Jedi Council Forums - The Movie Musicals Thread: Now Dis. "Kiss Me, Kate" (1953)

Locked Topic | Read Only Topic | Previous Active Topic | Next Active Topic

« 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 » - Previous | Next | Reload

Author	Topic: The Movie Musicals Thread: Now Dis. "Kiss Me, Kate" (1953)
Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 9/28/07 12:53pm Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: (Now Discussing: "Funny Girl" (1968))
	Fanny Brice was both better looking and more talented that Barbra Strident...
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
RX_Sith Title: C&G Game Host Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 10/6/07 8:41am Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: (Now Discussing: "Oliver!" (1968))
	Oliver! (1968). (from wiki) Oliver! is a 1968 musical film directed by Carol Reed. The film is based on the stage musical Oliver!, with book, music and lyrics written by Lionel Bart. The screenplay was written by Vernon Harris. Both the film and play are based on the famous Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist. The musical includes several musical standards, including "Food Glorious Food", "Consider Yourself", "As Long as He Needs Me", "You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two" and "Where is Love?". The film version was a Romulus Films production and was distributed internationally by Columbia Pictures. Filmed in studio in London, Oliver! won an Academy Award for Best Picture. Background The film used a mixture of young unknowns and 'big names': Ron Moody (Fagin), Oliver Reed (Bill Sikes), Harry Secombe (Mr Bumble), Mark Lester (Oliver), Jack Wild (Dodger), Shani Wallis (Nancy) and Joseph O'Conor as Mr. Brownlow. Ron Moody was able to recreate his stage performance, beating out Peter Sellers and Peter O'Toole for the role. However, there was a minor outcry when Shani Wallis was given the role of Nancy in preference to Georgia Brown. The movie was adapted by Lionel Bart and Vernon Harris, and directed by Sir Carol Reed, who was also Oliver Reed's uncle. A few of the songs from the stage production were not used in the movie, although they often make appearances in the incidental music. For example, the music of Sikes' song "My Name" can be heard when the character first appears, and several other times whenever he is about to commit some nefarious deed. The film also included extended choreography sequences not found in the original show, and some additional dialogue scenes which expanded the role of Bill Sikes, who, in the stage version, did not even make his entrance until the second act. The songs that Sikes sang in the stage version were omitted. Differences between stage and film version The film changed some aspects of the musical's plotline. * Oliver's trial and exoneration after being arrested for stealing Brownlow's wallet were shown, with Nancy secretly attending it. (In the play, Nancy does not attend Oliver's trial, which takes place offstage - presumably between Acts I and II.) Nearly all of the dialogue in this sequence was taken directly from Dickens's novel. The magistrate Mr. Fang, who does not appear in the stage musical, was added to the film, identified simply as "The Magistrate" , and portrayed by Hugh Griffith in a cameo appearance. The magistrate, rather than being depicted viciously, as in Dickens's novel, was played with a humorous touch as a harsh but incompetent drunkard who is so hungover that he is scarcely aware of the goings-on inside the courtroom. * Sikes was introduced into the story much earlier, and Oliver, rather than being unconscious while Sikes kills Nancy, is a helpless and terrified witness to her murder (which, in the film, was made unusually dramatic for what was supposed to be a family musical). * The film contains a scene in which Sikes forces Oliver to help him burglarize a house. The scene, not found in the original stage version, is basically taken from a similar episode in the Dickens novel; however, the outcome is slightly different. * The song "Oom Pah Pah" was moved to a late spot in the second half of the film, rather than being placed at the beginning of the second half. It is sung by Nancy at the tavern in order to distract attention and get the tavern crowd dancing, so that she can use it as camouflage to sneak Oliver to London Bridge and back to Mr. Brownlow. The ruse, of course, fails - Bill Sikes's bull terrier, who had been guarding Oliver, begins to bark and alerts him. Bill secretly follows them and surprises them at the bridge. * Sikes's final attempt to escape does not take place at London Bridge as in the stage version, but on the rooftops of London, as the crowd below watches