Credible Credits
Year: 2014
Director: Rob Marshall
Starring: Emily Blunt, James Corden, Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Lilla Crawford, and Daniel Huttlestone
Tagline: Be Careful What You Wish For
Synopsis: Fairy tales converge as characters wish for, and search for, their happily ever afters. But wishes don't always turn out as planned and danger is never far away when you travel into the woods.
Tagline: Be Careful What You Wish For
Synopsis: Fairy tales converge as characters wish for, and search for, their happily ever afters. But wishes don't always turn out as planned and danger is never far away when you travel into the woods.
Review
I have twice seen the video recording of the stage version (with Bernadette Peters as the Witch). The first time I saw it was as a kid. How old, I don't know. But I remember enjoying act one and hating act two. The next time I saw it was in college. By that point I had no problem understanding that fairy tales were made for reimagining and that there is no one Cinderella or Rapunzel or whatever. At that time I recognized the brilliance of Into the Woods and its beautiful and clever music.
So, I was excited to see the film adaptation. And I was not disappointed.
Visually the film is quite fun and enjoyable. I loved the woods and the feel of them. They set the mood and feel for each scene. Sometimes they seem warm and inviting. Other times they are dark and claustrophobic. I also liked that many of the settings felt more real than you normally get in a fairy tale. The palace/castle felt more real than in say the animated Cinderella. Jack and his mother's home seemed befitting their hardships. Cinderella's stepmother's house felt lived in. About the only visual that was a bit odd and jarring was inside the wolf. But then how does one show inside a wolf without it feeling odd and jarring?
The music to Into the Woods is the best part. It is gorgeous and sticks with you. The lyrics are witty and clever (Agony is absolutely terrific as the two princes ham it up about their agonized love for two seemingly unreachable maidens). The thing with the lyrics is they can go rather quickly, and you have to be paying attention; much of the story is contained within the lyrics. Hearing the songs with a full orchestra is fantastic. And the actors do a wonderful job with their numbers. I actually didn't think that was Chris Pine singing as Cinderella's Prince, because he sounded so good and I had no idea Pine could sing. The only weak link was Johnny Depp, who half talks, half sings his number.
There's a lot of humor within the film, but much of it is a subtle humor that can fly by if you're not paying attention. I guess it is quirky. And I like quirky. I don't remember laughing aloud. I do remember grinning throughout. There's also a lot of heart. All the major characters want something, wish for something. And they are relatable things: going to a special event, having a child, being able to make ends meet. Moreover, all the major characters lose something and must deal with the loss.
As for the story itself, Into the Woods starts as a fairly traditional fairy tale with everything coming together the way it's "supposed" to and everyone getting their happily ever afters. But then the film takes a turn. It becomes a story about consequences and responsibilities and finding that what you wished for wasn't what you wanted after all. It becomes more realistic -- at least as realistic as you can be with giants, magic beans, and a witch.
Tying the music, the story, the humor, and the heart together is a superb cast. They all do such a terrific job (well, I wasn't overly fond of Johnny Depp, but his character is unlikable anyway and he is seriously in the film all of 5 minutes). Chris Pine is perfect as the charming (but ultimately insincere) prince. Meryl Streep is a fantastic over-the-top witch. Pretty much stealing the show, however, is Emily Blunt as the Baker's Wife. She nails the role and makes it her own.
Obviously if you don't like musicals and/or fairy tales, Into the Woods isn't for you. And even if you do, you still might not enjoy it. Sondheim's music and lyrics have a depth that perhaps not everyone will appreciate or stay engaged with. The story takes fairy tales and turns them on their heads. So yeah, it's not a film for everyone. But as for me, I absolutely loved Into the Woods and have been humming the songs since I saw it. I personally recommend the film.
*** Spoiler Section ***
I'm by no means a purist when it comes to adaptations: whether from books or plays. Different mediums have different needs. And sometimes your aim is for a slightly different audience. There are plenty of valid reasons to make changes when adapting material to film.
To be honest, I'm actually quite fine with the changes. They had to cut a number of songs to make it two hours instead of three. They lightened up on some of the violence. And yes, they made certain elements more family friendly.
I actually really liked that Rapunzel ran off with her prince (rather than getting squashed by the giantess). We've already got the failed marriage of Cinderella and her prince. So it is nice to have someone's relationship work out. I'm also rather glad Snow White and Sleeping Beauty were cut out.
The only problem with cutting out much of the cast getting killed by the giantess is, it makes killing the giantess even more morally questionable -- a question Red Riding Hood raises. Jack is a thief and is responsible for the giant's death. The giantess has plenty of grounds for demanding justice.
That is part of what makes Into the Woods so interesting. It isn't a story of good vs. evil. Some of the most likable characters make some of the poorest choices. As the witch proclaims: "You're not good, you're not bad, you're just nice!" The closest thing to an evil character is the wolf, who is just doing what wolves do (or at least what they do in fairy tales). This is a world of grey areas, as embodied by the woods themselves. Much is made of how people are different or change within the woods. Characters go into the woods and they lose themselves, or they find themselves, or both. The audience is left to ask of themselves what's good or what's right and to analyze the cost of getting what you think you want.
