Which Score Suffered Most When Turned Into A Movie
Which Score Suffered Most When Turned Into A Movie
Mr Roxy
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/17/03
#0Which Score Suffered Most When Turned Into A Movie
Posted: 4/12/06 at 7:11pmIt is a toss up between A Funny Thing & On A Clear day
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EganFan2
Broadway Star Joined: 9/8/04
#1re: Which Score Suffered Most When Turned Into A Movie
Posted: 4/13/06 at 9:20amI'd say Phantom. Two out of the three leads couldn't handle it.
#2re: Which Score Suffered Most When Turned Into A Movie
Posted: 4/13/06 at 9:56am
A Chorus Line. They cut Al & Christine's duet, "Sing!" 
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"I have also met him in person, and I find him to be quite funny actually. Arrogant and often misinformed, but still funny."
-bjh2114 (on Michael Riedel)
wildcat
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/04
#4re: Which Score Suffered Most When Turned Into A Movie
Posted: 4/13/06 at 10:00amI hate to say it because I LOVE the movie, but Little Shop of Horrors' score was BUTCHERED when it was turned into a film.
Hi, Shirley Temple Pudding.
FranklinShepard-Inc.
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/25/04
#5re: Which Score Suffered Most When Turned Into A Movie
Posted: 4/13/06 at 10:21amI agree with On the Town and A Funny Thing and would like to add "Annie" which was tremendously altered for the film version. And "Irma La Douce" where all of the songs were cut and only a few tunes were used for accompanying background music.
#6re: Which Score Suffered Most When Turned Into A Movie
Posted: 4/13/06 at 11:02am
Here are some brutal ones:
"Fanny" and "Irma La Douce" tossed out all the songs and used them as background music in non-musical films.
"The Gay Divorcee" (on film with Fred & Ginger) cut ALL the songs except "Night and Day," and they even changed its title from "The Gay Divorce" (too harsh a title for 1930's audiences).
But since you used the word "suffered" there are worse crimes than these. Some films have been successful and faithful to the intent of the original shows, despite major changes in the score (like "Cabaret" and "On the Town").
Here are a few that truly "suffered" with fatally bad decisions...
"Annie" --- because they cut several songs and replaced them with FAR WORSE ones, and because they cut the MAIN SONG IN THE SHOW "Tomorrow" and replaced it with "Dumb Dog." Annie only sings the reprise of Tomorrow in the White House. This basically killed the entire heart and message of the show. A truly idiotic move.
"Phantom"--- because every song and especially the recitative sections are painfully under-tempo, to the point of exasperation and ultimately disinterest... curiously, until you get to Masquerade, which is sped-up to the point of lunacy, as if we're watching and hearing it at the wrong speed. The musical director killed this film with his baffling tempos single-handedly, and Webber should have known better when they were in the pre-recording sessions. I've tried to watch the film a couple of times recently and I just... can't... get... through... the... slow... tempos. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
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#7re: Which Score Suffered Most When Turned Into A Movie
Posted: 4/13/06 at 12:07pmPhantom (which is not a favorite of mine to begin with) and A Chorus Line
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"I think every actor on the stage should have a shirt that says,'believe it or not-I'm doing my best.'" -Alan Rickman
mateo
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/8/06
#8re: Which Score Suffered Most When Turned Into A Movie
Posted: 4/13/06 at 12:20pm
A Chorus Line for sure... They cut half the show out and the parts they did keep, they changed. Not to mention all the BS they ADDED.
Thats a reamke that NEEDS to be done. I'll direct it.
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"I haven't left this building since Windows 3.1!"
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-E!'s "The Soup"
-Adam Shankman.
"I haven't left this building since Windows 3.1!"
"Celebrating a birthday this week: Rene Descartes is 412! Do you know who he is? Then why are you watching this show? You could probably get into college and even get one of those job things. As for the rest of us; Amanda Bynes is 22! Yay!"
-E!'s "The Soup"
#9re: Which Score Suffered Most When Turned Into A Movie
Posted: 4/13/06 at 2:41pm
Mame...with Lucille Ball
A little Night Music
Sweet Charity
And The Wiz, Godspell, Jesus Christ Superstar
Updated On: 4/13/06 at 02:41 PM
gumbo2
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/21/05
#10re: Which Score Suffered Most When Turned Into A Movie
Posted: 4/13/06 at 2:51pmAh yes, The Wiz. I don't even...it just...argh
#11re: Which Score Suffered Most When Turned Into A Movie
Posted: 4/13/06 at 2:54pm
The truly offending part of A Chorus Line isn't the score alteration though - it's that the dancing is shot FROM THE WAIST UP!
Morons.
Hi, Shirley Temple Pudding.
#12re: Which Score Suffered Most When Turned Into A Movie
Posted: 4/13/06 at 2:58pmA Chorus Line. What did they DO to it? There's just so much wrong that the butchering of the score is like, the least of its problems.
Danielm
Broadway Star Joined: 3/17/05
#13re: Which Score Suffered Most When Turned Into A Movie
Posted: 4/13/06 at 3:46pmWow, so many choices my first thought was On The Town, but then I remembered A Funny Thing, A Little Night Music, and A Chorus Line--I can't even watch those movies--at least On The Town has a good cast.
Yes, we do need a third vampire musical.--Little Sally, Gypsy of the Year 2005.
