The Wizard of OZ

Next on my list of must see classic movie musicals was the Wizard of OZ, an altogether bizarrely mesmerising film, and without doubt one of the most well known of the MGM movies. The 1939 film, based on the novel written nearly 40 years before, was the most expensive film produced by MGM at its release, as you can see in it's pioneering use of special effects and technicolor (although by today's standards they seem brilliantly cheesy and retro). However, the majority of the films success and subsequent cult following came a little later in the film's history after a rather lukewarm reception on its release.

Watching the film again it was exactly as I thought, and half remembered it would be, complete with the wondfully artificial set, Munchkin chorus and infectious bouts of skipping along the yellow brick road. Although, I do have to admit to never having watched the sepia beginning of the film as a child, finding it rather bland and unexciting, I tended to fastforward to the bit that had colour and singing and dancing.
It only occurs to me now, watching the film through adult eyes, that this was the exact effect the director was aiming for - to show how Dorothy must have felt, a fact that must have gone over my 8 year old self (and indeed very nearly my 20 year old self!). Perhaps their intention to contrast the two parts of the film was a little too successful...

Now, the wizard of OZ is steeped in myths and speculation over double meanings and hidden intentions, which I'm not even going to attempt to go into, given the vast bank of view points and 'evidence', some of which I am sure may have good foundations, others perhaps not. If it's one thing I've learnt from my course at uni so far, it's that the more you look for something, the more likely you are to find it, whether it actually exists or not.

So on the surface, as a family friendly film, all I have to say is that it has indeed stood the test of time and remains a family and worldwide favourite, proving again and again just why it deserves its place in film history. That said, despite being greatly enjoyable and a magnificent piece of film escapism, I still had a few little niggles, although easy to dismiss once you fully submerge yourself in the film.

For a start, exactly how old was Dorothy (Judy Garland) supposed to be? Her behaviour, clothing and general demeanour suggest a young girl, whilst Judy who was only only 16 has the air of a much older actress playing a child. Rumour also has it that she was also made to wear a corset to make her look younger still. The final confusion comes in her rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, sung with a maturity and voice difficult to attribute to the apparent child you see on screen.

The other thing that had me wondering was the Munchkins. Where they all actually dwarfs, children or a mix of both? Well, with a little research from our mate Wikipedia it appears that all the Munchkins were indeed real dwarfs known as The Singer Midgets, employed by the rather shady character Leo Singer. There's something about him and the way he made his money out of hiring out his 'Midgets' that just doesn't sit right with me, but I suppose it was a very different time back when the film was made.

So, overall an enjoyable and emblematic film, just as long as you don't think too much about it! I think perhaps I'd prefer Andrew Lloyd Webber's new stage version more, I hope I get to find out one day!
Maybe it's time for a new film adaptation...?

So, here we are. I leave you with Judy Garland singing the song that will forever leave her voice and the song imprinted on musical history.

Legally Blonde on the West End

I first discovered legally blonde the film in middle school when I was off school with glandular fever and quickly became properly addicted to it. Even now, having not watched the film for a good few years (its true, sadly you can have too much of a good thing) I dare say I could still parrot about 75% of the lines if it was in front of me - yes, there was a time when I could have got close to 100% if I'd concentrated!

So when legally blonde the musical opened in London, despite my slight obsession with the film being long gone I vowed to go and see it one day. A few years down the line and it was still sat at the bottom of my list entitled 'things to go and see one day...' and the closest I'd actually got to seeing the musical was adding the original London cast recording to my regular playlist on my iPod.

Now things at uni have been getting rather stressful recently, so when it was announced that the show was closing I decided that I had to get my bum into gear and go and see it with my mum as something to look forward to/a reward for my efforts in trying to keep up with uni, work and stay sane (which is no mean feat I can tell you!). We also discovered that we actually knew two of the cast members back from when they were teenagers in WOW Youth Musical Theatre (I'll tell you more about them another time), before they made it to the west end, so we got in touch and finally bought ourselves tickets for the other night.

Well, what can I say? I thoroughly enjoyed the stage show and the extra dimension the big musical numbers brought to the show, making it an almost separate entity from the film and definitely my preferred option over watching the DVD. There's very little dialogue in the musical, making it brilliantly fast paced and fun, just as it should be to match the larger than life characters. The think that really stood out for me though was Paulette, Elle's new best friend and beautician played brilliantly by Natalie Casey. Her quirky, yet awkward style makes her instantly loveable and a real hit with the audience, providing some of the biggest comic moments of the show in addition to her two big numbers, 'Ireland' and the 'Bend and Snap'.

So in summary all I have to say really is get out there and go see it for yourself because it's truly brilliant and such a shame that it's closing! I could quite happily sit here and talk about it all night, in my own little fluffy pink bubble, but for now all I have to say is that I will definitely be booking to go and see this when it comes near me on tour and quite possibly be telling you a little more about what I thought about the whole thing in more detail at a later date), but for now I leave you with this...

Snaps for Paulette!

Good Mornin', Good Mornin'

Taking my cue from the lovely English weather we've been having lately, I decided to start my film quest with Singing in the Rain the 1950s classic, because lets face it, who hasn't been walking down the street in the rain with their umbrella and given a little skip in acknowledgement to that most famous of music, scenes?

Thinking about it this was probably the first time I had seen the movie version of singing in the rain all the way through rather than watching somewhat mismatched chunks of it on tv, and I had to say I really liked it! I knew the stage version already having helped out backstage for Weymouth Operatic Society's production a few years ago - cue anecdotes about the onstage film breaking down ("err, it must be the interval. who wants popcorn?"), desperately trying not to electrocute the leading man because he lost his hat and topping up the 'rain' with milk so that the audience could see it, again nearly killing the leading man in the process.

The choreography of the film is stunning, even by modern standards, with Cosmo (Donald O'Conner)'s song Make 'Em Laugh being quite possibly one of the hardest and most ridiculous scenes of its type I have ever seen. why Donald o'conner didn't become as big a household name as gene Kelly for that role alone I really don't know.
The middle broadway melody section did leave me a little baffled though, making me prefer the stage version without the slightly obscure ballet section in the middle whilst it works for Oklahoma and carousel, this time I wasn't all that convinced.

Overall, a great film and the only place you are ever likely to witness such amazing dance and choreography - something that must be quite intimidating for anyone taking on the lead roles in either amateur or professional versions of the stage show. Give me the stage version with the cast, choreography and production of the film and I'm happy. Not much to ask is it? This film is definitely one that I will be watching again on a rainy day (pardon the shameful pun) when I want to sit back and marvel at the sheer brilliance of gene Kelly's production.

So what's next on my list? The Wizard of OZ, High Society and Breakfast at Tiffany's are all in my possession, so let's see how the mood takes me..

A new years resolution... (mark 2)

It appears I have myself my first blog fail.
Note to self: always make a copy of your blog posts, so that if they magically disappear you can simply copy and paste them back and all's well that ends well!

Here we are:
Since September I've been doing an elective course at uni called 'Music, Stage and Screen', which got me thinking about how many of the classic films, especially movie musicals I haven't seen, or have only ever half heartedly watched during the holidays. It also reunited my love of musicals and the stage, which has sadly been on the back burner since I moved to uni.

So, to my first new years resolution:
To watch more classic movies, in particular movie musicals.

If you've got any suggestions feel free to leave a comment below and I'll let you know how I get on

Now the question is, where do I start? There are a couple on my list already, but which one to choose? Perhaps, judging by the weather out there today 'Singing in the Rain' would be appropriate...