Universal, 1978
Starring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, and Ted Ross
Directed by Sidney Lumet
Music and Lyrics by Charlie Smalls and others
This will be the first of several musicals with all-black casts I look at in February in honor of Black History Month. We kick off with one of the bigger flops of the late 70's. This R&B adaptation of The Wizard of Oz was a huge hit on Broadway in 1975, and it would do well in a live TV version in 2015 (which we'll look at a bit later this month). So what happened here? For an answer to that question, we'll head to a Harlem apartment at Thanksgiving, where one young schoolteacher is about to go on a journey that will change the way she looks at her life...and family...
The Story: Dorothy Gale (Ross) is a shy schoolteacher who still lives with her parents in their Harlem apartment. She's been deliberating getting a better teaching job and moving out on her own, as she's introverted an uncertain of herself. She chases after her beloved dog Toto when he runs out into a blizzard. A snow whirlwind whisks her and Toto off to the strange urban land of Oz, which basically resembles a fantasy New York. They land in a playground, where the graffiti comes to life. According to the witch Miss One (Thelma Carpenter), they killed the Wicked Witch of the East and rescued the Munchkins from being chalk drawings for the rest of their lives. Miss One gives Dorothy a pair of silver shoes that once belonged to the Witch and sends her off to the Emerald City to find the Wizard.
Along the way, Dorothy makes some unusual friends. She befriends the Scarecrow (Jackson) when she rescues him from crows in a cornfield. He's fond of pulling papers filled with quotes from his own straw and claims he lacks brains. They encounter the rusted old Tin Man (Russell) at an abandoned carnival. He's chatty when he's not rusted, but can be sarcastic, and says he lacks a heart. They're nearly knocked over by a lion (Ross) hiding in front of the New York Public Library, but he turns out to be a cowardly critter who wants courage badly. Even after they do make it to the glamorous Emerald City at the World Trade Center, the capricious Wizard (Richard Pryor) won't do what they want until they shut down the sweatshop of Evilene, the Wicked Witch of the West. But she's already hot on their trail and will stop at nothing to make sure they don't complete their quest!
The Song and Dance: The supporting cast is the key here. Russell and especially Jackson, the latter in his film debut, make a great tin con-man and a very sweet and thoughtful Scarecrow. Ross makes for a decent lion, and Lena Horne is a lovely and elegant Glinda the Good Witch of the South.
When the camera moves in for a closer look, it can ably capture New York during the height of it's gritty decaying late 70's period (including shots of the World Trade Center - the Wizard is supposed to live at the top of one of the towers). The colorful costumes and odd and unique set design were Oscar-nominated, as were the cinematography and score.
Favorite Number: For all the problems this movie has, some of the singing is first-rate. All three versions of "Ease On Down the Road" are a blast. Ross and Russell really tear into their respective solos "I'm a Mean Ol' Lion" and "Slide Some Oil to Me." While the number itself is kind of weird (with people stripping down half-way through), the Luther Vandross-penned "Everyone Rejoice/Brand New Day" after they've defeated Evilene is the movie's most energetic and toe-tapping number. Jackson has fun with those nasty crows, who keep telling him "You Can't Win, You Can't Break Even."
What I Don't Like: Sidney Lumet was not the right director for this. He clearly didn't know how to make a musical work. Most of the numbers are filmed in long shots. You can barely see any of the dancing or what anyone's doing, or even ogle the designer costumes in the Emerald City number. Things would have looked a lot better if he'd given us a few more close-ups and actually focused on the dancing, rather than those elaborate New York sets.
Some characters, like Glinda, Evilene, and the Cowardly Lion, have limited roles compared to other retellings of this story. They should have built up Evilene throughout the film, like the Witch shadowed Dorothy in the 1939 version. The Wizard sending the group after her seems kind of abrupt. And why would someone who can melt have sprinklers in her sweatshop?
And that brings us to Diana Ross. She tries, but the role of Dorothy was meant for a young girl. No amount of re-writing or tossing her in a cutesy, frilly dress could make her look younger. While some of her vocal performances are outstanding (her impassioned "Believe In Yourself" is really touching), her acting wavers between stiff and shrill. To date, this has been her final screen performance.
The Big Finale: This movie was a huge flop in 1978, and despite the good cast and some decent numbers, it doesn't really hold up now. Only come here if you're a really big fan of Jackson or Diana Ross.
Home Media: The solo DVD is out of print, but it is available on Blu-Ray and most streaming services. Your best bet may be to pick it up as a double-feature with The Wiz Live like I did.
DVD - The Wiz/The Wiz Live
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Reviews of musical films, from 1930s black and white to widescreen 21st century extravaganzas.
Saturday, February 2, 2019
Thursday, January 31, 2019
Musicals on TV Double Feature - High School Musical & High School Musical 2
The High School Musical films were a bona-fide kid phenomenon in the late 2000's. I remember seeing children as young as 6 talk about how much they loved the movie and the music and gush about Gabriella and Troy and all the other Wildcats. There were toys, dolls, notebooks, clothes, and countless CD "remix" editions. The soundtrack of the first movie hit #1 on the Billboard charts. The second movie was the top-rated TV program of the summer of 2007, on broadcast or cable TV. Kids loved these movies...and some adults found them endearing, too. How do they stand up over a decade later? Let's head to a ski lodge on New Year's Eve, where two teens are about to do a karaoke routine together that will change their lives..
High School Musical
Disney, 2006
Starring Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, and Corbin Bleu
Directed by Kenny Ortega
Music and Lyrics by various
The Story: High school basketball star Troy Bolton (Efron) and brilliant A student Gabriella Montez (Hudgens) meet while singing karaoke at a party on New Year's Eve. Troy gets quite a surprise when Gabriella shows up at his New Mexico high school a week later. Seems her mother moved there over Christmas break. They both end up in detention the first day when they try to contact each other on their cell phones during class, along with Troy's basketball-crazy buddy Chad Danforth (Bleu), spoiled drama queen Sharpay (Tisdale), and her brother Ryan (Lucas Grabeel). The ridiculously over-the-top drama teacher (Alyson Reed) is hoping to get people to sign up for the school's winter musical and has the kids work on sets. It works on Gabriella and Troy. They go to the audition, but are too shy to sing...until they do a ballad with sweet pianist and songwriter Kelsey (Oleysa Rulin) that Sharpay and Ryan built into a sugary pop number. This puts them over with the teacher and gets them a call-back.
Sharpay is incensed. How could anyone at the school be better than dancing and singing than her? Their friends are even more shocked. The jocks think drama is stupid and academics are something you do that keeps you from playing sports; the A students think jocks are idiots and drama is mind-numbing. Drama nuts Sharpay and Ryan think they're above sports and academics. All of the cliques try to keep Troy and Gabriella from trying out and seeing each other, until they start to understand that everyone has different talents and unique abilities. Just because you're good at one thing, doesn't mean you can't excel at something else.
The Song and Dance: What I love about all three of these movies is the sheer energy level. Unlike the Grease films, these kids are genuine teenagers, or young adults at the most. They bring a level of authenticity and vivaciousness that lets you overlook the cliches and really enjoy the numbers. No wonder Hudgens and Efron went on to major careers. I also appreciate the message that kids can have many different interests and talents and shouldn't be afraid to pursue them - sports stars can be singers or bakers, braniacs can be leading ladies.
Favorite Number: The kids are at their best in chorus routines like "Get 'Cha Head In the Game" with Troy and the basketball team, "Stick to the Status Quo" in the cafeteria as everyone shares their secret dream, and the finale "We're All In This Together." Hudgens gets a decent solo mid-way through after she thinks Troy isn't interested anymore, "When There Was Me and You."
What I Don't Like: First of all, the story is cliched to the max. It's basically a modern Grease with less grit, a slightly more likely ending, and a cast that doesn't look old enough to vote. Sharpay was popular enough to get her own spin-off in 2011, but her character is obnoxious and annoying, and does she have to scream so much? The love duets are syrupy-sweet and all sound alike, and they really don't give you an idea as to why everyone fell over themselves to get Troy and Gabriella into the show. (And obviously, this isn't for people who prefer their musicals darker ala Cabaret.)
The Big Picture: I can see why kids responded so strongly to this. The sugary and cliched story and dialogue are elevated by the spirited chorus numbers and energetic and talented cast. If you love Grease or other musical school tales, have kids who are musical fans, or remember when this was the biggest thing on cable, it's still highly recommended.