while Sikes forces Oliver to balance himself on a dangerously thin wooden hoist and loop a rope around it so that he (Sikes) can swing from one rooftop to another. The idea of Sikes taking Oliver as a hostage over the rooftop was taken, not from Dickens's novel, but from David Lean's 1948 film version of Oliver Twist, although in the Lean film, Oliver tied the rope to a chimney, instead of looping it over a hoist. Lean was, according to one of his biographers, deeply hurt that a fellow director whom he regarded highly (Carol Reed) would borrow a significant plot development from him without acknowledging it in the film's credits (the credits for Oliver! merely say Screenplay by Vernon Harris freely adapted from Charles Dickens's "Oliver Twist"). [2] In the Lean film, Sikes is wounded, and the pain causes him to lose his grip and accidentally hang himself; in Oliver!, when Sikes is shot, the rope is around his waist rather than his neck; the shot itself kills him, so he does not hang himself. * The so-called "fourth wall" finale, in which all the characters sang a medley of three of the songs, was completely eliminated so as to not destroy the impact of the final scenes, although Fagin and the Artful Dodger are last seen humorously reprising "Reviewing the Situation" (with additional lyrics written for the film), and dancing off happily to continue their life of crime. The closing credits are seen against a replay of part of the "Consider Yourself" sequence, in which we see the chorus singing and dancing. Reception Oliver! received extremely favorable reviews. It was hailed by Pauline Kael in her New Yorker review as being one of the few film versions of a stage musical that was superior to the original show, which she, according to her own review of the film, had walked out on. Songs * Overture (heard before the film begins) * Main Title (heard over the opening credits) * Food Glorious Food/Oliver! * Boy For Sale * Where is Love? * Consider Yourself * Pick a Pocket or Two * It's a Fine Life * I'd Do Anything * Be Back Soon * Ent'racte (heard during the film's intermission) * Who Will Buy? * As Long As He Needs Me * Reviewing the Situation * Oom-Pah-Pah * Reviewing the Situation (reprise) * Finale (Where Is Love?/Consider Yourself) * Exit Music (heard after the Finale) The words and music were written by Lionel Bart, and were supervised, arranged and conducted by John Green. The pre-credits Overture as heard on the actual soundtrack of the film is not included on the soundtrack album. Instead, an abbreviated version of the Main Title is labeled "Overture". For the convenience of the original LP, the order of some of the songs was shuffled, but this was not corrected on the CD issue; rather incredibly, the film soundtrack CD is an exact duplicate of the LP, with no additional material added, although some film soundtrack CD's of musicals contain additional tracks that were unable to be put on the LP. The movie's soundtrack was originally issued in the US on Colgems Records; it was later reissued on compact disc on the RCA Records label. Awards The film garnered 11 Academy Award nominations and won 5: * Best Picture * Best Director, Carol Reed * Best Music, Score of a Musical Picture (Original or Adaptation) * Best Art Direction-Set Decoration * Best Sound It was also nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Ron Moody), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Jack Wild), Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. A special Academy Award was awarded to Onna White for her elaborate choreography. Oliver! was the first and only G-rated film to be honoured with an Academy Award for Best Picture (the following year saw the first and only X-rated film to win a Best Picture Oscar: Midnight Cowboy, which was re-rated R two years later). Oliver! was also the last musical to win the Best Picture Oscar until Chicago thirty-four years later. Review "Oliver!" brings to the screen a worthy adaption of Lionel Bart's Broadway musical of the sixties. The combination of a superb cast, wonderful music and breathtaking choreography mean that the film loses nothing in its translation from the stage. To this day it remains one of the stand-out musical adaptions in a dwindling field. Although the conservative Dickens fanatics may thumb their noses at various liberties taken on the original plot of "Oliver Twist", they should observe that "Oliver!" has recreated most of the spirit intended by Dickens. While primarily a musical comedy, "Oliver!" certainly has a dark undercurrent, thanks to the skillful direction of Carol Reed and the sinister acting of Oliver Reed (playing Bill Sikes). Dickens was essentially a talented satirist, who constructed his