Streep's new song reportedly cut from final film

[StageManager2]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 10:10am

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/194515-New-Stephen-Sondheim-Song-Penned-for-Meryl-Streep-Cut-From-Final-Version-of-Into-the-Woods-Film

[dreaming]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 10:13am

Good. The less I hear of her singing, the better.

[HighFlyingAdored97]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 10:18am

^ I was about to say the same thing, dreaming.

[Showface]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 10:18am

Meryl Streep reportedly sounds great, and from the little bit of audio we heard, it's obvious that she does.

Now, this is one advantage of the cut. The song was supposed to be the song the Witch sings after Rapunzel runs away from her (replacing Lament). But, since that song is cut now, they may be adding Rapunzel's death back in!

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 10:23am

there goes Sondheims chance at a second Oscar.

[skylight2]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 10:24am

maybe he'll get nominated for the other new song.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 10:25am

I've had it right up to here with director's cuts and special editions and bonus footage.

[Showface]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 10:26am

There is no "second new song". That was just a rumour. Also, they can still play Meryl's song over the credits (which would still make it eligible for an Oscar). Also, it's possible RAPUNZEL WILL DIE!!!

[beautywickedlover]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 10:32am

Maybe they decided to add Rapunzel's death during the re-shoots last month. The new song being cut is disappointing, but hopefully it will play during the credits.

[PianoMann]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 10:32am

I would love to know whether the song was cut because a) Sondheim and team were dissatisfied with the song, Meryl's performance, integration into the film and / or b) they've changed the direction of the film regarding Rapunzel.

[LALALand]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 10:33am

Showface- I believe the Academy changed the rules on that. The song has to be used in the film as part of a scene.

[Showface]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 10:34am

Apparently Meryl's performace was awesome, and if I recall correctly, it was written for her, so it was tailored to fit her voice.

[Showface]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 10:35am

@Lalaland

Oh, I did not know that, I was just going by what BWW posted, (but we all no they are inaccurate a lot of times)

[skylight2]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 10:55am

LOL let's not get ahead ourselves and call Meryl's performance awesome. I'm expecting it to be borderline awful like Doubt.

[cknick]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 11:06am

skylight2, what did you not like about her performance in Doubt? I am genuinely interested, so please give specifics.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 11:06am

The article says

While the song has been cut from the film itself, there is no word yet if the new tune will still appear played over the film credits, which would indeed make it eligible for a Best New Song Oscar.

But that's incorrect. If it's not in the film before the credits, it won't be eligible.

[Brick]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 11:06am

I think it's safe to say the song was cut for storytelling or time reasons, and not Meryl's performance. Some here may not like her singing voice, but they wouldn't have cast her in the first place. Marshall and Sondheim did.

We already know "act 2" was considerably rewritten for the film, as it should be and as most musicals are. I imagine this was cut for the same reason we no "No More" was cut: to keep the story going.

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 11:08am

Rainbows sounded so unappealing anyway :P

[StageManager2]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 11:09am

LALALand & Showface & Phyllis Rogers Stone, an end credits song can be eligible, as long as it's the first music cue when the closing credits begin (i.e. the first song that plays once the screen fades to black).

Two years ago, there was a minor outcry when Madonna's "Masterpiece" for the film W./E. was deemed ineligible, but "Masterpiece" (although an original song written specifically for the film) isn't featured in the context of the film itself and also happens to be the second song featured during the movie's closing crawl. The first being a continuation of composer Abel Korzeniowski's score.

Updated On: 8/14/14 at 11:09 AM

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 11:11am

"We've been incredibly faithful to the original," says the director

I would be very skeptical. Chris Columbus said something very similar about ReNt. And Bill Condon had said only one song was cut from Dreamgirls, which was technically true, but a gross oversimplification of what was done to that score.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 11:11am

Wait. Is "Rainbows" still in? And if so, will it be deemed "new," since it was written 20 years ago?

[followspot]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 11:12am

^^ Correct.

The Academy rule in question:
An original song consists of words and music, both of which are original and written specifically for the motion picture. There must be a clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition (not necessarily visually presented) of both lyric and melody, used in the body of the motion picture or as the first music cue in the end credits.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 11:12am

From the Academy's website:

To be eligible, a song must consist of words and music, both of which are original and written specifically for the film. A clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition of both lyric and melody must be used in the body of the film or as the first music cue in the end credits.

http://www.oscars.org/press/pressreleases/2013/20131216.html

[Mrtrobz]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 11:12am

This is typical Rob marshall, however hopefully this means Rapunzel's death will be added back into the film through the reshoots.

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 11:15am

I'm actually not surprised and/or kinda glad to hear this.

When I read the leaked script, the Witch already sings the first part of the Lament. They cut the second part to segue into the new song, and when I was reading it, my first thought was "that's an awful lot of singing about someone who just left with nothing else happening." And all it said was "new song for the witch," or something like that.

I'm hoping they either put Rapunzel's death back in (but then would they also add back the dialogue when the Witch rants about it in front of the others?).

Or I'm hoping you can get enough of the witch's loss from the part she initially sings along with Meryl's acting.

In either case, it would certainly pick up the pace for that section of the story.

I'm also not a fan of the added song in Les Mis. It adds nothing from the story that you can't get by watching the actors on screen. It "indicates" way too much. You can see everything in their faces.

("We had faces then ... we didn't need dialogue.")