Home Media: Thanks to its tremendous popularity, it can be found in almost every possible format and version you can imagine, usually for under 10 dollars.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
High School Musical 2
Disney, 2007
Starring Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, and Corbin Bleu
Directed by Kenny Ortega
Music and Lyrics by various
The Story: Troy (Efron), Gabriella (Hudgens), and their friends are looking forward to a summer of fun, freedom, and hanging out together. He not only manages to land a job at Lava Springs Country Club, but encourages them to hire all his friends, including Gabriella. Sharpay (Tisdale), whose parents own the club, wants Troy and his amazing voice backing her in the club's big end-of-the-season talent show. She goes out of her way to have the manager Fulton (Mark L. Taylor) treat the kids badly and promote Troy. Her twin brother Ryan (Lucas Grabeel) is getting sick of being pushed aside, and goes to the other Wildcats to set up their own musical number in the show. Troy sees Gabrellia with Ryan and gets jealous, leading to him singing with Sharpay...or standing there mildly annoyed while Sharpay performs around him.
The kids now all see Troy as a traitor. The basketball team members won't speak to him, and Gabriella quits and and breaks off their relationship. As club employees, the kids have all been banned from the show, thanks to Sharpay's jealousy. He realizes how much he let his desire for a college scholarship and the preferential treatment from Sharpay and her parents go to his head. It takes intervention from Ryan to make his sister realize how selfish and silly she's being and bring Troy and Gabriella together.
The Song and Dance: Pretty much "more of the same, but outside." The country club setting allows for some nice cinematography and glowing colors, especially on the golf course, and it does feel a bit less claustrophobic than the original. Glad to see Grabeel come into his own here; he had some great footwork in the baseball number "I Don't Dance." Some of the adults registered a bit more strongly here, too, especially Robert Curtis Brown and Jessica Tuck as Sharpay and Ryan's parents.
Favorite Number: Along with "I Don't Dance," the kids have fun with the end-of-the-school-year opening "What Time Is It?" and "Work This Out" when they realize just how bad their jobs at the country club are. Troy and Gabriella's touching "You are the Music In Me" becomes a candy-colored routine for Sharpay and Troy that, of course, puts the emphasis on the former. Sharpay also gets the very funny "Fabulous," where she extols the virtues of her posh life and how she has to have the perfect everything, including the perfect guy.
What I Don't Like: If anything, this movie is even more cliched than the last one, and the main ballads are still too sugary. The emphasis on Troy, Sharpay, and Ryan means we see less of the other Wildcats, including Rulin and Bleu. And no matter how wonderful she thinks she is, Sharpay is just as annoying and screechy here as she was in the previous film. The additional number for her and Ryan as they're trying to persuade him to join their show is intentionally goofy and does nothing but scare Troy off and add to the film's length.
The Big Picture: Same deal. If you loved the first movie, you'll probably have just as much fun with the Wildcats' summer adventures.
Home Media: The version that's currently available online and on DVD includes the aforementioned extra number and once again is easy to find in a wide variety of formats.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
High School Musical
Disney, 2006
Starring Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, and Corbin Bleu
Directed by Kenny Ortega
Music and Lyrics by various
The Story: High school basketball star Troy Bolton (Efron) and brilliant A student Gabriella Montez (Hudgens) meet while singing karaoke at a party on New Year's Eve. Troy gets quite a surprise when Gabriella shows up at his New Mexico high school a week later. Seems her mother moved there over Christmas break. They both end up in detention the first day when they try to contact each other on their cell phones during class, along with Troy's basketball-crazy buddy Chad Danforth (Bleu), spoiled drama queen Sharpay (Tisdale), and her brother Ryan (Lucas Grabeel). The ridiculously over-the-top drama teacher (Alyson Reed) is hoping to get people to sign up for the school's winter musical and has the kids work on sets. It works on Gabriella and Troy. They go to the audition, but are too shy to sing...until they do a ballad with sweet pianist and songwriter Kelsey (Oleysa Rulin) that Sharpay and Ryan built into a sugary pop number. This puts them over with the teacher and gets them a call-back.
Sharpay is incensed. How could anyone at the school be better than dancing and singing than her? Their friends are even more shocked. The jocks think drama is stupid and academics are something you do that keeps you from playing sports; the A students think jocks are idiots and drama is mind-numbing. Drama nuts Sharpay and Ryan think they're above sports and academics. All of the cliques try to keep Troy and Gabriella from trying out and seeing each other, until they start to understand that everyone has different talents and unique abilities. Just because you're good at one thing, doesn't mean you can't excel at something else.
The Song and Dance: What I love about all three of these movies is the sheer energy level. Unlike the Grease films, these kids are genuine teenagers, or young adults at the most. They bring a level of authenticity and vivaciousness that lets you overlook the cliches and really enjoy the numbers. No wonder Hudgens and Efron went on to major careers. I also appreciate the message that kids can have many different interests and talents and shouldn't be afraid to pursue them - sports stars can be singers or bakers, braniacs can be leading ladies.
Favorite Number: The kids are at their best in chorus routines like "Get 'Cha Head In the Game" with Troy and the basketball team, "Stick to the Status Quo" in the cafeteria as everyone shares their secret dream, and the finale "We're All In This Together." Hudgens gets a decent solo mid-way through after she thinks Troy isn't interested anymore, "When There Was Me and You."
What I Don't Like: First of all, the story is cliched to the max. It's basically a modern Grease with less grit, a slightly more likely ending, and a cast that doesn't look old enough to vote. Sharpay was popular enough to get her own spin-off in 2011, but her character is obnoxious and annoying, and does she have to scream so much? The love duets are syrupy-sweet and all sound alike, and they really don't give you an idea as to why everyone fell over themselves to get Troy and Gabriella into the show. (And obviously, this isn't for people who prefer their musicals darker ala Cabaret.)
The Big Picture: I can see why kids responded so strongly to this. The sugary and cliched story and dialogue are elevated by the spirited chorus numbers and energetic and talented cast. If you love Grease or other musical school tales, have kids who are musical fans, or remember when this was the biggest thing on cable, it's still highly recommended.
Home Media: Thanks to its tremendous popularity, it can be found in almost every possible format and version you can imagine, usually for under 10 dollars.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
High School Musical 2
Disney, 2007
Starring Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, and Corbin Bleu
Directed by Kenny Ortega
Music and Lyrics by various
The Story: Troy (Efron), Gabriella (Hudgens), and their friends are looking forward to a summer of fun, freedom, and hanging out together. He not only manages to land a job at Lava Springs Country Club, but encourages them to hire all his friends, including Gabriella. Sharpay (Tisdale), whose parents own the club, wants Troy and his amazing voice backing her in the club's big end-of-the-season talent show. She goes out of her way to have the manager Fulton (Mark L. Taylor) treat the kids badly and promote Troy. Her twin brother Ryan (Lucas Grabeel) is getting sick of being pushed aside, and goes to the other Wildcats to set up their own musical number in the show. Troy sees Gabrellia with Ryan and gets jealous, leading to him singing with Sharpay...or standing there mildly annoyed while Sharpay performs around him.
The kids now all see Troy as a traitor. The basketball team members won't speak to him, and Gabriella quits and and breaks off their relationship. As club employees, the kids have all been banned from the show, thanks to Sharpay's jealousy. He realizes how much he let his desire for a college scholarship and the preferential treatment from Sharpay and her parents go to his head. It takes intervention from Ryan to make his sister realize how selfish and silly she's being and bring Troy and Gabriella together.
The Song and Dance: Pretty much "more of the same, but outside." The country club setting allows for some nice cinematography and glowing colors, especially on the golf course, and it does feel a bit less claustrophobic than the original. Glad to see Grabeel come into his own here; he had some great footwork in the baseball number "I Don't Dance." Some of the adults registered a bit more strongly here, too, especially Robert Curtis Brown and Jessica Tuck as Sharpay and Ryan's parents.
Favorite Number: Along with "I Don't Dance," the kids have fun with the end-of-the-school-year opening "What Time Is It?" and "Work This Out" when they realize just how bad their jobs at the country club are. Troy and Gabriella's touching "You are the Music In Me" becomes a candy-colored routine for Sharpay and Troy that, of course, puts the emphasis on the former. Sharpay also gets the very funny "Fabulous," where she extols the virtues of her posh life and how she has to have the perfect everything, including the perfect guy.
What I Don't Like: If anything, this movie is even more cliched than the last one, and the main ballads are still too sugary. The emphasis on Troy, Sharpay, and Ryan means we see less of the other Wildcats, including Rulin and Bleu. And no matter how wonderful she thinks she is, Sharpay is just as annoying and screechy here as she was in the previous film. The additional number for her and Ryan as they're trying to persuade him to join their show is intentionally goofy and does nothing but scare Troy off and add to the film's length.
The Big Picture: Same deal. If you loved the first movie, you'll probably have just as much fun with the Wildcats' summer adventures.
Home Media: The version that's currently available online and on DVD includes the aforementioned extra number and once again is easy to find in a wide variety of formats.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Cabaret
ABC Pictures/Allied Artists, 1972
Starring Liza Minnelli, Joel Gray, Michael York, and Helmut Griem
Directed by Bob Fosse
Music by John Kander; Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Released at a low point for musicals in general, Cabaret became one of the most successful musical films in history, winning eight Oscars and making stars out of Minnelli and Gray. Does this decadent look at a changing Berlin in the early 30's earn it's "Money, Money?" Let's head to the infamous Kit Kat Klub in the heart of Berlin to find out...
