The New York Times: “Cabaret” and “Cats” are pretty much acknowledged as the zenith and nadir of movie musical adaptations. But “Cabaret” is so excellent, and “Cats” so execrable, that neither tells us much about what went right or wrong with the process. The same goes for play adaptations: “Chimes at Midnight” (1965) stands proudly next to any stage rendition of Shakespeare — and “Gnomeo and Juliet” (2011) doesn’t. Below, an opinionated guide from theater experts to the cinematic successes and failures that can still show Hollywood how it ought (and ought not) to be done.
4 comments:
So I know I just said on an earlier article that there really are not many good adaptations of stage musicals to screen, but I guess, yeah, a big part of it is the design which can make or break an adaptation. I actually think Chicago is one that does it decently well. It has its moments which are grounded in reality, but at each song, it breaks into the vaudeville type acts that those numbers were originally based off of (still salty about Mary Sunshine not having a bigger role in the movie though). I only have heard of some of the shows listed in the ‘Getting it Wrong’ section. Carnage is the one I know if. Well, I at least know the play. I would think that God of Carnage (The play title) would actually have translated well to film. It is a simple family satire. Maybe something as simple as family dramas or satires just don’t work when put to film?
Im disappointed to say that I’m not familiar with most movies on this list. Personally, I don’t like musicals as movies unless they are animated. With the exception of Across the Universe, Mama Mia, and hairspray ( and maybe a few others). I much prefer plays because they can be less frotfrou and better developed stories. so much time in musicals are spent singing or dancing so it’s harder to build good character archs unless the song writing* is exceptional . In this article they talked a lot about casting. The adaptations are most likely to succeed when they keep the casting from the play or stick to odd, no name actors who have the edge that they need for the role. The problem comes when they give the role to a big name actor who can’t Handle the complexities of the role and ends up commercializing it. That’s just one of the many problems with Cats. I’m pretty sure they tried to just shove as many A listers into that casting as possible. I’ve never seen the movie or play but I heard the musical was uncomfortable and confusing so it was bound to be a flop anyway.
I’m gonna be honest I really don’t like stage to screen adaptations I don’t even really like screen to stage adaptations. I think this article pointed out some key points in that when in regards to casting and staging of the piece for film often they aren’t the same as stage actors. I think a lot of the time as well big producing companies want to see big names associated with large scale productions which musicals naturally dictate. These big name movie stars are often not the true triple theatre performers that need to be in primary roles for musicals. I think this is often why you see the same actors over and over again in movie musicals. In recent years as well with Disney’s live action remakes of classic animated musicals you’ve seen celebrity singers work in the roles of animated characters. I think the biggest thing as well is the acceptation of viewers that the actors on screen can have major reinforcement for their singing. Their first job is to act and singing or dancing can be edited and/or done by others.
I’m not entirely sure what to make of the opinions the article presented. On one hand, I want to agree with the “experts” who are making these reviews. Since I, as the reader, do not have a vast knowledge of stage to screen adaptations and rely on what I am being told. However it also very subjective. I think with entertainment in general it all falls back into what you personally think. And I think with this specifically, where you cannot really gauge what the audience makes of a movie without separating it into those who know the original source material and those whose introduction to it was the movie. I do think there can be a lot to be gained from making an adaptation. Maybe the flexibility and camera angles can work in favor of the production, as they are able to portray different aspects of a story without losing the key components of it.
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