Video analysis: Miscast Mame — Angela Lansbury vs. Lucille Ball — Page 2

So, like, ummmm...how would someone get their hands on this revival tape?

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This is enjoyable, but does anyone really think this guy's commentary reveals much? All of his strained discourse about specificity of movement and gesture ignores both choreography and direction, (size of ) stage vs. screen. And the real problem with the Ball "It's Today!" doesn't have bupkus to do with gesticulation. She can't sing it, period. What she does with body placement and focus becomes irrelevant. This is presented as some sort of musical theater/casting thesis, but these two woman have little in common, and the final revelation, that personality doesn't translate into character work is not exactly fresh. Still, nice to see the 83 Lansbury Mame (which I saw, lost in a cave called the Gershwin.)

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Updated On: 8/30/14 at 11:14 AM

I agree with him kind of on this one (though I can never forgive him for hating HELLO, DOLLY!) but I think that in order to find criticism he only watched 2 scenes from both the movie and the musical and found his meager criticisms in those, instead of properly watching both (but can you blame him? The Mame movie is terrible!) and making his criticisms from that.

Yeah, watching this kid's other videos I don't think he's nearly as insightful and clever as he thinks he is. He will look back on these videos one day and cringe.

I used to host a show tunes radio show in Boston when I was in college. I thought every opinion to come out of my mouth was a gem. When I hear the tapes now I'm rather mortified.

I agree. his ANNIE video is filled with ridiculous things all stemming from the fact that he hates ANNIE. Which he admits right up front. So then WHY make a video about it?!? And then he never really delves in deep to explain why. Just makes pithy little comments along the way that he thinks are funny. They're not. And his HELLO, DOLLY video proves he's kind of an idiot... His first two main points (that Dolly didn't have luggage so couldn't have changed clothes and that Horace didn't hear the singing on the train) are bull-crap as he obviously paid NO attention to the movie or he would have had his answers to these questions. (I left a comment on it to enlighten him.) He could be funny, if he didn't think he was so funny and was desperately trying to prove it like in his INTO THE WOODS Minute Musical. At that point I had to quit watching.

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I've never done a video on a musical I didn't like.

Don't worry, I don't think I'm "nearly as insightful and clever as I think I am" either. :)

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Updated On: 8/31/14 at 09:00 AM

brilliantly done i thought...but we all knew that ANGELA was waaaaaay better than LUCY...

OH, *cough cough* well. I'm sorry Mash, I should have considered you might see that. It was impolite of me to put it that way.

I love that you have an appreciation of musicals. You definitely have some great insights that I never would have thought of. And you are funny. And cute in a Bam Margera sort of way. But I think some of your observations show a misunderstanding of the genre. The whole "why are they dancing?" thing is a bit strange to me.

That said, keep doin' 'em. I think you'll get better and better. And, as I said, when I was your age my opinions were broadcast to thousands of Bostonians on Saturday mornings and I'm pretty mortified looking back.

Again, I do apologize.

Updated On: 8/31/14 at 01:51 PM

No worries!

I really do mean it when I say I've never done a video on a musical I didn't like (yes, even Annie). I'm very excited to have spurred such lively discussion about a movie made forty years ago. It's always exciting to discover other people who care as much about these things as I do.

Also, I'm of the philosophy that "critique" and "dislike" are two very separate things. Often, the things we like the most, are the things we critique the harshest.

P.S. I am Bam Margera. For the record.

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^And the musical version opened in 1977.

Aha. That was unclear.

^LOL