The Story: Sally Bowles (Minnelli) is a singer in Berlin in 1931 who performs at the Kit Kat Klub, a sleazy nightspot. She meets a man from her boarding house, author and English teacher Brian Roberts (York), at the club one night. Despite his seeming disinterest, they eventually become friends, and then lovers. Sally and Brian eventually befriend Max (Griem), a rich German nobleman. He takes them to his country house and proceeds to have affairs with both. He eventually grows bored with them and heads to Argentina, leaving them money, to Sally's general lack of amusement. She's even less happy when she discovers that she's pregnant. Brian wants to take her back to England, but she has no interest in being a dull housewife and gets an abortion.
Two friends of theirs, Fritz, a German Jew who claims he's Christian (Fritz Wepper) and Natalia, a snooty German Jewish heiress (Marisa Berenson), don't do much better. He has to reveal his true religion to her parents...which turns out to not be the smartest thing he could do. The Nazis are rising to power, and they don't like anyone who is different from them, especially Jews. Meanwhile, the Master of Ceremonies (Gray) joins Sally and the dancers at the Kit Kat Klub in musical numbers that comment on the action, showing how the Nazis went in the space of two years from barely being tolerated in the Klub to having prime seats and influencing the numbers.
The Song and Dance: Gray's creepy performance and Minnelli's electric one won them both deserved Oscars. York and Griem are also excellent as the men in Sally's life who are more willing to get out of Germany before things get ugly. Fosse's dynamic direction turns the numbers into a riot of color and motion, showing off his famous knock-kneed, tight-limbed dancing style. The brilliant colors on the stage make a wonderful contrast to the darker tones in the non-musical segments and nearly shimmer in the spooky anthem "Tomorrow Belongs to Me." Love the art direction and costumes that ably capture all the glamour and hell-for-broke sexuality of Berlin in the early 30's, before the rise of the Nazis forced things to be toned down.
It's interesting how the movie portrays sexuality, especially homosexuality. At a time when the subject was just starting to come up more often in the US, it's pretty open about what Brian and Max were. Considering that the Nazis were even less fond of homosexuals than they were of Jews, it's probably just as well that both men left.
Favorite Number: Almost every song in this film has become iconic today, from Gray and Minnelli's classic bump-and-grind to "Money, Money" to Minnelli belting "Maybe This Time." The opening number "Willkomen" and title-song finale perfectly encapsulate the movie's themes as Gray introduces his "beautiful" girls in barely-there stripper costumes and black mascara, and then Sally pretty much demands that everyone join her in enjoying life, no matter what. "Mein Herr," with Sally dancing around the high-backed chair, is probably the one everybody thinks of when this movie comes to mind, along with the chilling Nazi ballad "Tomorrow Belongs to Me."
Trivia: Bob Fosse became the first director in history to win a Tony (for the show Pippin), Emmy (for the special Liza With a Z) and Oscar in one year.
This won eight Oscars in 1972, the most any movie has ever won without winning Best Picture.
The original stage version of Cabaret debuted in 1966. On stage, more time was spent away from the Kit Kat Klub, Brian was named Cliff and his sexuality was far less open, and the second couple were Sally and Cliff's German landlady and the kindly Jewish shopkeeper she was going to marry - until the Nazis come in. Gray had been the Master of Ceremonies in the original cast and would be the MC again in a 1987 Broadway revival. The show would turn up on Broadway again, with heavy revisions, in 1998 and 2014.
What I Don't Like: Definitely not for children, those who prefer their musicals on the lighter side, or aren't into Fosse's style. The book sequences between songs explore sexual, religious, and political themes in a way that's pretty darn grim. After all, this is a musical about the rise to power of one of the nastiest political groups in history. While the numbers do lighten things a bit, especially early-on, most of this is as dark as you can go. There's quite a bit of sex and adult themes, and we see the results of Brian getting a beating from Nazis (though not the actual beating).
Yet another musical I wish had kept more songs from its stage version. I understand that Fosse wanted to focus on the contrast between the escapism at the Kit Kat Klub and the difficulties of everyday life, but some of the cut songs are really good, including "Don't Tell Mama," "It Couldn't Please Me More," and "The Money Song."
The Big Finale: Adults who are fans of Fosse, Minnelli, or want to check out a more thoughtful and darker musical than usual will have a lot to chew on in this decadent, slightly sleazy tale.
Home Media: A restored Blu Ray edition was just released from the Warner Archives this past November.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Google Play
Starring Liza Minnelli, Joel Gray, Michael York, and Helmut Griem
Directed by Bob Fosse
Music by John Kander; Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Released at a low point for musicals in general, Cabaret became one of the most successful musical films in history, winning eight Oscars and making stars out of Minnelli and Gray. Does this decadent look at a changing Berlin in the early 30's earn it's "Money, Money?" Let's head to the infamous Kit Kat Klub in the heart of Berlin to find out...
The Story: Sally Bowles (Minnelli) is a singer in Berlin in 1931 who performs at the Kit Kat Klub, a sleazy nightspot. She meets a man from her boarding house, author and English teacher Brian Roberts (York), at the club one night. Despite his seeming disinterest, they eventually become friends, and then lovers. Sally and Brian eventually befriend Max (Griem), a rich German nobleman. He takes them to his country house and proceeds to have affairs with both. He eventually grows bored with them and heads to Argentina, leaving them money, to Sally's general lack of amusement. She's even less happy when she discovers that she's pregnant. Brian wants to take her back to England, but she has no interest in being a dull housewife and gets an abortion.
Two friends of theirs, Fritz, a German Jew who claims he's Christian (Fritz Wepper) and Natalia, a snooty German Jewish heiress (Marisa Berenson), don't do much better. He has to reveal his true religion to her parents...which turns out to not be the smartest thing he could do. The Nazis are rising to power, and they don't like anyone who is different from them, especially Jews. Meanwhile, the Master of Ceremonies (Gray) joins Sally and the dancers at the Kit Kat Klub in musical numbers that comment on the action, showing how the Nazis went in the space of two years from barely being tolerated in the Klub to having prime seats and influencing the numbers.
The Song and Dance: Gray's creepy performance and Minnelli's electric one won them both deserved Oscars. York and Griem are also excellent as the men in Sally's life who are more willing to get out of Germany before things get ugly. Fosse's dynamic direction turns the numbers into a riot of color and motion, showing off his famous knock-kneed, tight-limbed dancing style. The brilliant colors on the stage make a wonderful contrast to the darker tones in the non-musical segments and nearly shimmer in the spooky anthem "Tomorrow Belongs to Me." Love the art direction and costumes that ably capture all the glamour and hell-for-broke sexuality of Berlin in the early 30's, before the rise of the Nazis forced things to be toned down.
It's interesting how the movie portrays sexuality, especially homosexuality. At a time when the subject was just starting to come up more often in the US, it's pretty open about what Brian and Max were. Considering that the Nazis were even less fond of homosexuals than they were of Jews, it's probably just as well that both men left.
Favorite Number: Almost every song in this film has become iconic today, from Gray and Minnelli's classic bump-and-grind to "Money, Money" to Minnelli belting "Maybe This Time." The opening number "Willkomen" and title-song finale perfectly encapsulate the movie's themes as Gray introduces his "beautiful" girls in barely-there stripper costumes and black mascara, and then Sally pretty much demands that everyone join her in enjoying life, no matter what. "Mein Herr," with Sally dancing around the high-backed chair, is probably the one everybody thinks of when this movie comes to mind, along with the chilling Nazi ballad "Tomorrow Belongs to Me."
Trivia: Bob Fosse became the first director in history to win a Tony (for the show Pippin), Emmy (for the special Liza With a Z) and Oscar in one year.
This won eight Oscars in 1972, the most any movie has ever won without winning Best Picture.
The original stage version of Cabaret debuted in 1966. On stage, more time was spent away from the Kit Kat Klub, Brian was named Cliff and his sexuality was far less open, and the second couple were Sally and Cliff's German landlady and the kindly Jewish shopkeeper she was going to marry - until the Nazis come in. Gray had been the Master of Ceremonies in the original cast and would be the MC again in a 1987 Broadway revival. The show would turn up on Broadway again, with heavy revisions, in 1998 and 2014.
What I Don't Like: Definitely not for children, those who prefer their musicals on the lighter side, or aren't into Fosse's style. The book sequences between songs explore sexual, religious, and political themes in a way that's pretty darn grim. After all, this is a musical about the rise to power of one of the nastiest political groups in history. While the numbers do lighten things a bit, especially early-on, most of this is as dark as you can go. There's quite a bit of sex and adult themes, and we see the results of Brian getting a beating from Nazis (though not the actual beating).
Yet another musical I wish had kept more songs from its stage version. I understand that Fosse wanted to focus on the contrast between the escapism at the Kit Kat Klub and the difficulties of everyday life, but some of the cut songs are really good, including "Don't Tell Mama," "It Couldn't Please Me More," and "The Money Song."
