Caroline or Change the Movie

[broadwaystar2b]

Posted: 6/19/04 at 2:01pm

I was on the HBO website today and saw Caroline or Change listed under their films. I think they might be doing a type thing like when Broadway's Our Town was on Showtime.

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 6/19/04 at 2:02pm

I wish they would do it for Assassins also. Especially since it has a limited run.

[BroadwayBound06]

Posted: 6/19/04 at 2:03pm

I think HBO just owns Kushner now

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 6/19/04 at 2:04pm

Or maybe Kushner 'owns' HBO, you never know.

[Corine2]

Posted: 6/19/04 at 2:04pm

That is great news. It can bring theater to people outside of Manhattan.
But theater is much better live!

[Matt_G]

Posted: 6/19/04 at 2:05pm

Whoa Whoa Whoa, wait a second! I'm at work now and can't look that site up for some reason. Can someone tell me for sure if they plan to air this?????

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 6/19/04 at 2:10pm

I believe HBO is one of the producers of the show. I would not be surprised if they film it, but this is really just an ad for the Broadway production right now.



http://www.hbo.com/carolineorchange/?ntrack_para1=leftnav_category4_show2http://www.hbo.com/carolineorchange/?ntrack_para1=leftnav_category4_show2>http://www.hbo.com/carolineorchange/?ntrack_para1=leftnav_category4_show2

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 6/19/04 at 2:12pm

Actually, I think it is listed on the HBO site because, according to the website "HBO Films and an unprecedented alliance of producers have brought CAROLINE, OR CHANGE to Broadway..." It doesnt look like they're planning on filming it. Just giving C, or C publicity, since they are producers for it.

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 6/19/04 at 2:13pm

Sorry for redundancy (sp?), I was typing it as Sueleen was posting and didnt see her post before i sent mine.

[Menken Fan]

Posted: 6/19/04 at 2:13pm

I don't think any plans for a movie have been announced. HBO Films is part of The Caroline Company, the producers of the Broadway production. That's why it's on the HBO Films website.

But, considering the relationship, I would think a movie isn't out of the question.

[Matt_G]

Posted: 6/19/04 at 2:14pm

That's what I was afraid of. Because God forbid, Americans who can't get out to New York City should be able to see this or any other show.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 6/19/04 at 2:34pm

They haven't filmed it, yet and it's not clear whether they're going to. HBO is one of the 20 or so producers of the show on Broadway and is helping to promote it -- there's a great "Buzz Clip" of the show with interviews, opening night reactions from celebs and scenes from the show on HBO.com.

While I remember some talk a few months ago about HBO possibly filming it for broadcast -- back when there was so much buzz around Kushner and their "Angels in America" film -- my guess is that their interest cooled a bit when Caroline didn't snag the Pulitzer or the Tony. They originally came on board I think to get in on the ground floor of what then looked to potentially be another "Angels" (and as a favor to Kushner).

I suppose there's a chance HBO may still go ahead and film it at the end of the Broadway run -- the show has limited touring potential and I know that Kushner wants it preserved. It's a rather expensive proposition (the filming itself will cost hundreds of thousands, plus Equity releases for the cast, subsidiary rights etc... will have to be negotiated), but, it if a deal can be worked out, it could possibly happen.

[bythesword84]

Posted: 6/19/04 at 2:46pm

I'd pretty much rather they filmed any show other than that one, but no one asked my opinion.

[Matt_G]

Posted: 6/19/04 at 2:48pm

Well every show should be filmed so the public can see them. But nobody asked my opinion, either.

[BroadwayBound06]

Posted: 6/19/04 at 2:51pm

They should film shows and not make shows films

[Matt_G]

Posted: 6/19/04 at 2:55pm

well, I'm not sure if I completely agree with that. Movie versions of musicals and plays bring audiences to live theater so I think that they are important.

[beacon1]

Posted: 6/19/04 at 3:05pm

Well...if filmed it should be a film of the stage production, don't you think. I mean...do you think it could be transformed into a screen production the way "Angels in America" was...

And, I do LOVE my AIA. :o)

[Matt_G]

Posted: 6/19/04 at 3:07pm

No, I was saying that these should all be filmed onstage and released that way.

[~FloweryFriend~]

Posted: 6/19/04 at 3:26pm

Wow.
My name is Aiea.
I was just very confused by the AIA comments, as I was skimming down.
Don't do that to me.

~ff~

[beacon1]

Posted: 6/19/04 at 3:30pm

Sorry, Flowery Friend. I have a penchant for shorthand when I'm multi-tasking (my oven buzzer was announcing the lasagne was done, the buzzer rang on the dryer and I was checking office VM.)

I know...slow down...its the weekend! :o)

By the way, that is a lovely name! Do you mind if I ask it's origin/derivation?

Updated On: 6/19/04 at 03:30 PM

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 6/19/04 at 3:36pm

While there was certainly some terrific stuff in the Nichols film of AIA, it doesn't compare to original Broadway production. The film lacked the energy, the power, the electricity and, especially, the humor of Wolfe's production (AIA is very often hysterically funny, but you'd never know it from the film version). And blasphemous as it is to say, with the exception of Pacino and perhaps Wilson, the original stage actors all gave superior performances to their film counterparts (Streep is one of my all-time favorite actors, but Kathleen Chalfant still owns the role of Hannah Pitt..... and Stephen Spinella IS Prior Walter).

There's a great Great Performances special from '93 on Millenium Approaches, with scenes of the original production, interviews with the cast, Wolfe and Kushner, and behind the scenes footage of them in rehearsal (Mantello, Wright, Grant; Marcia Gay Harden is just heartreaking), along with background footage of Reagan, ACT UP, and Roy Cohn that gives context to the play. It's criminal they never filmed the entire production for PBS, so everyone could have gotten to see the true genius of the play which I don't think was entirely captured in the film version.

[~FloweryFriend~]

Posted: 6/19/04 at 3:45pm

Thanks beacon.

Technically, it's a nick-name.
But everyone at school calls me Aiea.

It's Hawaiian, I've learned.
(which is why NuggetMonkeys calls me a Hawaiian Goddess)
But I got it because I couldn't say my name as a child.
I tripped over the consonants, so I removed them.
And it came out sounding like Eye-yuh.
Also, I was a very creative speller as a child.
And I noticed the vowels in the word "Thailand"
Ai-e-a
It made sense to me.
(I was a geek, even as a child.)

~ff~

[Matt_G]

Posted: 6/19/04 at 4:02pm

I just emailed HBO about what they plan to do, so I'll post it here if/when I hear back from them.

[beacon1]

Posted: 6/19/04 at 4:03pm

Omigosh,

I never heard about the 1993 PS Special...given the popularity of the HBO film and the current political climate...do you think they would ever re-air it?

[Matt_G]

Posted: 6/19/04 at 4:06pm

It was a great show. It has some fantastic clips of AIA, but PBS should have been aired the entire production. I doubt they will ever air this special again, though. When it comes to these things PBS usually only airs them once.