Change Your Image
hatta
Reviews
The Others (2001)
"...more things in heaven and earth..."
A haunting film that combines elements from the best of this genre (`The Innocents', `The Changeling', `The Sixth Sense') but also owes much to the literary ghost story. The lonely heroine, the wartime setting, and the prominent role of light are all reminiscent of some of the best supernatural tales of Elizabeth Bowen, such as `The Demon Lover' and `The Happy Autumn Fields.' This is an intensely psychological, character-driven drama that benefits from an outstanding performance by Kidman in the complex role of Grace. The opening narrative dialogue is a brilliant piece of thematic scene-setting; keep it in mind as this chilling tale of strange wonders unfolds.
South Pacific (2001)
Hear the score first
The stirring and dramatic initial notes of "Bali Ha'i" which begin the familiar overture are replaced by a more subdued, almost idyllic rendering of the melody, which is played in variations over the opening credits. This is the first indication that this televised version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "South Pacific" is not going to follow tradition, at least not where the score is concerned.
The sequence of the score and events is altered as well. Rather than opening with the plantation luncheon of Ensign Forbush and the planter de Becque, the film begins with the arrival of Lt. Cable and segues at once into the rousing ensemble number, "There is Nothing Like a Dame." This choice of placement at once illustrates the different in strategies for staging a musical in this medium. On stage, the number comes toward the end of the second scene, intended to invigorate the audience after a series of romantic and character-developing songs for Nellie and Emil. Opening the TV version with this number is calculated to "hook" the audience immediately, and keep us from switching channels. It certainly works. This is an infectious and creatively choreographed ensemble number, and easily the best such number in the film. However, as a result, the succeeding scenes of Nellie and Emil's first meeting and "love at first sight", seem rushed and false. When the play opens, we do not know when the two first met, or how long this attraction has been growing, what we do know is that each is desperately lonely, and filled with the anxiety of being rejected. Thus, their romance is made more real, more touching, and more important to us.
Other changes in the order of the vocal score occur, though the only number cut is "Happy Talk", Bloody Mary's matchmaking number sung to her daughter Liat and the conflicted Lt. Cable. Though missed, the development of the characters and story do not suffer from it's omission.
The entire cast sings ably. Close and Connick are, of course, experienced vocal performers. Whether Serbedgia's singing voice is his own, or a result of dubbing and mixing, his renditions are pleasing, though disappointingly lacking in emotion. While his character is given two of the show's most passionate ballads, "Some Enchanted Evening" and "This Nearly Was Mine", he does not make much of their dramatic potential. Close's singing is enthusiastic and engaging, but surprisingly, like Serbedgia's it lacks emotional depth. Her dramatic portrayal of Nellie is, however, honest, believable, and at times heart-breaking. Connick comes off best, performing admirably as both actor and singer, and his heartfelt rendition of "You've Got to be Carefully Taught" is the film's standout vocal performance.
This is a good, but not a great, film. While it is preferable to the 1958 version due to the performances of Close and Connick, that version is truer to the play and to the score. Buy the original cast album and hear the score as it was intended.
Alice in Wonderland (1999)
Passive Alice takes Dull Journey through Stunning Wonderland
The production team that brought us a stunning "Odyssey" and thought-provoking "Gulliver's Travels" misses the boat on this, another in a long line of disappointing adaptations of Lewis Carroll's beloved and revered "Alice" books. Stunning visual effects vividly creating a phantasmagorical dreamworld unfettered by the laws of physics, and some excellent casting, notably Martin Short as the Mad Hatter and Whoopi Goldberg as the Cheshire Cat, cannot compensate for a poor script and a passive Alice, who in this version, escapes to Wonderland because she lacks the self-confidence to sing at her parents' garden-party.
Carroll's Alice is nothing if not confident; she is also obstinate, precocious, and more than willing to argue fiercely with virtually every character she meets. These confrontations between the logical, rational Alice and the nonsensical, irritable denizens of Wonderland are the source of much of the book's humor, which is sadly lacking in this screenplay. The rich wordplay of the book, in which language is indeed literal, and only nonsense makes sense, is reduced to a stream of non-sequiturs. Carroll's book is filled with conversations, why didn't the writers make use of it? Indeed, one wonders if they even read the book at all. In this film, Carroll's feisty Alice is portrayed as an amiable Dorothy Gale, who must learn to believe in herself before she can return home. At three hours, it is a long, tedious journey.