The Big Finale: Adults who are fans of Fosse, Minnelli, or want to check out a more thoughtful and darker musical than usual will have a lot to chew on in this decadent, slightly sleazy tale.
Home Media: A restored Blu Ray edition was just released from the Warner Archives this past November.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Google Play
Saturday, January 26, 2019
Animation Celebration Saturday - Frozen
Disney, 2013
Starring Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff, and Josh Gad
Directed by Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck
Music by Robert Lopez; Lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez
I know you're probably sick of hearing about this movie, but between the recent cold snap in my part of the US and the sequel coming out in late November, I thought it was a good time to finally check out Disney's biggest hit animated film to date. It was a box-office bonanza in 2013 and remains hugely popular to this day, especially with young girls. Does it deserve the adoration, or should people "let it go?" Let's take a sled ride to the country of Arendelle to find out...
The Story: Anna (Bell) and Elsa (Mendel), the princesses of Arendelle, are best friends in their youth. Elsa has snow powers she would use to play with her sister...until an accident makes her parents fear for the girls' lives. They close the castle and shuts Elsa up in her room until she can learn to control her powers. Elsa never does; she learns to fear her magic, hiding it under thick gloves and insecurity. Anna, for her part, can't figure out why her sister has shut her out, especially after their parents die at sea.
Anna's ecstatic when they open the gates for Elsa's coronation. Finally, she'll get to be around people! Her utter desperation to be noticed leads her to Prince Hans (Santino Fontana), the youngest of 13 boys. He so charms her that she accepts right away when he proposes. Elsa thinks she's crazy for wanting to marry someone she's just met and won't give her blessings. Angry, Anna grabs at her gloves...and Elsa unthinkingly unleashes her powers, freezing the whole land. She runs off, sequestering herself in the North Mountains.
Upset and confused, Anna goes after her sister. She's helped on her way by Kristoff (Goff), an ice cutter, and his reindeer Sven (Frank Welker), Olaf (Gad), the snowman she and Elsa made as children, and the trolls who adopted Kristoff as a boy. Elsa accidentally freezes Anna's heart in an attempt to get her to leave. The trolls say that only an act of true love will save Anna...but as the sisters discover when Hans manipulates them into believing the other is dead, there's more than one type of true love in the world.
The Animation: Disney worked hard to properly render snow in CGI. They did amazing work. You feel cold just watching this movie. Everything is so tactile, you feel like you could reach out and touch Olaf, or slide down the hill with Olaf and Anna towards the end of the film. Elsa's "Let It Go" number really does throw everything that Disney has into it, and then some. The movie just glistens with the sharpest blues and whites this side of a ski resort. It looks amazing, especially at Elsa's ice palace and in the finale.
The Song and Dance: This was another Disney movie that had a long road to the big screen...and it was definitely worth the wait. Anna and Elsa are two of Disney's more unusual female characters; Anna is a cute chatterbox with a tough side, while Elsa is aloof and insecure but can be tender with those she loves. Olaf is not only (mostly) funny, but he and the (non-vocal) Sven are among the few animated sidekicks who have some bearing on the plot. There's even more than a hint of feminism in how Elsa repressed her powers in order to please well-meaning but smothering parents...only to for there to be major repercussions when they come blasting out.
The other unusual aspect here is the villain. Hans may seem charming and like he has Anna's best interests at heart...but he's actually out for his own gain. He reminds me a bit of Gaston in Beauty and the Beast. They were charming, handsome, witty...and could easily manipulate an entire town into thinking that someone who's different from them is a monster and he's a hero. In some ways, he's even more of a monster than Gaston, or Elsa, for that matter. Unlike Gaston, he knew Elsa was sensible and aloof enough not to fall for his smooth act, which is why he went after Anna. She was craving love so badly, she didn't pay attention to the signals that something was wrong until it was too late.
Favorite Number: By far the most famous song from this movie is Elsa's anthem "Let It Go"...and yeah, it's probably my favorite number, too. The animation as Elsa goes from frightened and slightly dowdy "good girl" to sparkling ice queen is the best in the film, and the song is equally powerful. I also like "Love Is an Open Door" for Anna and Hans after their second meeting at the coronation and Anna's heartbreaking "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" as she and Elsa grow up - and apart from each other.
Trivia: Disney started development on a Snow Queen movie or short around the same time in the late 30's that they began work on other Hans Christian Anderson stories like The Little Mermaid and The Steadfast Tin Soldier. The initial development was shelved due to World War II. They pulled it out again in the late 90's, only to put it back on the shelf when it lost its director. Pixar tried in the mid-2000's, and then in the late 2000's after they were purchased by Disney. It wasn't until after Tangled was a hit in 2010 that Disney returned to The Snow Queen and tried to figure out a way to make the title character more likable and interesting.
A stage version of Frozen debuted at the St. James Theater on Broadway in March of 2018 and is still running there at press time.
Frozen is the highest-grossing film of 2013, and is at press time the highest-grossing animated film of all time.
What I Don't Like: And on that note...like The Little Mermaid, I kind of wish more of the original Hans Christian Anderson story had made it into the film. In fact, other than a Snow Queen, a girl who has to rescue someone from her, a reindeer, and the snow background, this uses almost nothing from the actual fairy tale. (Maybe they could figure out how to bring some elements from the original story into the sequel...)
For all the wonderful music in this...I actually wish it was even more of a musical. There's only two chorus routines, one for the trolls, one in the opening for the ice cutters, and only one song for the sisters, and nothing in the last 20 minutes.
The Big Finale: Frozen may not be my all-time favorite Disney animated feature, but I like it enough to to understand why it was such a smash hit. If you have young girls, you've probably seen it a hundred times. If you haven't, don't let the relentless marketing put you off. This really is a charming and delightful film, with wonderful songs, gorgeous animation, and some fairly unique characters.
Home Media: I had such a hard time finding it when it came out, I eventually ordered my DVD online. It's a lot easier to come by now in most places - and unlike a lot of Disney animated features, it can be found in all major formats.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Starring Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff, and Josh Gad
Directed by Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck
Music by Robert Lopez; Lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez
I know you're probably sick of hearing about this movie, but between the recent cold snap in my part of the US and the sequel coming out in late November, I thought it was a good time to finally check out Disney's biggest hit animated film to date. It was a box-office bonanza in 2013 and remains hugely popular to this day, especially with young girls. Does it deserve the adoration, or should people "let it go?" Let's take a sled ride to the country of Arendelle to find out...
The Story: Anna (Bell) and Elsa (Mendel), the princesses of Arendelle, are best friends in their youth. Elsa has snow powers she would use to play with her sister...until an accident makes her parents fear for the girls' lives. They close the castle and shuts Elsa up in her room until she can learn to control her powers. Elsa never does; she learns to fear her magic, hiding it under thick gloves and insecurity. Anna, for her part, can't figure out why her sister has shut her out, especially after their parents die at sea.
Anna's ecstatic when they open the gates for Elsa's coronation. Finally, she'll get to be around people! Her utter desperation to be noticed leads her to Prince Hans (Santino Fontana), the youngest of 13 boys. He so charms her that she accepts right away when he proposes. Elsa thinks she's crazy for wanting to marry someone she's just met and won't give her blessings. Angry, Anna grabs at her gloves...and Elsa unthinkingly unleashes her powers, freezing the whole land. She runs off, sequestering herself in the North Mountains.
Upset and confused, Anna goes after her sister. She's helped on her way by Kristoff (Goff), an ice cutter, and his reindeer Sven (Frank Welker), Olaf (Gad), the snowman she and Elsa made as children, and the trolls who adopted Kristoff as a boy. Elsa accidentally freezes Anna's heart in an attempt to get her to leave. The trolls say that only an act of true love will save Anna...but as the sisters discover when Hans manipulates them into believing the other is dead, there's more than one type of true love in the world.
The Animation: Disney worked hard to properly render snow in CGI. They did amazing work. You feel cold just watching this movie. Everything is so tactile, you feel like you could reach out and touch Olaf, or slide down the hill with Olaf and Anna towards the end of the film. Elsa's "Let It Go" number really does throw everything that Disney has into it, and then some. The movie just glistens with the sharpest blues and whites this side of a ski resort. It looks amazing, especially at Elsa's ice palace and in the finale.
The Song and Dance: This was another Disney movie that had a long road to the big screen...and it was definitely worth the wait. Anna and Elsa are two of Disney's more unusual female characters; Anna is a cute chatterbox with a tough side, while Elsa is aloof and insecure but can be tender with those she loves. Olaf is not only (mostly) funny, but he and the (non-vocal) Sven are among the few animated sidekicks who have some bearing on the plot. There's even more than a hint of feminism in how Elsa repressed her powers in order to please well-meaning but smothering parents...only to for there to be major repercussions when they come blasting out.