So, I was excited to see the film adaptation. And I was not disappointed.
Visually the film is quite fun and enjoyable. I loved the woods and the feel of them. They set the mood and feel for each scene. Sometimes they seem warm and inviting. Other times they are dark and claustrophobic. I also liked that many of the settings felt more real than you normally get in a fairy tale. The palace/castle felt more real than in say the animated Cinderella. Jack and his mother's home seemed befitting their hardships. Cinderella's stepmother's house felt lived in. About the only visual that was a bit odd and jarring was inside the wolf. But then how does one show inside a wolf without it feeling odd and jarring?
The music to Into the Woods is the best part. It is gorgeous and sticks with you. The lyrics are witty and clever (Agony is absolutely terrific as the two princes ham it up about their agonized love for two seemingly unreachable maidens). The thing with the lyrics is they can go rather quickly, and you have to be paying attention; much of the story is contained within the lyrics. Hearing the songs with a full orchestra is fantastic. And the actors do a wonderful job with their numbers. I actually didn't think that was Chris Pine singing as Cinderella's Prince, because he sounded so good and I had no idea Pine could sing. The only weak link was Johnny Depp, who half talks, half sings his number.
There's a lot of humor within the film, but much of it is a subtle humor that can fly by if you're not paying attention. I guess it is quirky. And I like quirky. I don't remember laughing aloud. I do remember grinning throughout. There's also a lot of heart. All the major characters want something, wish for something. And they are relatable things: going to a special event, having a child, being able to make ends meet. Moreover, all the major characters lose something and must deal with the loss.
As for the story itself, Into the Woods starts as a fairly traditional fairy tale with everything coming together the way it's "supposed" to and everyone getting their happily ever afters. But then the film takes a turn. It becomes a story about consequences and responsibilities and finding that what you wished for wasn't what you wanted after all. It becomes more realistic -- at least as realistic as you can be with giants, magic beans, and a witch.
Tying the music, the story, the humor, and the heart together is a superb cast. They all do such a terrific job (well, I wasn't overly fond of Johnny Depp, but his character is unlikable anyway and he is seriously in the film all of 5 minutes). Chris Pine is perfect as the charming (but ultimately insincere) prince. Meryl Streep is a fantastic over-the-top witch. Pretty much stealing the show, however, is Emily Blunt as the Baker's Wife. She nails the role and makes it her own.
Obviously if you don't like musicals and/or fairy tales, Into the Woods isn't for you. And even if you do, you still might not enjoy it. Sondheim's music and lyrics have a depth that perhaps not everyone will appreciate or stay engaged with. The story takes fairy tales and turns them on their heads. So yeah, it's not a film for everyone. But as for me, I absolutely loved Into the Woods and have been humming the songs since I saw it. I personally recommend the film.
*** Spoiler Section ***
I'm by no means a purist when it comes to adaptations: whether from books or plays. Different mediums have different needs. And sometimes your aim is for a slightly different audience. There are plenty of valid reasons to make changes when adapting material to film.
To be honest, I'm actually quite fine with the changes. They had to cut a number of songs to make it two hours instead of three. They lightened up on some of the violence. And yes, they made certain elements more family friendly.
I actually really liked that Rapunzel ran off with her prince (rather than getting squashed by the giantess). We've already got the failed marriage of Cinderella and her prince. So it is nice to have someone's relationship work out. I'm also rather glad Snow White and Sleeping Beauty were cut out.
The only problem with cutting out much of the cast getting killed by the giantess is, it makes killing the giantess even more morally questionable -- a question Red Riding Hood raises. Jack is a thief and is responsible for the giant's death. The giantess has plenty of grounds for demanding justice.
That is part of what makes Into the Woods so interesting. It isn't a story of good vs. evil. Some of the most likable characters make some of the poorest choices. As the witch proclaims: "You're not good, you're not bad, you're just nice!" The closest thing to an evil character is the wolf, who is just doing what wolves do (or at least what they do in fairy tales). This is a world of grey areas, as embodied by the woods themselves. Much is made of how people are different or change within the woods. Characters go into the woods and they lose themselves, or they find themselves, or both. The audience is left to ask of themselves what's good or what's right and to analyze the cost of getting what you think you want.
Quotable Quotes
- "I was raised to be charming, not sincere." -- Cinderella's Prince
- "It's the last midnight. It's the boom splat." -- Witch
- "You can talk to birds?" Red Riding Hood to Cinderella
- "I need your shoe so I can have a baby." "That doesn't make any sense." Baker's Wife and Cinderella
- "I wish ..." -- most of the cast
- "The woods are just trees. The trees are just wood." -- multiple characters
ISFS
No comments:
Post a Comment