characters to convey a moralistic view on Victorian society. "Oliver!" conveys much of the sadness and desperation of the original novel. For anyone not acquainted with the famous storyline, the film treats of a young orphan, Oliver Twist, and follows his journey from a paupers' workhouse to the rough-and-tumble city life of London. He is spotted and introduced into a gang of thieves, led by the crafty and cunning Fagin. What follows for Oliver is an introduction to the art of picking pockets; the methods of justice dispened by Mr Fang the magistrate; the cruelty of Bill Sikes the notorious thief, and the compassion of Nancy, Bill's mate; the kindness of Mr and Mrs Brownlow. Such an adventure for such a small boy! It is difficult to pinpoint the exact reason why this Oscar-winning film is such a success. On one hand there is the incredible performances of a gifted cast - Ron Moody being nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of Fagin, and young Jack Wild's mature performance as the Artful Dodger. Mark Lester plays Oliver, and depicts all the elements of innocence and vulnerability as could be imagined in the young boy. Harry Secombe backs up the cast as the beadle, Mr Bumble. Perhaps the best aspect of the film though is the music itself. Lionel Bart has done a masterful job in writing the original score, and you may expect to find yourself singing the songs for weeks after watching "Oliver!". Here are the evergreens, "Reviewing the Situation", "You've Got to Pick a Pocket Or Two", "Who Will Buy", and the beautiful and touching "Where is Love?". The list of classic tunes goes on and on, and if nothing else, young people today should watch the film purely for its educational value - to be introduced to the sweet music of yesteryear, and to see that a film's qualities extend beyond the realms of special effects. "Oliver!" will rightfully go down as a classic film of its time, and with any luck will keep its place as a family favourite, for years to come. Its warmth and familiar music make it a must-see. Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 10/6/07 7:02pm Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: (Now Discussing: "Oliver" (1968))
	The cast is good, but Fagin is definitely softened, as is the Dodger, for that matter. Well, it's a musical, I guess. Oliver Reed is extremely good as Bill Sykes, too; I forget the name of whoever played Nancy, but she could sing and had real warmth. Mark Lester isn't bad as Oliver; he isn't good, either, and can't sing. The music and dancing are fine, but the lyrics are clumsy, IMO. Very well directed.
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
General Kenobi Title: Administrator Emeritus Registered: Dec '98	Date Posted: 10/6/07 7:43pm Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: (Now Discussing: "Oliver" (1968))
	Oliver! is my favorite musical. Lional Bart wrote a great set of songs, and I think the performances have generally been good (yes, though some characters are softened from the Dickens novel). The film does a pretty good job adapting the show. My biggest disappointment is that it omits the songs "That's Your Funeral" and, to a lesser extent, "I Shall Scream". IIRC, Clive Revill (the original voice of Palpatine!) played Fagin in the original Broadway run. Ron Moody started with the London West End shows and came back to play Fagin in the film.
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 10/10/07 10:23pm Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: (Now Discussing: "Oliver" (1968))
	Never saw the stage show.
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
RX_Sith Title: C&G Game Host Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 10/18/07 1:13pm Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: (Now Discussing: "The Producers" (1968))
	The Producers (1968). The Producers is a 1968 feature-length comedy film written and directed by Mel Brooks. In the film, two New York City con men (Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom) attempt to cheat theater 'angels' (investors) out of their investment money by deliberately producing a "flop," or unsuccessful show. This was the first film directed by Mel Brooks, who won an Academy Award for his screenplay. Plot Max Bialystock is a failed, aging Broadway producer who ekes out a living romancing rich old women in exchange for money for his "next play." Nebbish accountant Leo Bloom arrives at Bialystock's office to do his books and discovers a two thousand dollar error in the accounts of Bialystock's last play. Bialystock cons Bloom into hiding the fraud, and while shuffling numbers, Bloom has a revelation which Bialystock immediately puts into action: a scheme to massively oversell