The other unusual aspect here is the villain. Hans may seem charming and like he has Anna's best interests at heart...but he's actually out for his own gain. He reminds me a bit of Gaston in Beauty and the Beast. They were charming, handsome, witty...and could easily manipulate an entire town into thinking that someone who's different from them is a monster and he's a hero. In some ways, he's even more of a monster than Gaston, or Elsa, for that matter. Unlike Gaston, he knew Elsa was sensible and aloof enough not to fall for his smooth act, which is why he went after Anna. She was craving love so badly, she didn't pay attention to the signals that something was wrong until it was too late.
Favorite Number: By far the most famous song from this movie is Elsa's anthem "Let It Go"...and yeah, it's probably my favorite number, too. The animation as Elsa goes from frightened and slightly dowdy "good girl" to sparkling ice queen is the best in the film, and the song is equally powerful. I also like "Love Is an Open Door" for Anna and Hans after their second meeting at the coronation and Anna's heartbreaking "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" as she and Elsa grow up - and apart from each other.
Trivia: Disney started development on a Snow Queen movie or short around the same time in the late 30's that they began work on other Hans Christian Anderson stories like The Little Mermaid and The Steadfast Tin Soldier. The initial development was shelved due to World War II. They pulled it out again in the late 90's, only to put it back on the shelf when it lost its director. Pixar tried in the mid-2000's, and then in the late 2000's after they were purchased by Disney. It wasn't until after Tangled was a hit in 2010 that Disney returned to The Snow Queen and tried to figure out a way to make the title character more likable and interesting.
A stage version of Frozen debuted at the St. James Theater on Broadway in March of 2018 and is still running there at press time.
Frozen is the highest-grossing film of 2013, and is at press time the highest-grossing animated film of all time.
What I Don't Like: And on that note...like The Little Mermaid, I kind of wish more of the original Hans Christian Anderson story had made it into the film. In fact, other than a Snow Queen, a girl who has to rescue someone from her, a reindeer, and the snow background, this uses almost nothing from the actual fairy tale. (Maybe they could figure out how to bring some elements from the original story into the sequel...)
For all the wonderful music in this...I actually wish it was even more of a musical. There's only two chorus routines, one for the trolls, one in the opening for the ice cutters, and only one song for the sisters, and nothing in the last 20 minutes.
The Big Finale: Frozen may not be my all-time favorite Disney animated feature, but I like it enough to to understand why it was such a smash hit. If you have young girls, you've probably seen it a hundred times. If you haven't, don't let the relentless marketing put you off. This really is a charming and delightful film, with wonderful songs, gorgeous animation, and some fairly unique characters.
Home Media: I had such a hard time finding it when it came out, I eventually ordered my DVD online. It's a lot easier to come by now in most places - and unlike a lot of Disney animated features, it can be found in all major formats.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Thursday, January 24, 2019
42nd Street
Warner Bros, 1933
Starring Ruby Keeler, Warner Baxter, Dick Powell, and Ginger Rogers
Directed by Lloyd Bacon; Musical Numbers Directed by Busby Berkeley
Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Al Dubin
We're going way back tonight to what is not only considered to be the archetypal backstage musical, but the movie that helped revive the genre on the big screen. Musicals - especially backstage musicals - were huge when sound came in, but the studios tossed out too many frivolous pieces of nonsense. Warners got around this by giving 42nd Street a slightly darker story that was more in line with the tastes of Depression audiences and employing an all-star cast. Let's head to a theater in New York to see if it really "goes out there a nobody and comes back a star!"
The Story: In the depths of the Great Depression, almost everyone on Broadway is thrilled when popular producers Jones (Robert McWade) and Barry (Ned Sparks) announce that they're putting on a new musical, Pretty Baby, with popular star Dorothy Brock (Bebe Daniels). Brock is stringing along a backer, kiddie car magnate Abner Diller (Guy Kibbe) while seeing her former vaudeville partner Pat Denning (George Brent) on the side. They hire notoriously tough Julian Marsh (Baxter) as the director. Marsh has to make this a hit in order to recoup his losses from the Stock Market Crash and have enough to retire on.
Among the ladies who make it through the audition are ditzy Lorraine Fleming (Una Merkel), brassy Ann "Anytime Annie" Lowell (Rogers), and sweet newcomer Peggy Saywer (Keeler). Singer Billy Lawler (Powell) has taken a shine to Peggy...but so has Pat. Marsh continues to berate and push and shove the entire cast through rehearsals and right up through the day before the out-of-town opening in Philadelphia. Brock finally learns about Pat's interest in Peggy during the cast party, where she throws a fit that ends with her breaking her ankle.
The show is about to close when Annie suggests that Peggy, while not the best singer, can certainly dance rings around Brock. Now inexperienced Peggy has to carry an entire show on her poofy-sleeved shoulders. She's not so sure she can do it, but Marsh reminds her that she has to do her best in one of the most famous lines in any musical, "You're going out there a youngster, but you're coming back a star!"
The Song and Dance: Keeler and Powell may have been the ones who became stars, but honestly, my favorite thing about this along with the famous Busby Berkley dance routines are the supporting cast and the snappy script. Merkel and Rogers get some of the movie's funniest lines as New York's sassiest chorus girls, with dour Ned Sparks getting a few good lines in as the more pessimistic of the two producers. Baxter, on the other hand, puts in one of his best dramatic performances as the director desperate to make one last stand on Broadway.
Favorite Number: Although "You're Getting to Be a Habit With Me" for Bebe Daniels and the chorus boys early on is pretty fun, most of the movie's most famous numbers turn up in the finale. Merkel and Rogers' wisecracks liven the slightly cutesy "Shuffle Off to Buffalo," while "Young and Healthy" shows off Powell's light tenor and some of Berkley's most famous camera and dance formations (not to mention the "under the legs" shot that has turned up in many other Berkley homages).
They save the best for last here. Keeler may not be a great singer, but her dancing in the title number is pretty darn good, enough to understand why this movie really did make her a star. We also get an attempt at drama far above the norm for a 30's musical, including glimpses of abuse and a murder, along with more Berkley camera-driven formations.
Trivia: This was one of the earliest movie musicals transferred to the stage. The Broadway version debuted in 1980, with Jerry Orbach as Julian Marsh and Tammy Grimes as Dorothy Brock. It was a huge hit, both in its original cast and in a 2001 revival. In fact, an equally popular revival just wound down a few weeks ago on London's West End.
The movie got two Oscar nods for Best Picture and Best Sound.
Warren and Dubin themselves can briefly be seen as the show's songwriters.
What I Don't Like: Keeler's only passable as the nice girl among the wolves when she's not dancing, while Powell comes off as way too coy. I almost kind of wish the film had gone the route of the Broadway version and had her end up with Marsh instead of Billy. (In the original book, Billy actually ended up with Marsh, which definitely wasn't going to happen in the movies in 1933.) Some of the Depression references may fly over the heads of those who don't understand the era.
The Big Finale: A funny, fast-paced, and fairly gritty script, Berkeley's oft-imitated kaleidoscope musical numbers, and some nice performances from the supporting cast make this a landmark musical and a must-see for anyone who loves the genre or wants to check out what made Berkeley and his movies famous.
Home Media: The solo DVD is out of print, but the Warner Archives Blu-Ray is available, and it can be found on several collections of Busby Berkeley musicals of the 1930's. (And I highly recommend both the original and 2001 revival Broadway casts on CD as well - they're both fun.)
DVD
Blu-Ray
DVD - Busby Berkeley Collection: The 10 Pack
Starring Ruby Keeler, Warner Baxter, Dick Powell, and Ginger Rogers
Directed by Lloyd Bacon; Musical Numbers Directed by Busby Berkeley
Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Al Dubin
We're going way back tonight to what is not only considered to be the archetypal backstage musical, but the movie that helped revive the genre on the big screen. Musicals - especially backstage musicals - were huge when sound came in, but the studios tossed out too many frivolous pieces of nonsense. Warners got around this by giving 42nd Street a slightly darker story that was more in line with the tastes of Depression audiences and employing an all-star cast. Let's head to a theater in New York to see if it really "goes out there a nobody and comes back a star!"
The Story: In the depths of the Great Depression, almost everyone on Broadway is thrilled when popular producers Jones (Robert McWade) and Barry (Ned Sparks) announce that they're putting on a new musical, Pretty Baby, with popular star Dorothy Brock (Bebe Daniels). Brock is stringing along a backer, kiddie car magnate Abner Diller (Guy Kibbe) while seeing her former vaudeville partner Pat Denning (George Brent) on the side. They hire notoriously tough Julian Marsh (Baxter) as the director. Marsh has to make this a hit in order to recoup his losses from the Stock Market Crash and have enough to retire on.