BrianWilsonFan
Featured Actor Joined: 1/3/06
#14re: Which Score Suffered Most When Turned Into A Movie
Posted: 4/13/06 at 4:18pmA Chorus Line. I thought my heart was going to break. That was the day i learned the meaning of the word disappointment.
mateo
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/8/06
#15re: Which Score Suffered Most When Turned Into A Movie
Posted: 4/13/06 at 4:30pm
Oh my god.. I forgot about The Wiz... The score to the original production is gorgeous. I am such a fan of 70's funk, groove, soul, and the blessed "wah-wah" pedal... the movie is just awful. What were they thinking.
The Wiz is in desperate need of a remake.
Although, I can hear people go... "The Wiz is a classic, you cant redo it.. Miss Ross is terrific, you cant replace her with a remake!"
B.S! those people obviously havent seen the original show. ^^
"Zac is sweet as can be. He's very much just a sweet kid from California who happens to have a face that looks like it was drawn by Michelangelo, (if Michelangelo did anime)."
-Adam Shankman.
"I haven't left this building since Windows 3.1!"
"Celebrating a birthday this week: Rene Descartes is 412! Do you know who he is? Then why are you watching this show? You could probably get into college and even get one of those job things. As for the rest of us; Amanda Bynes is 22! Yay!"
-E!'s "The Soup"
-Adam Shankman.
"I haven't left this building since Windows 3.1!"
"Celebrating a birthday this week: Rene Descartes is 412! Do you know who he is? Then why are you watching this show? You could probably get into college and even get one of those job things. As for the rest of us; Amanda Bynes is 22! Yay!"
-E!'s "The Soup"
AuditioningWaitress
Broadway Star Joined: 7/13/05
#16re: Which Score Suffered Most When Turned Into A Movie
Posted: 4/13/06 at 4:31pmI'm still upset to this day that ANNIE didn't contain "It's A Hard-Knock Life (Reprise)"....
#17re: Which Score Suffered Most When Turned Into A Movie
Posted: 4/13/06 at 4:37pmI can't believe the lack of "Man of la Mancha" mentions.
#18re: Which Score Suffered Most When Turned Into A Movie
Posted: 4/13/06 at 6:30pmThe score of Sweet Charity didn't suffer but the Audience did.
I Wish... Madeline Kahn could have played the Witch in Into the Woods. She would have rocked!
FoscasBohemianDream
Broadway Star Joined: 1/20/06
#19re: Which Score Suffered Most When Turned Into A Movie
Posted: 4/13/06 at 6:36pmWhat about the Babes in Arms film? I would consider the score from the show to be one of the scores that have suffered the most in its movie adaptation.
#20re: Which Score Suffered Most When Turned Into A Movie
Posted: 4/14/06 at 1:57pm
Phantom of the Opera
Chorus Line
Evita- they had to lower the key (an octave, I think) for Madonna and that killed it for me.
#21re: Which Score Suffered Most When Turned Into A Movie
Posted: 4/14/06 at 2:11pm
Other than all the aforementioned movies, another one that suffered was The Fantasticks. Adding in all of the new orchestrations to the songs really altered the overall intimate feeling of the show (if the movie itself didn't already do that). Also, El Gallo's vocals were pretty weak in the movie and they replaced the wonderful "It Depends on What You Pay" with the much blander "Abductions" (to please the P.C police).
Also..BTW there is no way they lowered the music in Evita by an octave ( 8 notes )for Madonna....if they did that her part would be lower than both Che and Juan Peron's (not to mention that the last note in "Buenos Aires" would then be lower than even most men could sing!) 
"You pile up enough tomorrows, and you'll find you are left with nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays. I don't know about you, but I'd like to make today worth remembering." --Harold Hill from The Music Man
FranklinShepard-Inc.
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/25/04
#22re: Which Score Suffered Most When Turned Into A Movie
Posted: 4/14/06 at 3:00pm
Hmm, gotta disagree about "The Fantasticks". It sure changed the mood a little. But not that much and I found the orchestrations highly enjoyable and none of the cast bad at all. I thought it was probably the only decent way to make a film of it. And yes, it wasn't successful as a movie but it worked for me.
And once more disagreeing on "Man of La Mancha". The movie itself isn't really strong but it wasn't the score who suffered here in the first place.
Agree with Babes in Armes and partly with Evita.
Though when I go through these lists I'm still glad they made the movies, may they be more or less bad. Better than not having anything at all from these shows on film.
MasterLcZ
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/12/03
#23re: Which Score Suffered Most When Turned Into A Movie
Posted: 4/14/06 at 3:14pm
BABES IN ARMS is particularly bad, because Garland could have really belted that Rogers and Hart score out like nobody else...though "I Wish I Were In Love Again" and "Johnny One-Note" in WORDS AND MUSIC are pretty good consolation prizes.
As a rule, ANY Cole Porter musical had its score sliced to nothing in translation, especially as Porter's Broadway scores were usually considered far too risque for Hollywood. SOMETHING FOR THE BOYS (1944) only has the title song and DuBARRY WAS A LADY (1943) only has "Do I Love You?" and a VERY cleaned up "Katie Went to Haiti" from the original Broadway score - the rest of these filmns had lesser new scores written for them by other composers.
KISS ME KATE was the only Porter show to translate with much of its original spirit, yet "Bianca" was cut, but in its place was "From This Moment On" (cut from the Broadway-bound OUT OF THIS WORLD) so it came out OK. 
"Christ, Bette Davis?!?!"
Updated On: 4/14/06 at 03:14 PM
#24re: Which Score Suffered Most When Turned Into A Movie
Posted: 4/14/06 at 3:15pmIt pisses me to watch How to Succeed (the movie) because they cut all of the female numbers out...what's up with THAT?
-Anyone want to turn anarchist with me?"Bless you and all who know you, oh wise and penguined one." ~YouWantItWhen????
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