shares in a Broadway production, then purposely make a horrific flop, so that no one will ever audit its books, thus avoiding a payout and leaving the duo free to flee to Rio de Janeiro with the profits. Leo is hesitant to commit to the criminal venture, but is eventually convinced by Max that he deserves some happiness, and his current drab existence is no better than being in prison. After an extensive search the now-partners find an unproduced play worthy of their efforts: Springtime for Hitler, a Gay Romp with Adolf and Eva in Berchtesgaden, a work which Bialystock gleefully describes as "a love letter to Hitler," written in total sincerity by deranged ex-Nazi Franz Liebkind. They convince Liebkind to sign over the stage rights, telling him they want to show the world "the true Hitler, the Hitler with a song in his heart". Bialystock then collects money from dozens of little old ladies—ultimately selling 25,000 percent of the play—and hires the monumentally untalented (and comically gay) director Roger De Bris to stage the production. The part of Hitler goes to a charismatic hippie named Lorenzo St. Dubois (aka LSD), who wanders into the wrong theater by accident during the casting call. The result of all of this is a cheerfully upbeat, utterly tasteless musical comedy detailing the life of the dictator, which opens with a lavish production number celebrating Nazi Germany overrunning Europe. Unfortunately for the protagonists, their attempt to make an unwatchable play backfires as, after initial dumbfounded disbelief, the audience finds LSD's beatnik-like portrayal of Hitler to be hilarious, and the play is a universally praised hit. (The film doesn't clarify if De Bris & LSD's staging of the play as a farce is intentional, or a serendipity of tastelessness, enthusiasm, and lack of talent.) After an enraged Liebkind attempts to shoot the producers in their office, the three of them band together and, in desperation, blow up the theater to end the production. They get caught in the explosion and are arrested. Found "incredibly guilty" in their criminal trial, they are sent to prison, where they proceed to create a new play starring their fellow convicts entitled "Prisoners of Love," running the same scam as before. Cast * Zero Mostel as Max Bialystock * Gene Wilder as Leo Bloom * Kenneth Mars as Franz Liebkind * Lee Meredith as Ulla * Estelle Winwood as Hold Me-Touch Me * Christopher Hewett as Roger De Bris * Andréas Voutsinas as Carmen Ghia * Dick Shawn as Lorenzo St. DuBois (L.S.D.) * Renée Taylor as Eva Braun * The foreman of the jury is played by Bill Macy, who would later star in the 1970s sitcom, Maude, and numerous Hollywood films. The film also features Barney Martin, who would later achieve fame as Jerry Seinfeld's father Morty on Seinfeld. * Writer-director Mel Brooks is heard briefly in the film, singing "Don't be stupid, be a smarty/Come and join the Nazi Party" in the song Springtime For Hitler. His version of line is also dubbed into each performance of the musical and in the movie version of the musical.[citation needed] * In an interview on the movie's DVD, Brooks says that Dustin Hoffman was originally cast as Franz Liebkind, but the night before shooting he bowed out to star in The Graduate, which co-starred Brooks' wife, Anne Bancroft. Influences * Max Bialystock is named after the Polish city of Białystok. A 'bialystoker,' is a roll similar to a bagel. * Leo Bloom is named for the subject of the novel Ulysses, Leopold Bloom. Leo meets Max on June 16, the date that all of the action in Ulysses takes place. Bialystock at one point also compares Leo to Prince Myshkin, the titular protagonist in Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel The Idiot. * One of the rejected manuscripts in the search for "the worst play ever" features the opening sentence to Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis, where a character named Gregor Samsa wakes up to find himself transformed into a "giant cockroach". Bialystock quickly dismisses the story idea as "too good". * Carmen Ghia is named after the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, a popular car in production in 1968. Release history According to Brooks, after the film was completed, MGM executives declined to release it due to "bad taste" until Peter Sellers saw the film privately and placed an advertisement in Variety in support of the film's wider release. It was still only released to only a small number of theaters. The Producers was rated PG by the MPAA for brief mild language. In 2002 The Producers was re-issued to three theaters by Rialto Pictures and earned $111,866 at the box office. In 2001 Brooks adapted the film into a Broadway musical of the same