Among the ladies who make it through the audition are ditzy Lorraine Fleming (Una Merkel), brassy Ann "Anytime Annie" Lowell (Rogers), and sweet newcomer Peggy Saywer (Keeler). Singer Billy Lawler (Powell) has taken a shine to Peggy...but so has Pat. Marsh continues to berate and push and shove the entire cast through rehearsals and right up through the day before the out-of-town opening in Philadelphia. Brock finally learns about Pat's interest in Peggy during the cast party, where she throws a fit that ends with her breaking her ankle.
The show is about to close when Annie suggests that Peggy, while not the best singer, can certainly dance rings around Brock. Now inexperienced Peggy has to carry an entire show on her poofy-sleeved shoulders. She's not so sure she can do it, but Marsh reminds her that she has to do her best in one of the most famous lines in any musical, "You're going out there a youngster, but you're coming back a star!"
The Song and Dance: Keeler and Powell may have been the ones who became stars, but honestly, my favorite thing about this along with the famous Busby Berkley dance routines are the supporting cast and the snappy script. Merkel and Rogers get some of the movie's funniest lines as New York's sassiest chorus girls, with dour Ned Sparks getting a few good lines in as the more pessimistic of the two producers. Baxter, on the other hand, puts in one of his best dramatic performances as the director desperate to make one last stand on Broadway.
Favorite Number: Although "You're Getting to Be a Habit With Me" for Bebe Daniels and the chorus boys early on is pretty fun, most of the movie's most famous numbers turn up in the finale. Merkel and Rogers' wisecracks liven the slightly cutesy "Shuffle Off to Buffalo," while "Young and Healthy" shows off Powell's light tenor and some of Berkley's most famous camera and dance formations (not to mention the "under the legs" shot that has turned up in many other Berkley homages).
They save the best for last here. Keeler may not be a great singer, but her dancing in the title number is pretty darn good, enough to understand why this movie really did make her a star. We also get an attempt at drama far above the norm for a 30's musical, including glimpses of abuse and a murder, along with more Berkley camera-driven formations.
Trivia: This was one of the earliest movie musicals transferred to the stage. The Broadway version debuted in 1980, with Jerry Orbach as Julian Marsh and Tammy Grimes as Dorothy Brock. It was a huge hit, both in its original cast and in a 2001 revival. In fact, an equally popular revival just wound down a few weeks ago on London's West End.
The movie got two Oscar nods for Best Picture and Best Sound.
Warren and Dubin themselves can briefly be seen as the show's songwriters.
What I Don't Like: Keeler's only passable as the nice girl among the wolves when she's not dancing, while Powell comes off as way too coy. I almost kind of wish the film had gone the route of the Broadway version and had her end up with Marsh instead of Billy. (In the original book, Billy actually ended up with Marsh, which definitely wasn't going to happen in the movies in 1933.) Some of the Depression references may fly over the heads of those who don't understand the era.
The Big Finale: A funny, fast-paced, and fairly gritty script, Berkeley's oft-imitated kaleidoscope musical numbers, and some nice performances from the supporting cast make this a landmark musical and a must-see for anyone who loves the genre or wants to check out what made Berkeley and his movies famous.
Home Media: The solo DVD is out of print, but the Warner Archives Blu-Ray is available, and it can be found on several collections of Busby Berkeley musicals of the 1930's. (And I highly recommend both the original and 2001 revival Broadway casts on CD as well - they're both fun.)
DVD
Blu-Ray
DVD - Busby Berkeley Collection: The 10 Pack
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Dreamgirls
Dreamworks/Paramount, 2006
Starring Jennifer Hudson, Beyonce Knowles, Jamie Foxx, and Eddie Murphy
Directed by Bill Condon
Music by Henry Krieger and others; Lyrics by Tom Eyan and others
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day yesterday, I'm reviewing one of the biggest hit musical films of the last decade or so. The tale of a female African-American R&B group who rise to the top of the charts during the Civil Rights Movement era was a hit in 2006 and won an Oscar for newcomer Jennifer Hudson. Is this a dream of a movie, or should it be left behind? Let's head to a theater in Detroit, Michigan in 1962 and find out...
The Story: Effie White (Hudson), Deena Jones (Knowels), and Lorrell Robinson (Anika Noni Rose) are best friends from Detroit who sing together as the group the Dreamettes. Though they lose an amateur contest at their local theater, they catch the eye of car salesman Curtis Taylor Jr. (Foxx). He hires the girls as backup singers for dynamic R&B star Jimmy "Thunder" Early (Murphy) and starts his own record label, Rainbow Records. Effie falls hard for Curtis, while Lorrell starts an affair with Jimmy, despite him being married.
After their first single flops when it's covered by a white surf group, Curtis uses some unscrupulous tactics - including paying off DJs - to make sure their next number is heard. His attempt to tone down Jimmy's act and play it at the very white Miami Beach goes over less well. The Dreamettes, rechristened The Dreams, are now split into their own group, with Deena leading over Effie's objections. The fame is enough at first, until Effie realizes how much attention Curtis is lavishing on conventionally slim and pretty Deena. It comes to an explosive confrontation on New Year's Eve when Effie learns that she's being replaced by Curtis' thinner secretary Michelle (Sharon Leal) just as she's about to tell Curtis that she's pregnant.
Though the Dreams go on to massive worldwide success, Curtis is the only one who's happy. He's micro-managing every aspect of Deena's career, including trying to push her into a huge Cleopatra biopic she knows she's unsuited for. Lorrell still can't get Jimmy to leave his wife, and he's now addicted to heavy drugs, too. Effie's brother CC (Keith Robinson) is tired of hearing his heartfelt ballads turned into disco dance tunes and turns to his big sister, who is finally getting back on her feet after years of being a broke single mother. It'll take tragedy and another payola scam to finally make the Dreams realize how much Curtis has manipulated them...and push them into fighting for their real dream.
The Song and Dance: Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy were nominated for Oscars for their amazing work here; Hudson deservedly won. I actually saw this movie at the theater with a friend on opening night, and I can assure that people went crazy after Hudson nearly blew the roof off the theater with her powerful "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going." Murphy's portrayal of a cocky fading R&B star is nearly as good. Knowles, Rose, and Foxx are also excellent as the remaining Dreams and the master manipulator who uses them to get an "in" with rich white audiences. I also love the colorful, period-accurate costumes and hair and makeup that give you a wonderful idea of what both black and white audiences expected of performers in the 60's and 70's.
Favorite Number: Along with the afore-mentioned "Not Going," my favorite song is the hard-hitting chorus number "Steppin' to the Bad Side," performed with verve by Murphy and the ladies. I'm also a big fan of Hudson's ballad "Love You I Do," which was written directly for the film, as was Beyonce's heartfelt "Listen." Foxx also gets a gorgeous ballad, "When I First Saw You," which he performs over a stylish montage of glamour shots of Deena at the height of her celebrity.
(And no offense to Effie and Hudson, but I kind of like the energetic Dreams disco version of "One Night Only" better than Effie's darker Dionne Warwick-style take.)
Trivia: The singer who performs "I Miss You, Old Friend" at Jimmy's wake was Loretta Divine, who played Lorrell in the original 1984 stage cast of Dreamgirls.
What I Don't Like: This is another musical where I wish they could have kept more of the original stage songs, including a solo for Lorrell, "Ain't No Party." The movie's message about the hard work and sacrifice needed in show business, as well as social acclimation and what happens when we give up our cultural identity for fame, can occasionally be a little heavy-handed, especially in the second half of the film.
The Big Finale: I loved this movie when I saw it with my friend in December 2006, and I love it now. It's one of my favorite movies of the last decade or so. If you love the cast or have any interest in the history of rock, Motown, or R&B, you'll want to make this movie your dream, too.
Home Media: Not only is the original DVD and Blu-Ray still widely available, but a "Director's Cut" with 10 minutes more of footage was released two years ago.
DVD
Blu-Ray - Director's Cut
Amazon Prime
Starring Jennifer Hudson, Beyonce Knowles, Jamie Foxx, and Eddie Murphy
Directed by Bill Condon
Music by Henry Krieger and others; Lyrics by Tom Eyan and others
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day yesterday, I'm reviewing one of the biggest hit musical films of the last decade or so. The tale of a female African-American R&B group who rise to the top of the charts during the Civil Rights Movement era was a hit in 2006 and won an Oscar for newcomer Jennifer Hudson. Is this a dream of a movie, or should it be left behind? Let's head to a theater in Detroit, Michigan in 1962 and find out...
The Story: Effie White (Hudson), Deena Jones (Knowels), and Lorrell Robinson (Anika Noni Rose) are best friends from Detroit who sing together as the group the Dreamettes. Though they lose an amateur contest at their local theater, they catch the eye of car salesman Curtis Taylor Jr. (Foxx). He hires the girls as backup singers for dynamic R&B star Jimmy "Thunder" Early (Murphy) and starts his own record label, Rainbow Records. Effie falls hard for Curtis, while Lorrell starts an affair with Jimmy, despite him being married.
