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Posted: |
Jan 4, 2018 - 10:54 PM
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By: |
joan hue
(Member)
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I have seen no discussion on THE GREATEST SHOWMAN musical, so I’ll start one.
I’m not sure who orchestrated all of the song and dance numbers. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul wrote the songs, and the end credits said the “score” was by John Debney and Joseph Trapanese. I liked the underscore. Of course, the underscore did weave in a lot of the various songs’ melodies. The songs were beautifully orchestrated, and I’m assuming Debney and Trapanese did these orchestrations, but I’m not sure. I felt that the orchestrations had the strong Craig Armstrong vibes or sounds like heard in Moulin Rouge and Love Actually.
I felt that there were a few weak songs, but there were also some very melodically strong, attractive songs. Most of the lyrics are very powerful and totally related to the narrative.
I enjoyed the choreography and sets. There was so much going on during certain numbers that I will need to see this movie again just to notice more details. The Trapeze love song between Zac Efron and
Zendaya was uniquely and beautifully staged.
The young boy who plays Barnum as a child and Barnum’s two daughters steal the show.
Hugh Jackman is one of those amazing talents. He can sing, dance and act. He is a Trio of Talent.
Keala Settle who plays the bearded woman had a gorgeous voice.
The movie isn’t perfect. Flaws exist in the narrative, but overall, I really enjoyed it. If you like musicals, this movie is best viewed on the big screen with a large sound system.
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With all due respect, I must disagree with you. It was the single worst movie going experience for me in 2017 (with the possible exception of the horrific Murder On The Orient Express). I'm a pushover for musicals and very forgiving and bend over backwards. That being said, there's only one word for this film ..... dreadful! If you thought Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge! was the epitome of the film musical, I suppose you might find something to admire in this abomination. I could easily forgive its trite narrative if the musical numbers were good but every song in the movie is an anachronistic (the film takes place in the 19th century) pop power ballad and not good ones either. I began to feel like I was trapped at auditions for American Idol. I won't even go in the calisthenics masquerading as choreography! When Barnum brings the legendary Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind (Rebecca Ferguson) to make her New York debut, does she sing an operatic aria? Of course not, she hammers us over the head with yet another big power ballad in a non operatic singing voice (Loren Allred dubs Ferguson). The only one who doesn't get a big power ballad is an undubbed Michelle Williams as Mrs. Barnum and I su[pect it's because she can't hit the high notes. There's not a moment in this big bombastic elephant that equals the simplicity and grace of Ryan Gosling quietly singing City Of Stars on the pier in La La Land. The director Michael Gracey, no surprise here, comes from the world of music videos.
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If you thought Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge! was the epitome of the film musical, I suppose you might find something to admire in this abomination.
I admit that Moulin Rouge may indeed be my favorite musical, certainly my favorite one of the last 30 years... does that mean I'd enjoy this one?
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Nicolai, I only compared the orchestrations by Armstrong in Moulin Rouge to The Greatest Showman. To be honest, I didn't care for Moulin Rouge except for the way the music was handled.
I don't know if you would like this musical. Let us know what you think if you see it.
I really liked Moulin Rouge a lot; saw it twice so far, and loved it both times. The atmosphere, the fever frenzy, the over-the-top style of story telling, settings, and the just going out for broke music numbers in dreamlike sets... I don't think I ever had as much fun watching a movie musical as I had with Moulin Rouge. The audacity to recycle well known pop classics, putting them into a blender and mix some Broadway-stile musical numbers out of them was also a lot of fun.
I have recently seen La La Land (the movie, not the record label) and thought it was "nice". I enjoyed it, had a good time, the story was charming, though I don't remember much of the music. Moulin Rouge, on the other hand, garrish as it may appear to some, I found to be dazzling and rousing from beginning to end. :-)
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Posted: |
Jan 5, 2018 - 9:46 AM
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By: |
Ado
(Member)
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Nicolai, I only compared the orchestrations by Armstrong in Moulin Rouge to The Greatest Showman. To be honest, I didn't care for Moulin Rouge except for the way the music was handled.