name (The Producers). In 2005, a film, based in turn on that musical, was released (The Producers). The Producers is currently available on DVD, released by MGM. As of 2007, the film continues to be distributed to art-film and repertory cinemas by Rialto. Reception The film received harsh reviews from New York critics Renata Adler ("shoddy and gross and cruel" in the New York Times), Stanley Kauffmann ("the film bloats into sogginess." -- New Republic), Pauline Kael ("amateurishly crude" in the New Yorker) and Andrew Sarris, partly due to its directorial style and broad ethnic humor. Negative reviewers noted the bad taste and insensitivity of devising a broad comedy about two Jewish men conspiring to cheat theatrical investors by devising a designed-to-fail singing, dancing, tasteless Broadway musical show about Hitler (a mere 23 years after the end of World War II). Time Magazine's reviewers wrote, "...hilariously funny ... Unfortunately, the film is burdened with the kind of plot that demands resolution ... ends in a whimper of sentimentality ... The movie is disjointed and inconsistent ..." and "... a wildly funny joy ride ...", "...despite its bad moments, is some of the funniest American cinema comedy in years." The film industry trade paper Variety magazine wrote, "The film is unmatched in the scenes featuring Mostel and Wilder alone together, and several episodes with other actors are truly rare." Reviews in the U.K. were positive to very positive. Ironically, despite the complaints about the content, many of the people involved in the project, such as Brooks, Mostel, Wilder etc were all of Jewish origin. Both Eva Braun and Hitler are played by Jewish actors, and Goebbels is briefly represented by a black actor. Awards and Recognition In 1968, The Producers won an Academy Award for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay—Written Directly for the Screen and was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Gene Wilder). In 1969, The Producers won a Writers Guild of America Best Original Screenplay award. In 1996, this film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. In 2004, The Producers was placed at #11 of the American Film Institute list of The 100 Funniest Films Of All Time. Cultural legacy * Peter Sellers was a fan of the film and appeared on Michael Parkinson's BBC1 chat show Parkinson in a Nazi helmet reciting the entire "Hitler was a better painter than Churchill" speech. (Parkinson BBC1 09/11/74 & BBC Audiobooks (5 Feb 1996)) * The title of the U2 album Achtung Baby comes from a line in the movie. * At its theatrical release in Sweden, the film was given the Swedish title Producenterna (The Producers), but it was not a success then. After it was re-released under the title Det våras för Hitler (Springtime for Hitler), it scored with the Swedish audience. Because of this, all of Mel Brooks' films were given a title with Det våras för... (Springtime For...) in Sweden, up until Life Stinks (Det våras för slummen, Springtime For The Slums). For example, Blazing Saddles was retitled Det våras för sheriffen (Springtime For The Sheriff) and Spaceballs was retitled Det våras för rymden (Springtime For Space). After this, Mel Brooks himself has complained at the Swedish habit of always calling his films something with 'Springtime For...' and so, his last two films have been called Robin Hood: Karlar i trikåer (Robin Hood: Men in Tights) and Dracula: Död men lycklig (Dracula: Dead and Loving It), although the latter is called Det våras för Dracula on the Swedish DVD cover. Quotations From Mel Brooks' U.S. News and World Report interview: "I was never crazy about Hitler...If you stand on a soapbox and trade rhetoric with a dictator you never win...That's what they do so well: they seduce people. But if you ridicule them, bring them down with laughter, they can't win. You show how crazy they are." Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Thrawn1786 Registered: Feb '04	Date Posted: 10/18/07 7:58pm Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: (Now Discussing: "The Producers" (1968))
	I thought this was the non-musical version(save for the Springtime for Hitler sequence)? -----signature----- Knick knack, Patti's whack, diva's on her throne-you just got Patti LPwned! Senator of Thrawn Fans Unite, EU Senate My 2009 Dear Diary Challenge entry: http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/29687672/p1/?3
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 10/18/07 10:17pm Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: (Now Discussing: "The Producers" (1968))
	It's actually a rather better musical than the musical. I am a non-fan of Zero Mostel at the very best of times, but Wilder is sublime.