After their first single flops when it's covered by a white surf group, Curtis uses some unscrupulous tactics - including paying off DJs - to make sure their next number is heard. His attempt to tone down Jimmy's act and play it at the very white Miami Beach goes over less well. The Dreamettes, rechristened The Dreams, are now split into their own group, with Deena leading over Effie's objections. The fame is enough at first, until Effie realizes how much attention Curtis is lavishing on conventionally slim and pretty Deena. It comes to an explosive confrontation on New Year's Eve when Effie learns that she's being replaced by Curtis' thinner secretary Michelle (Sharon Leal) just as she's about to tell Curtis that she's pregnant.
Though the Dreams go on to massive worldwide success, Curtis is the only one who's happy. He's micro-managing every aspect of Deena's career, including trying to push her into a huge Cleopatra biopic she knows she's unsuited for. Lorrell still can't get Jimmy to leave his wife, and he's now addicted to heavy drugs, too. Effie's brother CC (Keith Robinson) is tired of hearing his heartfelt ballads turned into disco dance tunes and turns to his big sister, who is finally getting back on her feet after years of being a broke single mother. It'll take tragedy and another payola scam to finally make the Dreams realize how much Curtis has manipulated them...and push them into fighting for their real dream.
The Song and Dance: Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy were nominated for Oscars for their amazing work here; Hudson deservedly won. I actually saw this movie at the theater with a friend on opening night, and I can assure that people went crazy after Hudson nearly blew the roof off the theater with her powerful "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going." Murphy's portrayal of a cocky fading R&B star is nearly as good. Knowles, Rose, and Foxx are also excellent as the remaining Dreams and the master manipulator who uses them to get an "in" with rich white audiences. I also love the colorful, period-accurate costumes and hair and makeup that give you a wonderful idea of what both black and white audiences expected of performers in the 60's and 70's.
Favorite Number: Along with the afore-mentioned "Not Going," my favorite song is the hard-hitting chorus number "Steppin' to the Bad Side," performed with verve by Murphy and the ladies. I'm also a big fan of Hudson's ballad "Love You I Do," which was written directly for the film, as was Beyonce's heartfelt "Listen." Foxx also gets a gorgeous ballad, "When I First Saw You," which he performs over a stylish montage of glamour shots of Deena at the height of her celebrity.
(And no offense to Effie and Hudson, but I kind of like the energetic Dreams disco version of "One Night Only" better than Effie's darker Dionne Warwick-style take.)
Trivia: The singer who performs "I Miss You, Old Friend" at Jimmy's wake was Loretta Divine, who played Lorrell in the original 1984 stage cast of Dreamgirls.
What I Don't Like: This is another musical where I wish they could have kept more of the original stage songs, including a solo for Lorrell, "Ain't No Party." The movie's message about the hard work and sacrifice needed in show business, as well as social acclimation and what happens when we give up our cultural identity for fame, can occasionally be a little heavy-handed, especially in the second half of the film.
The Big Finale: I loved this movie when I saw it with my friend in December 2006, and I love it now. It's one of my favorite movies of the last decade or so. If you love the cast or have any interest in the history of rock, Motown, or R&B, you'll want to make this movie your dream, too.
Home Media: Not only is the original DVD and Blu-Ray still widely available, but a "Director's Cut" with 10 minutes more of footage was released two years ago.
DVD
Blu-Ray - Director's Cut
Amazon Prime
Saturday, January 19, 2019
Musical Documentaries - Broadway: The American Musical
PBS, 2004
Hosted by Julie Andrews
Directed by Michael Kandor
Music by Irving Berlin, George M. Cohan, and others
Tonight, we're going to launch a new occasional series. Documentaries and musicals have exploded in popularity in the last decade. People have increasingly turned to non-fiction programming on YouTube and elsewhere for news and information, while the song and dance on shows like America's Got Talent and Dancing With the Stars have reintroduced many viewers to live musical performance. That revival was just beginning when this miniseries covering the history of the stage musical was a major event on PBS in 2004. Is it as entertaining as many of the shows it discusses? Let's join Julie Andrews onstage at the Shubert and New Amsterdam Theaters in New York to find out...
The Story: Julie Andrews hosts six hour-long documentaries covering the history of the American stage musical, featuring interviews with either historians, people who lived through the era (or who knew people who did), and current stage and musical stars. The episodes are peppered with archival footage, stills of shows, song recordings, Tony Awards performances, and in the first three episodes, current stage stars acting as the "voices" of the stars of the early part of the 20th century.
Give My Regards To Broadway: 1893-1927 - We learn about Times Square's humble beginnings as the tenderloin Longacre Square, archetypal Broadway producer Florenz Ziegfeld and his famous Follies reviews, nervy writer/director/dancer George M. Cohan bringing a truly American sound to the New York stage, Jewish comedienne Fanny Brice, African-American comedian Bert Williams and the early experiences of minorities on Broadway, the Actors Equity strike of 1919, how World War I effected Broadway, and the creation of the first truly integrated musical, Show Boat.
Syncopated City: 1919-1933 - Spread from coast to coast by radio, talking movies, and syndicated news columns, New York's fascinating rhythms captured the heart of America like never before or since with flappers like Marilyn Miller who could look sweet and dance hot, blacks pushing for more of a presence in Shuffle Along, the success of jazzy young songwriters like Rodgers and Hart and the Gershwin brothers, writers and journalists like Walter Winchell creating a new, slangy American vernacular, Cinderella tales of pretty young girls who meet the millionaire of their dreams, and flashy singers like blackface-wearing Al Jolson and comedian Eddie Cantor. It all came crashing down in the early 30's, thanks to the one-two-three punch of vaudeville winding down, talkies causing talent to head west to LA, and the onset of the Depression.
I Got Plenty O' Nuthin: 1929-1942 - The Depression effected millions around the globe, and it hit Broadway especially hard. The difficult times created shows and talents that could never have come out more flush eras, including brassy singer Ethel Merman, bluesy Ethel Waters, and dancers Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. Hit shows included George Gershwin's ambitious folk opera Porgy & Bess, the the political satire Of Thee I Sing (which became the first musical to win a Pulitzer), and revues with a social conscious with songs like "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" and "Supper Time," the glamorous comedies of wealthy songwriter Cole Porter, and "Cradle Will Rock," an opera developed by the Federal Theater that was so politically charged, director Orson Welles and producer John Houseman had to have the cast perform it in the seats and boxes of the theater, because the government wouldn't let them onstage. Irving Berlin returns with the all-soldier revue "This Is the Army" as the US enters World War II.
Oh What a Beautiful Mornin': 1942-1960 - Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein were looking for new writing partners just as the US became involved in World War II. They turned the dramatic play Green Grow the Lilacs into the dramatic musical Oklahoma!, and turned Broadway on its ear. Oklahoma! was not only the biggest stage hit of the war years, but proved once and for all that the book of a musical could function as more than waits between songs. Their work inspired not only a new generation of songwriters like Frank Loesser, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Jules Styne, and Leonard Bernstein, but brought out some of Irving Berlin's best work in Annie Get Your Gun and encouraged Cole Porter to revive his career with Kiss Me Kate.
Tradition: 1957-1979 - Rodgers and Hammestein were hardly the only songwriters whose work enlivened the Golden Age of the American Musical. Starting with the darkly romantic smash West Side Story, Stephan Sondheim wrote shows like A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Pacific Overtures, and Sweeney Todd that pushed the boundaries of what the musical could do. Songwriters Kander and Ebb and director Harold Prince turned the decadent Caberet and cynical Chicago into brazen commentaries on American life in the mid-20th century. Even as Jerry Herman wrote music for effervescent and brash comedies like Mame and Hello Dolly!, the US was being rocked by cultural upheavals, including New Yorkers leaving a crumbling city for the suburbs, rock music replacing the Broadway sound in the hearts of many young people, and the Vietnam War and Civil Rights Movement causing a vast generation gap. Shows with up-to-date rock scores like Hair and Grease sought to recapture the imagination of the younger generation, while Jerome Robbins' Fiddler on the Roof and Bob Fosse's shows like Pippin introduced the musical to darker, more integrated dance routines.
Putting It Together: 1980-2004 - After years of decline, New York roared back to life as British producer Cameron Macintosh brought a series of massive London and Paris stage hits to the US. Miss Saigon, Cats, Sunset Boulevard, Les Miserables, and The Phantom of the Opera delighted audiences with their spectacle, larger-than-life plots, and gorgeous music. Stephan Sondheim brought out his final shows in the 80's and early 90's, including Sunday In the Park With George, the fairy-tale fantasy Into the Woods, and the daring off-Broadway revue Assassins.
The AIDS crisis of the 1980's cut a large swath through the Broadway community, killing many promising talents, even as the first show about a gay couple, La Cage Aux Folles, debuted. The success of the Disney company with their animated musicals in the 90's inspired them to bring these shows to the stage, beginning with Beauty and the Beast. Their restoration of the New Amsterdam Theater encouraged Times Square to finally clean up its act. Even as Broadway sees a revival with hits like the historical drama Ragtime and the comedy The Producers, the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 suddenly makes all Americans understand just how important Broadway and its productions are to the country's mindset.
