#51
Posted: 5/18/06 at 11:35am
I don't loathe the Russell/Wood film as much as the authors do, but I think Roz' casting was a HUGE mistake. She acts the role fine, but the score DEMANDS a strong singer. And since so much of Rose is delivered through those songs, neither Roz's attempts or Lisa Kirk's disembodied vocals come close to making it work. Every time Roz opens her mouth to sing, the film just stops dead.
As for the TV version: Midler is the first to admit she can be a handful, especially if she gets scared that there is not someone strong in charge. It was just a sad state of affairs that Emile Ardolino (who also directed "Dirty Dancing") was so sick at the time that Bette didn't feel she had a strong director helping guide the performance -- so she just pushed along through sheer will and it shows in her performance. She totally "gets" the role when singing it (far more than Bernadette did, IMHO), but shows the need for a strong director in the scene work.
Also remember that since this was a TV movie, the budget was small, and shooting time was extremely limited. But it was a ratings bonanza when it premiered, and paved the way for the TV verions of BYE BYE BIRDIE, ANNIE and CINDERELLA.
After doing GYPSY, Midler was asked to to a TV version of MAME, to which she is supposed to have responded, "What do you want me to do? Remake every f****** musical ever made?"
We can only imagine what Judy Garland in her prime could have done with it.
As for the TV version: Midler is the first to admit she can be a handful, especially if she gets scared that there is not someone strong in charge. It was just a sad state of affairs that Emile Ardolino (who also directed "Dirty Dancing") was so sick at the time that Bette didn't feel she had a strong director helping guide the performance -- so she just pushed along through sheer will and it shows in her performance. She totally "gets" the role when singing it (far more than Bernadette did, IMHO), but shows the need for a strong director in the scene work.
Also remember that since this was a TV movie, the budget was small, and shooting time was extremely limited. But it was a ratings bonanza when it premiered, and paved the way for the TV verions of BYE BYE BIRDIE, ANNIE and CINDERELLA.
After doing GYPSY, Midler was asked to to a TV version of MAME, to which she is supposed to have responded, "What do you want me to do? Remake every f****** musical ever made?"
We can only imagine what Judy Garland in her prime could have done with it.