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
RX_Sith Title: C&G Game Host Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 10/28/07 7:30am Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: (Now Discussing: "Hello Dolly!" (1969))
	Hello Dolly! (1969). (from wiki) Hello, Dolly! is a 1969 American musical film, based on the Broadway production of the same name. Gene Kelly directed producer Ernest Lehman's screenplay. The cast included Barbra Streisand, Walter Matthau, Michael Crawford, Tommy Tune, Fritz Feld, and Louis Armstrong, whose recording of the title tune was a #1 hit in the mid-1960s. It was photographed in 65 mm Todd-AO by Harry Stradling Sr.. Ironically, Barbra Streisand lost the 1964 Tony Award (as a nominee for her role in Funny Girl) to Carol Channing, who originated the role of Dolly Levi in the Broadway production. Synopsis Set in 1890, the film tells the story of widowed matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi (Barbra Streisand), who travels from New York City to the suburb of Yonkers, New York to visit grumpy Horace Vandergelder (Walter Mathau), a prominent, wealthy bachelor and merchant who has decided he needs a wife to tend to himself and his home. While there, she convinces him - and his two stock clerks, Cornelius Hackl (Michael Crawford) and Barnaby Tucker (Danny Lockin), his niece Ermengarde (Joyce Ames), and her beau Ambrose Kemper (Tommy Tune) - to go to New York City. Dolly, who has decided to nab Vandergelder for herself, arranges a match between the two clerks and the woman Vandergelder had been courting, a milliner named Irene Molloy, and her shop assistant Minnie Fay. A web of complicated romantic entanglements ensues, culminating in a free-for-all at the elegant Harmonia Gardens restaurant. In the elaborate title number, as Dolly enters the restaurant, Louis Armstrong makes an appearance as a bandleader and sings along with Streisand. As the film ends, each character is matched with his or her ideal partner. Musical numbers * "Call On Dolly" * "Just Leave Everything To Me" * "Main Titles" * "It Takes a Woman" * "It Takes a Woman (Reprise)" * "Put on Your Sunday Clothes" * "Ribbons Down My Back" * "Dancing" * "Before the Parade Passes By" * "Intermission" * "Elegance" * "Love Is Only Love" * "Hello, Dolly" * "It Only Takes a Moment" * "So Long, Dearie" * "Finale" * "End Credits" Principal cast * Barbra Streisand .... Dolly Levi * Walter Matthau .... Horace Vandergelder * Michael Crawford .... Cornelius Hackl * Marianne McAndrew .... Irene Molloy * Danny Lockin .... Barnaby Tucker * E.J. Peaker .... Minnie Fay * Joyce Ames .... Ermengarde Vandergelder * Tommy Tune .... Ambrose Kemper * Judy Knaiz .... Gussie Granger/Ernestina Simple * David Hurst .... Rudolph Reisenweber * Fritz Feld .... Fritz, German waiter * Richard Collier .... Joe, Vandergelder's barber * J. Pat O'Malley .... Policeman in Park * Louis Armstrong .... Louis, Orchestra Leader Awards and nominations Hello, Dolly! won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction, Best Music, Score of a Musical Picture (Original or Adaptation), and Best Sound. It also was nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, and Best Picture. (Neither of the new songs Herman wrote for the movie, "Just Leave Everything to Me" and "Love is Only Love", which had been written for the stage version of Mame but cut before it opened, was cited.) The film received BAFTA nominations for Streisand and Matthau, art direction, and cinematography. It also received five Golden Globe nominations, as Best Picture (Musical or Comedy), and for Streisand, Kelly, and two for McAndrew, as Best Supporting Actress and Most Promising Newcomer. Critical reception Although it was one of the top-grossing films of the year, it failed to recoup its $24 million cost. Critics panned the film as over-produced and too long, and much of the criticism was directed at Streisand, in part due to her age. However, when it was released on video in 1980, it earned $1,000,000 in sales, almost as much as The Sound of Music. Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Thrawn1786 Registered: Feb '04	Date Posted: 10/28/07 5:30pm Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: (Now Discussing: "Hello Dolly" (1969)) - Date Edited: 10/28/07 5:31pm (1 edits total) Edited By: Thrawn1786
	Two fun little factoids: 1)yes, that Michael Crawford is the same one who would go on to create and win a Tony for his portrayal of the title character in Phantom of the Opera. During Dolly, Crawford's voice was extremely different from the way it would be later for Phantom, and supposedly when Barbra Streisand visited him during his run in Phantom she asked, "Michael, WHERE did you get that voice?" 2)in the original stage version, during the famous title number Dolly wears a red dress. Those involved with the stage version were upset to see the color changed to gold in the film(though the red would've clashed with Ms. Streisand's hair), as the red signified Dolly's rejoining the human race, her 'coming back to life' (red=blood, life), per se. There's a funny story Michael Crawford has also told about how he came to be cast in the film, but it's rather long. PM me if you want to know. -----signature----- Knick knack, Patti's whack, diva's on her throne-you just got Patti LPwned! Senator of Thrawn Fans Unite, EU Senate My 2009 Dear Diary Challenge entry: http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/29687672/p1/?3
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 10/28/07 6:19pm Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: (Now Discussing: "Hello Dolly" (1969))
	Apparently Matthau and Streisand did not get along, and he famously commented to her that he had 'more talent in my smallest f**t than you have in your entire body.' It seems impossible that this movie could have been released a year after "The Producers", it's so entirely retrograde.