The Song and Dance: What I love about this is the sheer amount of archival footage and interviews. Many of these people, especially in the first three episodes, are no longer with us, making the interviews doubly important. Those first three episodes in particular cover parts of history that don't often turn up elsewhere, like the treatment of early minority performers like Bert Williams, the 1919 Actors' Equity strike, and discussions of performers like Brice and Miller who aren't as well-known today. Some of that footage was hard to find until the rise of YouTube and other internet video streaming sites.
What I Don't Like: As comprehensive as this is, I wish it had gone even further into its subject. I would have liked to have heard more about the American operettas of the 10's and 20's and how they helped shape the modern integrated musical, for instance, or about German songwriter Kurt Weill, whose groundbreaking work included the 40's hits Lady In the Dark and One Touch of Venus. I also wish they'd found better footage - some of it was grainy or washed out, or just not in good shape, even for later shows.
Wish PBS would consider updating this. I'd love to see another segment covering more recent musicals, discusing the rise of hits like Hamilton, Into the Heights, Memphis, Dear Evan Hansen, Kinky Boots, Matilda, Fun House, Next to Normal, Come From Away, and even Disney's Frozen and stage version of Newsies.
The Big Finale: Even with the above caveats, what they do include is absolutely fascinating. If you love musicals, especially stage musical, and want to learn more about their history, this is a great place to start.
Home Media: Wildly out-of-print and unavailable for streaming at present - the Blu-Ray is slightly cheaper than the insanely expensive DVD set. Your best bet may be to look for this one used, like I did.
Blu-Ray
Hosted by Julie Andrews
Directed by Michael Kandor
Music by Irving Berlin, George M. Cohan, and others
Tonight, we're going to launch a new occasional series. Documentaries and musicals have exploded in popularity in the last decade. People have increasingly turned to non-fiction programming on YouTube and elsewhere for news and information, while the song and dance on shows like America's Got Talent and Dancing With the Stars have reintroduced many viewers to live musical performance. That revival was just beginning when this miniseries covering the history of the stage musical was a major event on PBS in 2004. Is it as entertaining as many of the shows it discusses? Let's join Julie Andrews onstage at the Shubert and New Amsterdam Theaters in New York to find out...
The Story: Julie Andrews hosts six hour-long documentaries covering the history of the American stage musical, featuring interviews with either historians, people who lived through the era (or who knew people who did), and current stage and musical stars. The episodes are peppered with archival footage, stills of shows, song recordings, Tony Awards performances, and in the first three episodes, current stage stars acting as the "voices" of the stars of the early part of the 20th century.
Give My Regards To Broadway: 1893-1927 - We learn about Times Square's humble beginnings as the tenderloin Longacre Square, archetypal Broadway producer Florenz Ziegfeld and his famous Follies reviews, nervy writer/director/dancer George M. Cohan bringing a truly American sound to the New York stage, Jewish comedienne Fanny Brice, African-American comedian Bert Williams and the early experiences of minorities on Broadway, the Actors Equity strike of 1919, how World War I effected Broadway, and the creation of the first truly integrated musical, Show Boat.
Syncopated City: 1919-1933 - Spread from coast to coast by radio, talking movies, and syndicated news columns, New York's fascinating rhythms captured the heart of America like never before or since with flappers like Marilyn Miller who could look sweet and dance hot, blacks pushing for more of a presence in Shuffle Along, the success of jazzy young songwriters like Rodgers and Hart and the Gershwin brothers, writers and journalists like Walter Winchell creating a new, slangy American vernacular, Cinderella tales of pretty young girls who meet the millionaire of their dreams, and flashy singers like blackface-wearing Al Jolson and comedian Eddie Cantor. It all came crashing down in the early 30's, thanks to the one-two-three punch of vaudeville winding down, talkies causing talent to head west to LA, and the onset of the Depression.
I Got Plenty O' Nuthin: 1929-1942 - The Depression effected millions around the globe, and it hit Broadway especially hard. The difficult times created shows and talents that could never have come out more flush eras, including brassy singer Ethel Merman, bluesy Ethel Waters, and dancers Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. Hit shows included George Gershwin's ambitious folk opera Porgy & Bess, the the political satire Of Thee I Sing (which became the first musical to win a Pulitzer), and revues with a social conscious with songs like "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" and "Supper Time," the glamorous comedies of wealthy songwriter Cole Porter, and "Cradle Will Rock," an opera developed by the Federal Theater that was so politically charged, director Orson Welles and producer John Houseman had to have the cast perform it in the seats and boxes of the theater, because the government wouldn't let them onstage. Irving Berlin returns with the all-soldier revue "This Is the Army" as the US enters World War II.
Oh What a Beautiful Mornin': 1942-1960 - Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein were looking for new writing partners just as the US became involved in World War II. They turned the dramatic play Green Grow the Lilacs into the dramatic musical Oklahoma!, and turned Broadway on its ear. Oklahoma! was not only the biggest stage hit of the war years, but proved once and for all that the book of a musical could function as more than waits between songs. Their work inspired not only a new generation of songwriters like Frank Loesser, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Jules Styne, and Leonard Bernstein, but brought out some of Irving Berlin's best work in Annie Get Your Gun and encouraged Cole Porter to revive his career with Kiss Me Kate.
Tradition: 1957-1979 - Rodgers and Hammestein were hardly the only songwriters whose work enlivened the Golden Age of the American Musical. Starting with the darkly romantic smash West Side Story, Stephan Sondheim wrote shows like A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Pacific Overtures, and Sweeney Todd that pushed the boundaries of what the musical could do. Songwriters Kander and Ebb and director Harold Prince turned the decadent Caberet and cynical Chicago into brazen commentaries on American life in the mid-20th century. Even as Jerry Herman wrote music for effervescent and brash comedies like Mame and Hello Dolly!, the US was being rocked by cultural upheavals, including New Yorkers leaving a crumbling city for the suburbs, rock music replacing the Broadway sound in the hearts of many young people, and the Vietnam War and Civil Rights Movement causing a vast generation gap. Shows with up-to-date rock scores like Hair and Grease sought to recapture the imagination of the younger generation, while Jerome Robbins' Fiddler on the Roof and Bob Fosse's shows like Pippin introduced the musical to darker, more integrated dance routines.
Putting It Together: 1980-2004 - After years of decline, New York roared back to life as British producer Cameron Macintosh brought a series of massive London and Paris stage hits to the US. Miss Saigon, Cats, Sunset Boulevard, Les Miserables, and The Phantom of the Opera delighted audiences with their spectacle, larger-than-life plots, and gorgeous music. Stephan Sondheim brought out his final shows in the 80's and early 90's, including Sunday In the Park With George, the fairy-tale fantasy Into the Woods, and the daring off-Broadway revue Assassins.
The AIDS crisis of the 1980's cut a large swath through the Broadway community, killing many promising talents, even as the first show about a gay couple, La Cage Aux Folles, debuted. The success of the Disney company with their animated musicals in the 90's inspired them to bring these shows to the stage, beginning with Beauty and the Beast. Their restoration of the New Amsterdam Theater encouraged Times Square to finally clean up its act. Even as Broadway sees a revival with hits like the historical drama Ragtime and the comedy The Producers, the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 suddenly makes all Americans understand just how important Broadway and its productions are to the country's mindset.
The Song and Dance: What I love about this is the sheer amount of archival footage and interviews. Many of these people, especially in the first three episodes, are no longer with us, making the interviews doubly important. Those first three episodes in particular cover parts of history that don't often turn up elsewhere, like the treatment of early minority performers like Bert Williams, the 1919 Actors' Equity strike, and discussions of performers like Brice and Miller who aren't as well-known today. Some of that footage was hard to find until the rise of YouTube and other internet video streaming sites.
What I Don't Like: As comprehensive as this is, I wish it had gone even further into its subject. I would have liked to have heard more about the American operettas of the 10's and 20's and how they helped shape the modern integrated musical, for instance, or about German songwriter Kurt Weill, whose groundbreaking work included the 40's hits Lady In the Dark and One Touch of Venus. I also wish they'd found better footage - some of it was grainy or washed out, or just not in good shape, even for later shows.
Wish PBS would consider updating this. I'd love to see another segment covering more recent musicals, discusing the rise of hits like Hamilton, Into the Heights, Memphis, Dear Evan Hansen, Kinky Boots, Matilda, Fun House, Next to Normal, Come From Away, and even Disney's Frozen and stage version of Newsies.
The Big Finale: Even with the above caveats, what they do include is absolutely fascinating. If you love musicals, especially stage musical, and want to learn more about their history, this is a great place to start.
Home Media: Wildly out-of-print and unavailable for streaming at present - the Blu-Ray is slightly cheaper than the insanely expensive DVD set. Your best bet may be to look for this one used, like I did.
Blu-Ray
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