I don't know if you would like this musical. Let us know what you think if you see it.
I really liked Moulin Rouge a lot; saw it twice so far, and loved it both times. The atmosphere, the fever frenzy, the over-the-top style of story telling, settings, and the just going out for broke music numbers in dreamlike sets... I don't think I ever had as much fun watching a movie musical as I had with Moulin Rouge. The audacity to recycle well known pop classics, putting them into a blender and mix some Broadway-stile musical numbers out of them was also a lot of fun.
I have recently seen La La Land (the movie, not the record label) and thought it was "nice". I enjoyed it, had a good time, the story was charming, though I don't remember much of the music. Moulin Rouge, on the other hand, garrish as it may appear to some, I found to be dazzling and rousing from beginning to end. :-)
I agree, MR is substantially above LLL, I had the same reaction to LLL, nice, some scenes good, some musical numbers seemed flat and lifeless, some of the drama seemed inserted, the dinner table argument when he comes back to see her, I did not buy it. And Ryan's City of Stars, it seems pretty weak to me. The best numbers are the highway song and the observatory. LLL was substantially overpraised, it is a good film, not a great one, and it is too long.
But Moulin Rouge is a far far more effective film, from the heights of fantasy and romance to despair and drama.
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I agree with CinemaScope Cat. The producers missed the boat with this one. The setting called for period music, and we got this 21st century "American Idol" music. Totally non appropriate. I regretted sitting through this one.
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I thought the film was decent (though its style left something to be desired compared with a Moulin Rouge or La La Land) and mildly enjoyed most of the music. It's all very contemporary and will seem really dated in twenty years. Decent enough for today, though.
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Posted: |
Jan 10, 2018 - 2:22 AM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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As historically correct as it might be, I don't think that a musical about P.T. Barnum with 19th century period music had any chance of being made, let alone accepted by audiences. Fifty years ago, Julie Andrews couldn't put over a period musical about Gertrude Lawrence, a musical artist who was a century closer to the time of her biopic than Barnum is today. Audiences in 1968 couldn't get into songs from the 1920s; there's no chance that 2018 audiences are going to be humming along to the rhythms of 1850.
Dramatically, THE GREATEST SHOWMAN has nothing new to offer in its rags-to-riches story-line. The choreography and song staging are pretty basic--characters are usually either standing in a circle doing a few dance steps or running towards the camera. The one exception is the aerial love duet between Zac Efron and Zendaya, which is inventively staged. That leaves the songs themselves--a mixture of power ballads and "I Am Me" affirmations. Given the material, I thought they got the job done, but they were all aimed at the balcony. The film could have done with a few quieter songs, for variety. Most of the songs start and end softly, but they all seem to soar to the heights by their midpoints. None of them could be termed a contemplative number. Nevertheless, I enjoyed most of them while I was listening to them. If you are not a musical lover, this film will not change your mind. As for me, since film musicals are as much the freaks of the cinema world as were the stars of Barnum's show, I have to watch. I can't turn away.
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For me Moulin Rouge was just too frenzied, quirky, and over the top
That may well be the reasons why I liked it so much. :-)
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I couldn't stand MR and have had this soundtrack on repeat for weeks. Unfortunately I still haven't seen the movie because of the bad press.
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I did not like the film - and the music especially. There were a few modestly 'catchy' numbers - but generally the songs followed a modern pop pattern which has been identified by many. The shorthand is that most of the songs sounded to my ears like Imagine Dragons out-takes. The malaise can be identified by a certain kind 'oh-oh-ee-oh' refrain that subs for any distinctive chorus. What I did like about the film was Hugh Jackman. He's such an eminently likeable performer and so thoroughly talented both dramatically and musically that he saved the film from totally drowning me in saccharine. And don't get me wrong - I'm very old school and love the great musicals. This was not that.
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