Sondheim Talks FOLLIES Movie Musical- Page 8

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 12/6/08 at 2:54pm

The reason people laughed at "Family" was because Bill Condon kept apologizing for making a musical scene, you almost expected him to pop up in the movie telling the audience "I'm sorry for not finding a concept for this one number." I love the film DREAMGIRLS but it is ridiculous that the first book song that's not performed with any concept was about 30-45 minutes into the movie. That's why people laughed.
Nobody laughed at the unabashed musical scenes in SWEENEY TODD and I saw it twice at the theatre, nobody laughed in ENCHANTED or MAMMA MIA when people sang, I think with a good director who is NOT apologetic about the movie being a musical, it would definitely work.

[logan0215]

Posted: 12/6/08 at 2:56pm

You're correct ljay (edit: And ray), but in Sweeney there was action to be done during the songs.

How could one possibly justify "Broadway Baby" or "One More Kiss" other than having someone standing on a stage performing them? A lame montage of a younger version of the actress "pounding 42nd street" to go along with the song?

Updated On: 12/6/08 at 02:56 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/6/08 at 3:02pm

I think the LOVELAND sequence is going to be the hardest part to transfer to film. 6 songs sung on a stage, one right after the other. But the song LOVELAND could potentially be really fascinating on film.
Updated On: 12/6/08 at 03:02 PM

[explorer]

Posted: 12/6/08 at 3:05pm

You know who will be great as Carlotta...Dame Shirley Bassey!!

[logan0215]

Posted: 12/6/08 at 3:25pm

As well as Rain on the Roof, Ah, Paris!, Broadway Baby, ljay.

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/6/08 at 3:52pm

But that sequence can be truncated. LOVELAND is very important.

[logan0215]

Posted: 12/6/08 at 3:57pm

Right, but I believe that truncating may happen to a good majority of the songs in the film and we may be left with something that looks vastly different than what we've come to love about the show.

[madbrian]

Posted: 12/6/08 at 4:32pm

I'm generally not a big fan of his, but Jason Alexander might work as Buddy.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 12/6/08 at 4:44pm

Ugh, I can't stand Jason Alexander. Please no.

[explorer]

Posted: 12/6/08 at 5:07pm

So correct! Bassey would be great in those roles as well.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/7/08 at 1:23am

How could one possibly justify "Broadway Baby" or "One More Kiss" other than having someone standing on a stage performing them?

As it was originally written. In their memories. They're not really performing the numbers in the show.

People cause movies about flying bat men to gross billions of dollars, but have a bunch of middle aged women start singing and it's the most preposterous thing you've ever heard of.

The (alleged) movie will hardly be a huge financial success (but find a director a bunch of people are clamoring the work for and they'll do it for scale. Except Eddie Murphy, of course), but like the original, I think it could be the kind of movie that is stunningly beautiful and bizarre.

And to whichever Debbie downer (I know it was logan, but I don't feel like losing the second of my life to check), Nicole who? Where did that come from?

Right, but I believe that truncating may happen to a good majority of the songs in the film and we may be left with something that looks vastly different than what we've come to love about the show.

Like Dreamgirls, which is kind of a failure when you look at it in relation to the stage show. It's just as long as the show with half the music (much like Rent). Condon filled it with extraneous and useless extra information and came all over himself trying to make it about the Supremes.

But whatever, I'm not a filmmaker, but there's got to be someone with the means who can be even half as imaginative I am about this coming off on film.

I should have gone to directing school, that seems clear.

And slam Vanessa Williams all you want, who has never denied using Botox and is at least one woman of her age who does overdo it, people on this board love the idea of her, so as long as we're talking hypothetical, how about offering your thoughts?

The Follies threads are sacred, dammit!

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/7/08 at 1:26am

I think Susan Sarandon, who really could make a transition into great character work, would be a hoot as Solange.

[logan0215]

Posted: 12/7/08 at 2:20am

As it was originally written. In their memories. They're not really performing the numbers in the show.

So are you suggesting having their younger selves perform it? The songs in the show are supposed to mirror the songs they performed in the Follies however many years prior, so I don't really understand what you're suggesting.

I of course know who "Nicole" is, so wasn't me.

As for the truncation, you're saying that the truncation of Dreamgirls caused it to be a failure, so why wouldn't the same apply here? If it serves as any example then they would remove all of the above listed songs and put in scenes further exploring the lives of the two couples which could be just as boring.

I'm a fan of Vanessa's and of Ugly Betty, but I think that her talents for mugging at the camera and wearing couture are best fit there. Regardless of her admittance of Botox I can't agree that she hasn't "overdone it." Comparing her in "Soul Food" to today, one can clearly see the lack of ability to emote via facial movement.



As for my "thoughts," I was totally for this when I began posting in the thread, but with further thought it just feels like everyone is casting their dream cast for what could be a stellar production of concert version of the show. I feel like the show itself has some amazing songs that advance the plot and could be part of a gorgeous movie musical, but I wouldn't want to see it made just for those and to then lose some of the other gems that just wouldn't transfer to film.

