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| Rodgers
Year: 2001
Classification: Musical
Directed:
- Richard Pearce
- Robert Iscove
Brother(s):
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There's a reason that this production of SOUTH PACIFIC is the most watched TV movie musical of all time ~ it's brilliant!P>If you're one of those purists who thinks that this script doesn't need to be tinkered with, think again! A lot of the original ideas are outmoded, but the new screenplay adds dimension to the story and char
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I think Ms. Close succeeded in her remake of South Pacific.
The idea that Ms. Close was not a 20 year old woman falling in love with a 50 year old man made the movie more believable. Wh
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This remake is definitely not the 1956 movie - which is both good and bad. Good - because dramatically, this production is far superior to the movie version - the actors actually act, and the dramatic energy never lets down. Realizing the pitfalls of casting herself as a young, naive Nellie Forbush, Glenn Close wisely chooses to play the r
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Whitney Houston as Cinderella's fairy godmother? Whoopi Goldberg as queen? Needless to say, that's quite a different cast than was in the original -
Cinderella beats the best. This remake from 1965 and 1954 was excellent. It has an all-star cast, including Brandy as a marvelous Cinderella, -
My 2-year-old daughter and I have so much fun singing along with this video. She even asks me to dance during the ballroom scenes. It is a fabulous production.
Filmography:
- The Rodgers
A MASTERFUL PRODUCTION OF A GREAT MUSICAL
There's a reason that this production of SOUTH PACIFIC is the most watched TV movie musical of all time ~ it's brilliant!P>If you're one of those purists who thinks that this script doesn't need to be tinkered with, think again! A lot of the original ideas are outmoded, but the new screenplay adds dimension to the story and characters only hinted at 50 years ago. The restructuring of the material, opening the show with THERE IS NOTHIN' LIKE A DAME, making Nellie Forbush, brilliantly and vibrantly played by our greatest American actress, Glenn Close, older, and strengthening the mission the DeBecque and Cable take on, are just some of this version's better changes.
There's nothing in the story that says Nellie needs to be in her 20s, and Glenn Close fulfills the promise of movie musical magic she hinted at during her engagement onstage in SUNSET BLVD. When she stands on the balcony and sings the TWIN SOLILOQUIES, you feel her falling in love with Emile. This Bloody Mary, small and mean as can be, a woman who would sell her daughter if she can make a profit, is a frighteningly real woman, not the caricature she's been played as in the past. (In a college production I saw, they had to do BALI HA'I as a comedy song because Bloody Mary couldn't pull off the drama!)
Harry Connick,Jr. is absolutely right as Lt. Cable,and his romantic renderings of CAREFULLY TAUGHT, YOUNGER THAN SPRINGTIME, and (on CD) MY GIRL BACK HOME show that he's the greatest crooner of standards in pop music.
Take a different viewpoint when you watch this SOUTH PACIFIC. See it, not as a film version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's greatest libretto, but as a genuine presentation of World War II. When looking at it as a war picture, it takes on a new dimension, and plays as the very real drama Michener portrayed in his novel, and which was what was hoped for on the stage. Be thankful that those awful filters which ruined the 1959 version are gone, and that Bali Ha'i is seen in Cable's mind, as it was meant to be seen. Enjoy the lively dance on the beach as Nellie and the girls perform A WONDERFUL GUY, and melt as Emile sings SOME ENCHANTED EVENING.
This SOUTH PACIFIC is a triumph! It's a masterful production of a great musical. Let's hope that upcoming productions (how about Ann Margret as MAME?) will come close to this great show!!!
South Pacific
I think Ms. Close succeeded in her remake of South Pacific.
The idea that Ms. Close was not a 20 year old woman falling in love with a 50 year old man made the movie more believable. While I really liked the music, it was just like the original - everyone breaking out in song at some moment.
I like Rade Sherbedgia as Emile. Just as in the other movies I have seen, Mr. Sherbedgia not only acts through words, but also through his facial expressions and eyes. It makes the scenes more realistic. In the additional information on the DVD, Ms. Close indicated that she had looked for a drop dead gorgeous man in his 50s. She certainly succeeded with Mr. Sherbedgia. He was not only "drop dead gorgeous", but so much more realistic as Emile finding Nellie and not wanting to lose her. If Ms. Close had any reservations about casting Mr. Sherbedgia, she should have watched "Lies and Whispers".
Luther Billis was great - showing more of the scourger you would typically find in the Army or Navy. Who can find any fault with Harry Connick Jr. Gorgeous, sings and acts.
If someone isn't ready to see the cast members break out in song - like any musical - they shouldn't see this movie. However, if you want to see a much better version of South Pacific, this is it.
Good remake, with emphasis on drama
This remake is definitely not the 1956 movie - which is both good and bad. Good - because dramatically, this production is far superior to the movie version - the actors actually act, and the dramatic energy never lets down. Realizing the pitfalls of casting herself as a young, naive Nellie Forbush, Glenn Close wisely chooses to play the role as an older, more experienced woman in mid-life. Does it work? Absolutely - the romance between Nellie and Emile makes more sense, as Nellie's character actually has some depth. Bloody Mary comes off kind of creepy - which is totally appropriate to the part. Emile is a wonderful actor - with an accent which even sounds French (rather than Italian).
The bad - while the more intimate approach to the songs works with Nellies songs - the songs for DeBeque were written for Enzio Pinza, and they require a strong, world class voice to bring them off. Although the character of DeBeque is very strong, and his voice is pleasant enough, it is too week to carry these songs. But since the overall approach to this production is to emphasize the drama, this is forgivable.
Overall, a fine production - if you want the score sung well, listen to the original Broadway cast, the movie soundtrack, or the fairly recent studio caste featuring Paige O'Hara and Justino Diaz.
Pure Fun!
Whitney Houston as Cinderella's fairy godmother? Whoopi Goldberg as queen? Needless to say, that's quite a different cast than was in the original Cinderella! And the differences don't stop there. In this 1997 remake of the common fairytale, romance and zaniness freely combine to make this "Cinderella" version like any other.P>One thing that I loved about this movie was the blending of the old and new. The Rogers and Hammerstein songs written for this movie were still on this movie (bravo to Disney for including them!!), but they were sung by Brandy, a "Cinderella" whose pretty "pop" voice gives them a modern twist. The stepsisters just can't get much funnier, and their outrageous ballgowns and ballroom blunders will leave you in stitches. Humor also comes in the form of the king and queen-their subtle one-liners will also make you laugh. A subtle yet wonderful new addition to this movie is the varied cast-creating a fairy tale world of every skin color.
The producers of this movie also knew what NOT to change. The prince as every bit as charming as a fairytale should be, and of course the glass slipper is present...and even the slight stiffness of Brandy's acting is forgivable doesn't spoil this otherwise wonderfully done fairy tale.
Buy Rodgers at Amazon.com
Buy posters at Allposters.com
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