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Review #9 of 365
Film: The Producers [PG-13] 134 minutes
WIP: $5
When 1st Seen: 19 January 2006
Where Viewed: Carmike Cinema 10, Grand Forks, ND
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Review Dedicated to: The One & Only Christian G. of Texas
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DVD | soundtrack |
In the entire history of my going to movies, there have only ever been two that I walked out on. The first was Aria and the second was Chicago. Let me also state, for the record, that I love Broadway musicals, and I loved the film version of the Sound of Music. I walked out on Chicago because I just couldn’t take it. I probably would have walked out on The Producers, as well, were it not for my pact. The Producers has taken a wild road to the silver screen this time. It started out as a 1968 movie starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder as the producers, Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom. Then, someone got the idea to take it to the stage and put Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick in the roles. It debuted in Chicago prior to moving to Broadway. I passed up an opportunity to see the Chicago opening for reasons I will never recall as I heard it was a smash hit. This bore out when it moved to New York City and won a ridiculous number, like 12, Tony Awards. Then, somebody got the idea to make a new version of the movie based on the musical with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick reprising their original roles. So, movie to stage back to movie. I can think of no other example of this ever happening before in quite this way. The result is a movie that really tries to be a lot like a filmed version of the actual musical—I’m sort of guessing because, as I say, I never saw the stage version. I’m guessing this because there are some really good, stage-like special effects like a row of filing cabinets sliding and becoming a staircase for a musical number. Of course, it is paramount in your reading of this review prior to making any judgments that if you don’t generally care for musicals in the first place, you are definitely not going to like this one. The musical score would never have caused Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber any reason to look over his shoulder. At heart, this musical is a Mel Brooks satire of satire. Sadly, I also must admit that I am not a huge Mel Brooks fan. His brand of humor and my funny bone don’t connect for some reason. Distilling all this down, this review works sort of like the film version of the stage version of the film version, a very confusing realization of an idea that really doesn’t satisfy in the end. In my mind, only a very few musicals outside of the Disney animation realm have survived the translation to film effectively in the modern era of film. It’s not that the cast and crew didn’t try to take The Producers and make it work, it’s more that the postured, choreographed stuff that happens out of the blue with people singing for no apparent reason just doesn’t make any sense in a movie most of the time. And, yet, for some reason, it seems to make perfect sense on stage. Yeah, I don’t quite get it either. I just know that I never once batted an eye during "Les Misérables". I would say that The Producers was as good a translation of the feeling of being really at a musical and seeing the people live as I’ve ever seen. Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane were comic geniuses at this most of the time. I could picture them having done nearly the same routines in front of packed houses of live people. I give them all the credit in the world for trying this. My hat is off to Mel Brooks too, for nothing else, he recycled his material one more time. Maybe now he’ll decide to make an animated version of the film version of the stage version of the film version with cats, dogs, and mice. Did I mention that Uma Thurman is in this version? Well, Uma fans, don’t expect her to wield and hand-crafted swords, she is here as the love interest for her looks and her terrible Swedish accent. Overall, I would recommend skipping the new film version and going to see the play on Broadway where, mostly, musicals are intended to reign. You won’t see Nathan Lane or Matthew Broderick in their roles though because they are presently playing Oscar and Felix in the umpteenth incarnation of Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple”. Hopefully, no one will decide it needs to be turned back into a movie.
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Now Available for Purchase on DVD
The Producers (Widescreen Version) [DVD] (2005) DVD
The Producers [DVD] (2005) DVD
| Soundtrack | Original Film | New Film |
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