In most fantasies, there is at least one character who is grounded in real, honest emotions. Usually, the protagonist, but not always. Still it's like seeing a photo of a giant balloon with no frame of reference around it other than a solid blue sky. You can't tell how big or small it is. The assessment is thrown off unless there is something "down to scale" for comparison.
(Think about the giant ship of Titanic going across the screen in the movie. The only reason that shot has impact is because you see the tiny seagulls flying next to it, and then our minds understand the perspective. Otherwise, it could be 20 feet long or even less.)
The Baker and His Wife are the grounded characters in Into the Woods. Everyone else can be crazy and "out of proportion," but not them. They are the frame of reference for the audience to accept the others as larger-than-life.
Think about it:
Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz
Alice in Alice in Wonderland
Wendy in Peter Pan
Luke Skywalker in Star Wars
Frodo Baggins in Lord of the Rings
In Sweeney Todd, it's Anthony and (arguably) the Greek Chorus throughout the story. They provide the perspective.
Even satirical farces like "How To Succeed" need one grounded character (Rosemary) for perspective.
They are usually the heart and soul of the story. They can be surrounded by crazy, quirky, unrealistic characters or settings. But without them, audiences don't have their frame of reference, the impact will be lost without the juxtaposition, and ultimately, they will disconnect from what they're seeing.
Johnny Depp is a terrific actor, but is he willing to be the "normal" one (along with the Baker's Wife) in a room full of fairy-tale crazies? Or will the temptation to join in be too strong for him?
If he joins in, he will ruin this film.
(For some reason, I'm already picturing the first photo released to the public---a Chef-Boyardee-From-Hell Baker with green cat-eye contact lenses, bright blue hair, twirly red mustache, clown-white face, and toothy grin. That's the death knell, right there.)
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
Updated On: 4/27/13 at 09:51 AM
