Movies #7 - Classical Musical
0 Comments Published by Prasad Venkat on Friday, October 27, 2006 at 11:05 AM.
I'm not a fan of the musicals - I get my share of musicals from Indian movies, which is the only thing they know to make with some level of international acclaim. I never get a strong movie experience from a musical because they lighten up the characters and provide a dreamy texture to the screenplay. Well, I'm not outrightly against this escapist tendency of musicals which run away from reality, but as a matter of personal preference, I'm biased towards gritty realism, where, of course, nobody sings.
Having said that, I watched Sound of Music and My Fair Lady last weekend. I enjoyed both of them, though they wouldn't feature in my great movies list, if I ever had one. I saw the latter first and my first thought was a sense of appreciation for Rex Harrison and George Cukor for pulling off an entertainer based on such a thin storyline. I see and hear critics hailing Audrey Hepburn's performance all over the web - 'not bad' is how I felt. Since Julie Andrews was robbed of this role, which she expertly played on the stage and since my wife insisted, we watched 'Sound of Music'. Now, this movie has a lot more going to it - a decent story, good music & lyrics, and a strong performance by Julie Andrews.
What I found interesting in both the movies is the under-developed love element. In 'My Fair Lady', Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle keep bitching at each other all the time and in the last half hour, there's a need and want of the other person for both of them. In the case of 'Sound of Music' the love between Maria and Georg is better, but not mature enough. We see moments of attraction between the lead, but then suddenly they're in love. I was let down by both the movies in this aspect. But the stories held my attention and the some of the songs were richly entertaining.
Having said that, I watched Sound of Music and My Fair Lady last weekend. I enjoyed both of them, though they wouldn't feature in my great movies list, if I ever had one. I saw the latter first and my first thought was a sense of appreciation for Rex Harrison and George Cukor for pulling off an entertainer based on such a thin storyline. I see and hear critics hailing Audrey Hepburn's performance all over the web - 'not bad' is how I felt. Since Julie Andrews was robbed of this role, which she expertly played on the stage and since my wife insisted, we watched 'Sound of Music'. Now, this movie has a lot more going to it - a decent story, good music & lyrics, and a strong performance by Julie Andrews.
What I found interesting in both the movies is the under-developed love element. In 'My Fair Lady', Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle keep bitching at each other all the time and in the last half hour, there's a need and want of the other person for both of them. In the case of 'Sound of Music' the love between Maria and Georg is better, but not mature enough. We see moments of attraction between the lead, but then suddenly they're in love. I was let down by both the movies in this aspect. But the stories held my attention and the some of the songs were richly entertaining.
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