Movies vs Stage Show

[nataliealana]

Posted: 1/22/18 at 12:52pm

I always cringe a little when they announce a movie adaptation of a stage musical. Are there any, in your opinion, where the movie is actually better?

In my opinion, I think the Chicago movie is just that little bit better than the stage show. And controversially..Phantom of the Opera!

[mkmswain]

Posted: 1/23/18 at 5:33am

I'd argue My Fair Lady is as good - if not better - in the film version (even though it's sans Julie Andrews). Perhaps West Side Story as well, Grease, Cabaret...

[nataliealana]

Posted: 1/23/18 at 5:36am

OOH. How did I miss Grease?!

Also Sound of Music! Which I believe was stage first and then film.

[MichelleCraig]

Posted: 1/27/18 at 12:17am

WEST SIDE STORY, CABARET and THE SOUND OF MUSIC immediately come to mind as motion pictures that were better than their stage counterparts.

However I have, and would, definitely attend revivals of any of these shows on Broadway or the West End.

[Lot666]

Posted: 2/1/18 at 8:42am

Most of the movie musicals I've seen are latter-day examples, but I've yet to see one that I thought was superior to the stage version. The 2004 Phantom movie was pretty to look at, but the singing was weak and too many lyrics that are sung in the stage show were converted to spoken dialog in the film. Similarly, the Les Miserables movie was visually stunning, but most of the cast couldn't sing and often spoke their lyrics. The casting of "Hollywood stars" in movie musicals instead of credible singers is a very frustrating trend.

[Dave28282]

Posted: 2/4/18 at 8:23am

Lot666, I completely agree.

The only 2 musicalfilms that are worth watching to me are The Sound of Music and Grease. The way they embrace the songs (which are also sung incredibly well by leading ladies Julie Andrews and Olivia Newton John) in the story is just very sincere. It feels natural and that is the most important thing in this artform.

Unfortunately, in most other movies they completely fail to understand this naturalness and sincerity and some incapable barbarians (mostly directors) seem to believe that distracting from the singing by speaking (incapability) or exaggerating is the solution to make it feel real. It does not, it creates a disconnect. It makes the product feel forced and insincere.

What people need to understand is that this language is about sung thoughts. The notes work as actors too. If you apologize for that, and make the audience switch all the time, even in 1 line sometimes, you create something that feels fake. The singing has to feel completely natural. Also, in film, you have the magic of editing and cinematography, which can all help to take the illusion of sung thoughts even further. Pre-recorded tracks create a magic that plays the emotion really well, because it enhances this "better than life" emotions.

People who are really capable of natural singing do that on stage too, which makes their performances really filmic. Here is an example of clips that feel natural versus clips that feel fake. The Les Mis movie feels as fake as can be. They fail to understand everything about this language there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4NNlEPraKo

Updated On: 2/4/18 at 08:23 AM