Musical Monday Week 29 Love’s Labour’s Lost

[Cameron H. 23786]

What if Baz Luhrman didn’t give a fuck?

 

We watched:

 

 

 

[Cameron H. 23786]

Due to the Holiday today, I have a gaggle of children tearing my house apart. I’m pretty sure they’re multiplying...

 

Anyway, I’m not sure how much participating I’ll be able to do today. So, for those who haven’t already read it, here’s my Letterboxd review:

 

“I was introduced to this movie back in college - almost apologetically - by a Theater Major friend of mine. And I get it. The cast is kind of bonkers, the choreography and singing is a bit spotty, and overall, it feels a bit slapdash. 

 

However, I’ve always felt like that kind of thrown together feeling is a part of its charm. I feel like - after the Herculean task that was Hamlet - Branagh was looking for something just sort of light and frothy. It feels like this was him decrompressing and just having fun. Gone are the elaborate sets and 4 hour run time. It’s shoot-from-the-hip Shakespeare - and it’s wonderful.

 

And just because I feel like I was dismissive of them above, the cast is wonderful and the songs are great. It’s charming in its simplicity. This was never meant to be a blockbuster. It’s there simply because Branagh wanted to do it. It exists for those who want it, and I, for one, am glad that it does.“

 

 

 

[taylor anne photo 11311]

I forgot to ask before but is this readily available to see online or is it a rental/purchase thing? I should be able to watch tonight if I can with Netflix or Amazon.

[Cameron H. 23786]

I forgot to ask before but is this readily available to see online or is it a rental/purchase thing? I should be able to watch tonight if I can with Netflix or Amazon.

 

According to "Can I Stream It?" - no. It's available to rent as low as $1.99, though.

[taylor anne photo 11311]

According to "Can I Stream It?" - no. It's available to rent as low as $1.99, though.

Certainly not as bad as $15 lmao

[Cameron H. 23786]

Yeah, that's ridiculous.

[Cam Bert 8145]

Enjoy your gaggle.

 

I see what Branagh's doing and I get where Cameron is coming from but it just didn't work fully for me. There is a certain "let's put on a show" vibe and I get that and I like that. Then there is the musical take on Shakespeare and I think that's an interesting idea. However, just in the execution it was off for me. One of the things that felt off for me was that all the actors had such different energy and approach to it that it made it feel uneven. Some scenes everybody was on the same page and it worked well, and then the next scene would be played in a different way and kinda fall flat. Some played very broad, some seemed to just be playing Shakespeare. The news reels to recap the bits cut out to move the story along, never really worked for me either. I get that they are there to fill in the bits of play cut out, but they seemed to come abruptly often when things seemed to be moving forward. Also they'd often repeat things we already heard or something a character would explain again after it finished. I didn't hate the movie by any means, but I wasn't captured by its charms either.

 

For me the most interesting thing was hearing some of these songs that we have seen in previous Musical Monday's reused and put in this movie.

[Cameron H. 23786]

“They Can’t Take That Away From Me” is one of my favorite songs - although i think it’s kind of cruel to make Lillard song the line “the way you sing off key.” I love it’s use as a Ccoda at the end of the movie. Since a year is “Too long for a play” it gives a bit of closure and adds some real heart to the end - such as seeing Boyet die and Jaquenetta in a Concentration Camp. It also let’s us see Berowne keep his promise to make mirth in a hospital and for (most) of the cast to have a happy ending.

 

I feel like that song perfectly encapsulates and scene perfectly encapsulates that feeling of “I love you, but I don’t know if I’ll ever see you again.”

 

Also, apropos nothing, I loved the tap dancing iambic pentameter.

[Cam Bert 8145]

“They Can’t Take That Away From Me” is one of my favorite songs - although i think it’s kind of cruel to make Lillard song the line “the way you sing off key.” I love it’s use as a Coda at the end of the movie. Since a year is “Too long for a play” it gives a bit of closure and adds some real heart to the end - such as seeing Boyet die and Jaquenetta in a Concentration Camp. It also let’s us see Berowne keep his promise to make mirth in a hospital and for (most) of the cast to have a happy ending.

So this is one of the questions I had not reading the play, does the play end with them going off to war or was this just part of setting the movie in 1939 France?

[Cameron H. 23786]

So this is one of the questions I had not reading the play, does the play end with them going off to war or was this just part of setting the movie in 1939 France?

 

No, that's a contrivance of the movie. The play (basically) ends with the ladies going into mourning over the death of the Princess' father.

