movie musical boomlet

This has been an unprecedented year for movie musicals. HAIRSPRAY, SWEENEY TODD, ENCHANTED, ONCE, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, ROMANCE AND CIGARETTES--I'd also make a case for calling WALK HARD and AUGUST RUSH movie musicals. Also, we have the upcoming MAMMA MIA and NINE (hopefully.) That's a more prolific year than some years in the 1940s and 50s, the so-called "Golden Age" of movie musicals. Wheareas those movies were very similar, the releases this year were wildly, stylistically different, and almost all of them made great conversation pieces--each had passionate fans and detractors. You could like or dislike all the selections I've listed, but you couldn't really call any of them dull.

Almost all of the Broadway musicals which were hugely popular and/or marked significant cultural shifts have been filmed by now (although CHICAGO, DREAMGIRLS, and SWEENEY TODD took their sweet time.) What's left--maybe INTO THE WOODS, FOLLIES, and RAGTIME (long shot)? Unless someone is longing to see a big-screen CATS or STARLIGHT EXPRESS, that's all I can think of that would reasonably be produced. Maybe it's time to lay the genre to rest for another few years...

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I have a feeling we will hear about a film version of The Color Purple in about a year.

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I read something about a new film version of "Grey Gardens" being produced, but not the musical version.

Huh? Isn't that incredibly redundant?

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The Grey Gardens movie is not a duplication of the documentary, roquat. It covers their whole lives, mainly the period not covered by either the documentary or the musical. In other words, the stuff that happens between act I and II of the musical as well as some of what happens in the period after the documentary, including Little Edie's attempt at a cabaret act in NYC.

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Updated On: 12/28/07 at 10:15 PM

How about the EXTREMELY cinematic, Miss Saigon?

And I'd love to see Parade as a movie.

I have no problem whatsoever with the "boomlet" (I agree with best, I love that!) sweeping Hollywood. I can't begin to count the friends of mine who have a new or rekindled interest in Broadway because of the movie musicals being made lately. Whether or not they're perfectly produced is no issue -- as long as they're out there.

That being said, I don't think it's only the smash musicals that will be made into movies. Hollywood is on an ever-sloping decline of original material. Nowadays, most films appear to be sequels or comic book adaptations (and a large number of movies based on novels, which has always been prevalent but appears to be more widespread right now). Anywho, Broadway is the next great "discovery" in Hollywood, thus being why "Mamma Mia!" and "Sweeney" were on the fast track of production.

Within the next ten years, most Broadway musicals we've loved in the last five years will be produced on the silver screen.

Let's hope it actually goes somewhere. I'm still disappointed at that MichaelBennett tease back when NINE was announced that never came through
I have thought about it, and thought about it, and thought about it. And I can only see CAROLINE, OR CHANGE working as a straight film. One of the most brilliant aspects of the show is the theatricality of having the objects sing these really meaningful lyrics. I think having anthropomorphic objects in a movie musical might work in an animated film or something fluffy like HAIRSPRAY because people would find it funny, but to have a Laundry or a Radio burst out into song about Caroline Thibodeaux will seem too absurd to the regular theater goers. Then of course they could eliminate the objects (but who wants a CAROLINE OR CHANGE without the laundry, bus, and dryer--the radio could easily be done in the movie) which leaves you with the problem of the sung-through musical. How could you make it "less" sung-through if it really is one big song, it all flows together. The story is so powerful though, it'd be interesting to see an attempt to adapt it to a movie; if non-musical plays are always adapted into musicals, why not adapt a musical into a non-musical film? Just an idea.
I'm hoping that with the critical and (possibly) moderate financial success of SWEENEY, Burton decides to film INTO THE WOODS.

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BARE
BARE
BARE
BARE
BARE
BARE

Ummmm...Bare.

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"Maybe it's time to lay the genre to rest for another few years...
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I don't THINK so! There are still PLENTY of plays and musicals that I want to see made into movies! Just because there were 3 or 4 this year doesn't mean that Hollywood should "let it rest". I want MORE!

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Bring 'em on!

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