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
RX_Sith Title: C&G Game Host Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 11/10/07 9:49am Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: (Now Discussing: "Paint Your Wagon" (1969))
	Paint Your Wagon (1969). (from wiki) Paint Your Wagon is a musical film released in 1969, adapted by Paddy Chayefsky from the 1951 stage musical by Lerner and Lowe, set in a mining camp in Gold Rush-era California. Chayefsky provided a significantly changed storyline from the stage musical version. In the film "Rumson" is simply called "No Name City", and Ben Rumson has no daughter. The former "Julio" is now an American (Clint Eastwood) and Ben's (Lee Marvin) partner in the gold claim. Synopsis "No Name City" starts as a tent city with the men partying ("Hand Me Down That Can o' Beans") followed by bouts of melancholy ("They Call the Wind Maria"). The arrival of a Mormon with two wives is taken to be unfair to the miners. The miners convince Jacob Woodling to sell one of his wives to the highest bidder. A drunken Ben winds up with the highest bid for Elizabeth (Jean Seberg). Ben is readied for the wedding by the other miners ("Whoop-Ti-Yay"). Elizabeth's presence comes to be a novelty in the area, causing Ben to become jealous of all the other miners. News comes of the pending arrival of "six French tarts" to a neighboring town and a plan is hatched to kidnap the women and bring them to "No Name City" ("There's a Coach Comin' In"). Ben heads up the mission and leaves Elizabeth in the care of Pardner. While Ben is gone, the two fall in love ("A Million Miles Away Behind the Door" by Elizabeth and "I Talk to the Trees" by Pardner). Elizabeth convinces them that if a Mormon man can have two wives, a wife can have two husbands. As the town booms the arrangement with Ben, Pardner, and Elizabeth works well for a while until a group of settlers is rescued from the snow. A strait-laced family is invited to spend the winter with Elizabeth and Pardner is assumed to be her husband. Ben is left to fend for himself in town. As the gold begins to play out Ben and a group of miners discover that gold dust is dropping through the floor boards of many of the saloons. They hatch a plan to tunnel under all the businesses to get at the gold ("The Best Things in Life are Dirty"). This brings the story to its climax when, during a bull and bear fight, the streets collapse into the tunnels dug by Ben and the others and the town is destroyed. At the end of the film Ben moves on to the next gold field ("Wand'rin' Star"). Background Eastwood and Marvin did their own singing while Seberg's songs were dubbed. The early incarnation of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band had a cameo in the song "Hand Me Down That Can o' Beans". Some songs from the original musical were dropped and some were added, while others were used in a different contexts. The film was made near Baker City, Oregon, with Joshua Logan directing. The film was released at a time when movie musicals were going out of fashion, especially with younger audiences. Its overblown budget became notorious in the press. Eastwood was frustrated by the long delays in the making of the movie, later saying that the experience strengthened his resolve to become a director. According to Robert Osborne, Marvin was drinking heavily, which may have enhanced his screen appearance, but led to delays and many retakes. Songs Title Written by Sung by I'm On My Way Alan Jay Lerner Frederick Loewe Chorus I Still See Elisa Alan Jay Lerner Frederick Loewe Pardner The First Thing You Know Alan Jay Lerner André Previn Ben Rumson Hand Me Down That Can Of Beans Alan Jay Lerner Frederick Loewe Chorus They Call the Wind Maria Alan Jay Lerner Frederick Loewe Rotten Luck Willie Chorus Whoop-Ti-Ay! Alan Jay Lerner Frederick Loewe Chorus A Million Miles Away Behind the Door Alan Jay Lerner André Previn Elizabeth I Talk to the Trees Alan Jay Lerner Frederick Loewe Pardner There's A Coach Comin' In Alan Jay Lerner Frederick Loewe Rotten Luck Willie Chorus The Gospel of No Name City Alan Jay Lerner André Previn Parson Best Things Alan Jay Lerner André Previn Ben Rumson Mad Jack Duncan Pardner Wand'rin' Star Alan Jay Lerner Frederick Loewe Ben Rumson Chorus Gold Fever Alan Jay Lerner André Previn Pardner Chorus Finale (I'm On My Way) Alan Jay Lerner