[EvRobert 1684]

I really enjoyed this movie but (like most of Shakespeare's comedies) I enjoyed the commoners more then I enjoyed I the "nobility" and I think it's obvious Branagh does do as he cast the better actors, the more classically trained in those roles (Lane, Spall, Briers, McEwan, etc). I will say, this is the movie that made me go pause on the Lillard hate (I have yet to see SLC Punk--SORRY!).

 

I'm glad you brought up Branagh's Hamlet Cameron, because that was my thought too. Hamlet is a sweeping 4-hour, not a single word cut film that takes place on the cusp of World War 1. this is a sweeping, hour and a half light musical comedy heavily cut set (ostensibly) at the cusp of WW2. It's interesting to me, too, because I just finished acting in Hamlet (It was a recorded podcast drama that I also edited. I can provide a link if anyone wants). I wonder if Branagh was making a statement about how we went from War to the roaring 20s back to war.

 

Of the nobles that surprised me was Adrian Lester. I also appreciated that Branaugh went with mixed race couples. the number that worked the least for me was the masquerade ball scene, it just seemed too sexualized for this particular time period.

 

From a Shakespearan perspective, I will say that making LLL makes a lot of sense as music plays an important part in the finale.

 

I also had to wonder, having read Kevin Smith's blogs from around this time, if Weinstein pushed for Silverstone and Lillard to be in this? Smith talks about how Weinstein pushed him to cast Reese Witherspoon in Dogma (I think it was--I'd have to google this). Silverstone and Lillard were pretty hot commodities at Miramax at this time, again IIRC and while Lillard held his own, Silverstone seemed out of place. I also have to wonder if they had had more then 3 weeks rehearsal if that would have made a difference.

 

Minor trivia! Branagh's role (Berwone) is believed to have been played by Will himself back in the day.

[EvRobert 1684]

I forgot to ask before but is this readily available to see online or is it a rental/purchase thing? I should be able to watch tonight if I can with Netflix or Amazon.

 

I rented it on Vudu and had issues with the streaming so I rented it again from YouTube and it was seemless (plus 48 hours compared to Vudu's 24) so if you rent, avoid Vudu.

[EvRobert 1684]

What if Baz Luhrman didn’t give a fuck?

 

We watched:

 

can I just say whoever designed that poster really seemed to want to invoke Branagh's Midsummer Night's Dream

[Cameron H. 23786]

Minor trivia! Branagh's role (Berwone) is believed to have been played by Will himself back in the day.

 

I have no doubt that this is true. Of the principal cast, he has the most going on and is the character that delivers the play's thesis.

 

ETA: Oh, and totally provide that Hamlet link.

[Cameron H. 23786]

can I just say whoever designed that poster really seemed to want to invoke Branagh's Midsummer Night's Dream

 

I like the fact that Lillard is front and center and the king is in the back.

[EvRobert 1684]

 

I have no doubt that this is true. Of the principal cast, he has the most going on and is the character that delivers the play's thesis.

 

ETA: Oh, and totally provide that Hamlet link.

 

Here ya go, via BlogTalkRadio http://www.blogtalkradio.com/rithebard/2018/01/01/sherris-playhouse-presents-hamlet

[tomspanks 9039]

Is there any significance to the champagne, cigarette, or the hero roll?

 

[EvRobert 1684]

Is there any significance to the champagne, cigarette, or the hero roll?

 

they are all delicious?

[Cameron H. 23786]

Is there any significance to the champagne, cigarette, or the hero roll?

 

 

Beyond them trying to ingratiate themselves, none that I know of.

 

ETA: Is this one of the last movies where smoking isn’t portrayed as being immediately distasteful?

[tomspanks 9039]

I thought maybe those 3 things were referenced in the play. Champagne and smokes, sure. But an entire sandwich roll? At least fill it with some ham!

[Cam Bert 8145]

they are all delicious?

As a non-smoker, is smoking delicious?

[Cameron H. 23786]

As a non-smoker, is smoking delicious?

 

As a former smoker; dear God, yes!

[EvRobert 1684]

As a former smoker; dear God, yes!

 

depends on the blend of tobacco, but dear god yes.

[Cam Bert 8145]

You guys have sold me. Smoking here I come!

[grudlian. 4725]

I'm sorry that I didn't get the chance to watch this week's movie. I've been so busy with other stuff that I couldn't fit it in.

 

You guys have sold me. Smoking here I come!

I think the best way is to start vaping add in nicotine gum and the patch. When you build up a tolerance to all those, you're ready to cigarettes!