From Here to Eternity Movie

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/25/14 at 12:16pm

Is this worth seeing? Never seen a show via movie theater before, but I'm kind of into this. I have a deep seeded love for the 80/90s pop opera sound.

[Wildcard]

Posted: 10/2/14 at 1:24pm

Since my BWW is surrounded by ads for the film, I went ahead and got my tickets for tonight

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 10/2/14 at 1:40pm

I'm seeing it on Sunday and in prep, watched the film which I haven't seen in decades. About the only thing that sings to me is the central love story. Donna Reed has a nice speech toward the end about being a proper woman that could make for a good song, and there's an opportunity for a rollicking bar room number. I'm eager to see how they adapted it. It got middling notices in London. It's a story where you see everything coming from a mile away so creating a sense of urgency is going to be tricky.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/2/14 at 1:48pm

I just always hate musicals taped for the screen because you never get a sense of the whole design. Or get to see how the scene changes work.

[tazber]

Posted: 10/2/14 at 1:50pm

I'm going to wait for the dvd on this one.

(It's up for pre-order at amazon.uk if anyone's interested. It's region free)

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 10/2/14 at 2:13pm

RippedMan, I don't go for the scene changes. I go to see what kind of a musical they've created. But if you are, perhaps, a set designer, I can appreciate your frustration.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 10/2/14 at 2:19pm

Thanks for letting us know Tazber

[SweetLips]

Posted: 10/2/14 at 3:23pm

Even though I go to these stage to screen shows I am always frustrated that the camera is not always where I want to look.
Have the same problem with porno--maybe I should have been a Director !!

[goldenboy]

Posted: 10/3/14 at 12:13am

I was all ready to go. Then i viewed the trailer of one of the songs. I decided to pass. Let me know how it is.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/3/14 at 1:22am

I understand that, Wilmington, but the point of seeing theater is that you take in the overall look. When it's filmed they try to force it into a movie type format. It's not built like that. If you're seated in the front Mezz you're seeing the whole picture all the time.

[Almira]

Posted: 10/3/14 at 9:00am

On a whim I decided to stop by on my way home from work to catch the screening.

I was the only one in the movie theatre, so I didn't feel ackward when I walked out 30 minutes into it.

B-A-D

Grating score, flavorless lyrics, clunky book...

Save your $$$ and time.

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 10/3/14 at 9:27am

Had tickets, but my girlfriend wasn’t feeling well, so we ended up not going. Had some family members who did go and called during intermission, telling us that it was laughably bad. The plot they were describing sounded horrendous, they said the acting felt like it was straight out of community theatre, and they were only staying for the second half because it was so bad, it became funny. They were also the only ones in their theatre.

Is this really aiming for Broadway in 2015? The ads I see here on BWW all say that, but I don’t remember hearing much about it.

[tazber]

Posted: 10/3/14 at 9:31am

How can someone complain about the plot? It's an Oscar winning story.

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 10/3/14 at 9:37am

It sounded like it was more the structure of it and what was actually shown/not shown in the musical. They talked about how suddenly, relationships were established and characters seemed like different people, but the audience didn’t get to see any of that change or development - more that the audience was just expected to accept these things as is.

[tazber]

Posted: 10/3/14 at 9:49am

Man, I have not heard one good thing about this show.

Usually there's someone who can find something to praise, but not with this show.

[ggersten]

Posted: 10/3/14 at 10:00am

If the film was intended to raise awareness and anticipation for a Broadway opening...it may have failed if these anecdotal reports are indicative of a greater lack of interest.

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 10/3/14 at 11:30am

I was planning on seeing it but wasn't really expecting much.

Unfortunately the theater I thought was showing it was not, and there isn't even a screening in my city.

[Patty3]

Posted: 10/3/14 at 12:33pm

I'm just annoyed that this is being shown in US theaters and getting a Region Free DVD release and Billy Elliot is not! It's a WTF moment!!

Updated On: 10/3/14 at 12:33 PM

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 10/3/14 at 1:39pm

Billy Elliot will probably be released in the US. It's just going to come a month or two later like other UK releases. Relax.

[Wildcard]

Posted: 10/3/14 at 1:45pm

I thought the show was okay. I didn't think it was bad. I just didn't think it was "wow" either. I have never seen the film so I was surprised at how dark the story was. Apparently it was based more on the book than on the movie. Because of this darkness, it was hard to accept the two love stories as being believable. I can't imagine being attracted to Mrs. Holmes when she is anything but nice to Sgt. Warden. Lorene was a little bit more effervescent but the attraction was purely based on looks. The production design was very dark too. It was beautiful but dark and not reflective of its supposedly romantic setting. One might say that it was supposed to be dark because it was set during the war but this was not a story about the war. It was more about the two relationships, the harshness of the military and the treatment of homosexuals… the war was just incidental.

The leads were quite good performance wise but the material they had to work with was subpar. The tunes were good enough to convince me to download the cast album but they didn't really advance the story in the context of a musical. The nice thing about watching "From Here to Eternity' on screen was getting lost in Robert Lonsdale's eyes. That guy is dreamy though few of the show's stills seemed to have captured that quality.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 10/3/14 at 4:54pm

There is a question that needs to be asked by the creative staff of any adaptation. This includes writers, composers, directors, choreographers, producers.

"Can we tell the same story better?"

I didn't say differently. The addition of song and dance is different, but will it add to the impact of the work?

If the answer is in doubt, find another property.

See Big, Rocky, Young Frankenstein, and alas, From Here To Eternity.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/3/14 at 4:56pm

Enjoyed all 3 of the other properties mentioned.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/3/14 at 5:31pm

Good comment Mr Roxy. They were't implying good or bad just that the shows didn't improve upon the stories. Nor did the stories need the musical.

[tazber]

Posted: 10/3/14 at 5:55pm

How do they do the iconic beach scene?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 10/3/14 at 5:56pm

I'm still interested in seeing this, but I think I'll wait for the DVD since it will be about the same price as the ticket to watch it in the theater. I have listened to the score and I enjoy it for the most part. I am intrigued by the idea of going back to the original uncensored version of the novel and including some of the homosexual elements that were banned from the original published version and thus not included in the film. I don't think anyone should ever try to remake the film, although I'm sure Hollywood will eventually get a round to it, but I think utilizing those elements from the novel that were initially cut was the most interesting reason to adapt the property for a new medium. It just sounds like it wasn't executed as well as it could have been.