone now having seen the show. Add to that, some of the reviews have been brutal.

I will watch it on Netflix when it shows up. Sorry but this is my opinion .

Poster Emeritus

[Jane2]

re: CapnHook's thoughts on the movie musical NINE#8

Posted: 12/25/09 at 11:15pm

Needless thread or not, I totally agree with capnhook.

this film was nothing. Mild entertainment at best. I didn't care about any of the characters. Why would I? There was no character development.

For me, this was a string of production numbers, and only a couple of them were good.

I saw this right before I saw Crazy Heart. Talk about going from one extreme to another. Lousy film, then superb film.

<-----I'M TOTES ROLLING MY EYES

[Kad]

re: CapnHook's thoughts on the movie musical NINE#9

Posted: 12/25/09 at 11:21pm

"Absolutely not. It's to say that a 60-minute scaled down production of the show moved me more than this big-budget high-profile star-studded production."

Is it not possible that that questionable production pruned the musical down into something it most likely isn't? I mean, the stage production is more than twice that length. And doesn't have a clear-cut plot. Cuttings like that often forcibly change shows into something they aren't, or something that they weren't intended to be, or simply misrepresent them.

And if you're focusing on Judi Dench's cigarette smoke in that scene as opposed to Marion Cotillard's stellar performance, I don't know what to say. Also, Daniel Day-Lewis is not actually frozen in that sequence.

"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."

[romgitsean]

re: CapnHook's thoughts on the movie musical NINE#10

Posted: 12/26/09 at 3:39am

I never liked Nine to begin with. Figures.

Recent Broadway and Off-Broadway:: Carrie, Merrily, Ionescopade
Next On The List :: Clybourne Park, Once, Streetcar, BOM

[winston89]

re: CapnHook's thoughts on the movie musical NINE#11

Posted: 12/26/09 at 7:34am

I took a special trip from Long Island to the Ziegfeld Theatre to see this movie. Having seen Mamma Mia and Sweeney Todd at the same theatre I though it would be fun to see another movie musical there. However, I wasn't expecting to feel like I wasted a trip into the city.

I felt that the movie gave us a main character who we are supposed to feel sorry for, yet, he has gone and dug himself into a hole. It was almost painful to continue to sit there and watch the character of Guido make one painful mistake after another. The only thing that kept me from walking out was that I really enjoyed the score. However, I still don't think that this was a good idea for the musical to transfer to the screen.

"If you try to shag my husband while I am still alive, I will shove the art of motorcycle maintenance up your rancid little Cu**. That's a good dear" Tom Stoppard's Rock N Roll

[Jane2]

re: CapnHook's thoughts on the movie musical NINE#12

Posted: 12/26/09 at 12:20pm

"You're not supposed to sympathize with Guido."

You're supposed to at least see something attractive about him, some redeeming quality. You don't.

<-----I'M TOTES ROLLING MY EYES