------------------------------------------------

Looks like Susan has already practiced the accent:

Rugrats in Paris: The Movie - Rugrats II (2000) (voice) .... Coco LaBouche

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/7/08 at 2:32am

After I saw her in Enchanted, I thought, "She's Solange!"

As it was originally written. In their memories. They're not really performing the numbers in the show.

So are you suggesting having their younger selves perform it? The songs in the show are supposed to mirror the songs they performed in the Follies however many years prior, so I don't really understand what you're suggesting.

No. The stage directions for the 1971 script do a really good job to paint the mood. The older characters perform those songs, but they aren't performing them for the people at the party. They are sort of in their own little world. Some people are more drawn to the supernatural aspects to the show than others, and I think that's an aspect that could be heightened for the film.

I get that film is about "realism," but I'd really like to see more mainstream directors take more chances.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/7/08 at 2:56am

You have to admit, that a Phyllis whose didn't move would probably work for the character. I really think that the role (with a few tweaks) would be so perfectly suited for her.

And yeah, she has her shtick on Ugly Betty, that show is all about shtick.

Well, everything is possible and nothing makes sense. Just because I believe Follies could be an incredible movie doesn't it mean it can or ever will. I think there was a much better movie to be made with Dreamgirls. Hairspray and Sweeney were truncated, but I thought they were their own animals and true and respectful of their roots.

But whatever, it's almost 2 am, and I love to wax poetic about Follies.

Sorry if I sounded bitchy a few posts back.

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 12/9/08 at 3:34am

"I still like the idea of Mary-Louise Parker as Phyllis in 2012, it'd be wonderful. Laura Linney as Sally."

Wonderful actresses, but can either of them sing?

Posted: 12/10/08 at 5:43am

Even with Sweeney what I found especially hard with the people watchign around me--was people not knowing to LISTEN to the songs like dialogue. Even those who like songs in movies sorta tune out and think it's time to focus on the visuals and et their popcorn and not care what's being said...

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 12/10/08 at 10:52am

Mr.Midwest, Phyllis was written for Alexis Smith, a movie star who was a non-singer. In fact, the reason Phyllis only has two solos (one of them being the really short, in terms of vocals, "Lucy and Jessie") is because of Smith's lack of singing ability. She just could really sell the numbers and inhabit the role. I think Parker would be able to handle the part. She can be quite sophisticated but she would be able to get through Phyllis' humble background.
I'm not sure if Laura Linney can sing, I can't think of any movie star with the ability to sing Sally as originally written though.

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 12/10/08 at 11:08am

I know Phyllis wasn't written for a great singer, but I think you should still cast someone who can at least sing a little bit.

Kim Basinger might be able to sing Sally. I don't think she's an incredible actress, but she's nothing if not fragile.

Updated On: 12/10/08 at 11:08 AM

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/10/08 at 11:27am

Phyllis WILL be Vanessa Williams. She WILL!

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 12/10/08 at 11:43am

Ugh, Kim Basinger. Can't stand her.
You do have a point though, Donna Murphy's Phyllis was pretty great in part because of her vocals.
I do like the idea of Vanessa Williams as Phyllis, Phyllis

[wickedfan]

Posted: 12/10/08 at 12:07pm

logan-You haven't been listening to ray at all. There are parts of Dreamgirls that are incredible. But as a whole, and in the genre of a movie musical, it fails. This is because Condon didn't trust the fact THAT it was a movie musical. When he took out material, it's not like he took out a verse of a song to make it shorter, and thus it didn't work. And it's not because he couldn't find a way to make the performance numbers interesting. It's because he took out all singing dialogue from the original script until 30-40 minutes into the movie. By that time, we were only used to people singing on stage. When Jennifer Hudson began to sing in the dressing room, it was jarring. And pretty much laughable. Condon should have introduced singing dialogue during the beginning of "Cadillac Car" at the LATEST.

If songs are truncated in Follies, it won't ruin the movie. I'm also confused as to why you are concerned about the performance numbers. Those are usually the easiest to film because they are the ones that can be easily accepted by an audience. You don't have to justify the number with any actions. It's already justified because it's a performance. It doesn't take much to make a performance number on film entertaining. That said, on film, songs like "Broadway Baby" could become tedious, so not only will there likely be trimming of that number, it will probably be warmly welcomed.

[Jay94]

Posted: 8/26/11 at 7:51am

Apparently Aaron Sorkin is writing the screenplay
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1172993/

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 8/26/11 at 8:53am

THe Loveland sequence could work in the movies - to the extent a movie of Follies could work which subsumes the extent that Follies works at all - in a Ken Russell kind of way. In fact, when I think of a Follies movie, I think of it, at best, as a kind of homage to both The Boyfriend and Tommy with a little Busby Berkley thrown in and a screenplay which finally puts some flesh onto the score.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 8/26/11 at 8:59am

And it would most certainly need an intermission.