Frederick Loewe Ben Rumson Mad Jack Duncan Chorus Popular allusions * Marvin's deep-voiced rendition of "(I Was Born Under a) Wand'rin' Star", accompanied by the film's choir, became a hit in the U.K. and Europe. His voice was described by Jean Seberg as "like rain gurgling down a rusty pipe". Interviewed on NPR, Marvin said that the song was a hit in Australia, and someone there described it as, "The first 33 1/3 recorded at 45." * The Simpsons watch the movie at the beginning of the "clip show" episode All Singing, All Dancing. Homer and Bart rent the film, thinking it's a bloody western ala Clint Eastwood's Spaghetti Western work but are horrified when they find out the film is a musical. None of the songs in the episode are found in the original stage musical or the film, and the musical numbers generally follow a scene where two of the characters are being confrontational, dashing Homer's hopes that the film will turn violent. In the episode, the movie is literally about the characters painting a wagon. Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 11/10/07 9:58am Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: (Now Discussing: "Paint Your Wagon" (1969))
	We learn two things: Marvin and Eastwood can't sing. There's only one good number in the film: "They Call the Wind Maria" which is sung by Harve Presnell. Marvin and Eastwood have kind of a nice chemistry, Seberg is bland, and if you can ignore film-killer Ray Walston, please do.
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
RX_Sith Title: C&G Game Host Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 11/18/07 8:00am Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: (Now Discussing: "Sweet Charity" (1969))
	Sweet Charity (1969). (from wiki) Sweet Charity is a 1969 musical movie directed by Bob Fosse, written by Neil Simon, and starring Shirley MacLaine. It is based on the 1966 stage musical of the same name, which Fosse had directed and choreographed as well. The movie was notable for costumes by Edith Head and its dance sequences (notably The Rich Man's Frug). Musical numbers 1. "Hey, Big Spender" 2. "The Rich Mans Frug" 3. "The Hustle" 4. "There's Got To Be Something Better Than This" 5. "I'm A Brass Band" 6. "The Rhythm of Life" 7. "If They Could See Me Now" 8. "I Love To Cry At Weddings" 9. "Sweet Charity" 10. "My Personal Property" 11. "It's A Nice Face" 12. "Where Am I Going?" Characters * Charity Hope Valentine--Shirley MacLaine * Oscar Lindquist--John McMartin * Nickie--Chita Rivera * Helene--Paula Kelly * Herman--Stubby Kaye Plot Charity works as a taxi dancer along with her friends Nickie and Helene. Charity, who has poor luck with men, meets shy Oscar in a stuck elevator. They strike a relationship, but Charity does not reveal what she does for a living. When she finally does tell Oscar, he initially seems to accept it, but finally tells Charity that he cannot marry her. The optimistic Charity faces her future, alone for the time being: "Where Am I Going?". Awards and nominations The film received three Academy Award nominations:Best Art Direction-Set Decoration; Best Costume Design; and Best Music, Score of a Musical Picture (Original or Adaptation. It received one Golden Globe nomination, for Shirley MacLaine as Best Motion Picture Actress - Musical/Comedy. Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 11/18/07 12:37pm Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: (Now Discussing: "Sweet Charity" (1969))
	This is a weird movie...the first directed by Bob Fossy. So the dancing and the musical numbers are very good, though a bit over-elaborate. It's based on Fellini's "Nights of Cabiria" which is about a prostitute. This being 60's America, she is now a 'taxi-dancer' whatever that is. The problem seems to be Shirley McLaine, who should be perfect for this part, but just isn't. When at the end, she is rejected by McMartin (who is excellent), and I felt happy for him (thank God he escaped) you know something's wrong. She tries and tries and tries (which may be the problem), and like him, you can't wait to get away from her. Anyway: the numbers are well worth a watch, especially "Big Spender", "There Must Be Something Better Than This" and "Rhythym of Life"...
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History

« 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 » - Previous | Next | Reload