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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2017 14:35:09 GMT
The story of PT Barnum with music and lyrics by Pasek & Paul (Dear Evan Hansen, etc) Im quite looking forward to this. Love a good musical movie. Anyone else?
Official Trailer out now:
My only reservation, so far, is the only song previewed from it in the trailer is a bit poppy and doesn't seem to fit the visual style of the production. Be interested to hear how the rest of it sounds, a more original but Moulin Rouge-style soundtrack would work imo.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2017 14:54:16 GMT
Song sounds awful. Pasek & Paul are not who I would have picked for a circus themed musical, their work is very poppy and I would think it calls for something a bit more quirky and unconventional.
I like the cast though.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2017 16:14:57 GMT
Song sounds awful. Pasek & Paul are not who I would have picked for a circus themed musical, their work is very poppy and I would think it calls for something a bit more quirky and unconventional. I like the cast though. Tend to agree. Guess they're going down the generic middle of the road route to make it more broadly appealing.
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Post by mistressjojo on Jun 29, 2017 10:52:40 GMT
This seems to have been coming forever. I saw Hugh Jackman on stage in 2015 and he did few songs from this then - although I thought it was going to be a stage musical at that stage? Maybe I got it wrong.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2017 10:55:46 GMT
This seems to have been coming forever. I saw Hugh Jackman on stage in 2015 and he did few songs from this then - although I thought it was going to be a stage musical at that stage? Maybe I got it wrong. Apparently Hugh Jackman signed up to the film project way back in 2009, so yes a long time coming. A few delays along the lines but December 25th sees the cinematic release.
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Post by oxfordsimon on Jun 29, 2017 11:07:53 GMT
It looks like Conchita Wurst is attached to this project in some way. Though clearly not as the bearded lady in the trailer!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2017 11:23:12 GMT
I was really excited to see this movie but now seeing the trailer I am a bit disappointed, I definitely the song in the trailer is really bad and if all the songs in it are like that I know I will not like it. I sort of hope the song is just the fun poppy one that will be in the ending credits and the rest will be a bit more old fashioned and musical theatre. The film does look visually good. They should have just done a movie version of Barnum
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2017 10:46:57 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 11, 2017 19:17:13 GMT
Can't wait to see this now. It has just garnered three Golden Globe nominations for Picture, Hugh and Best Song for "This Is Me" which I have just heard for the first time and love!!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2017 13:21:10 GMT
I was hoping for a bit more of a different soundtrack, its very commercially appealing. Still really looking forward to another musical movie to add to the collection.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2017 19:20:16 GMT
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Post by anthony40 on Dec 21, 2017 17:41:42 GMT
So I can (finally) talk about this film now.
My sister and I were fortunate enough to catch the first ever UK preview screening of this approximately 2 weeks ago and I had to sign a document stating that I would not make any public comments/reviews until 20th December 2017.
The film; it's truly outstanding. Believe the hype. The colours, storylines, acting, singing and choreography. It have a very Moulin Rouge feel to it.
The music is so catchy; to the point where after one screening, weeks later I am still humming the songs.
To clarify, although this follows a similar storyline, the music is completely original and entirely different from the exiting musical.
In this film we see Barnum's early beginnings as a boy and where he first meets Charity.
There is a lovely scene where Hugh Jackman is dancing with Michelle Williams where she is wearing a mauve coloured dress and he dances her over the corner precipice of a building and when he 'lands' her back on her feet, the bedsheets hanging on the line are all swaying in time with the music.
We get to see Barnum's Museum of oddities and go inside it. Here he recruits his troupe- trapeze artists, a bearded woman, Tom Thumb (who doesn't say a lot but when he does he has attitude), heavily tattooed artists, a wolf boy, a tall man, a fat man, two albinos and and gang of others. Take note of a well dressed male member with a moustache dressed in blue who generally appears on the right hand side of the screen. At first all seems normal with this guy so you're thinking "Why is he here?" and when they all come together to finish a routine you realise that he has a third leg which he rests upon.
There is no Joyce Heath character as there is in the original musical and as referred to above, there is Tom Thumb. Although you do see elephants, none are referred to as Jumbo.
There are several storylines running throughout- Barnum's love for Charity and his family, Barnum's determination, as he started from nothing, the need to prove himself to his father-in-law, the need to afford ballet shoes for his eldest daughter. The affair with Jenny Lind is also touched upon. Finally there is the ever increasing attraction between Zac Efron and Zendaya, The song they sing whilst balancing on ropes is just brilliant!
Rebecca Ferguson as Jenny Lind is excellent- acting wise and vocally. Although the fact that her character is Swedish is often referred to, at no point does she sing or speak in anything than English (In my opinion) I thought she looked remarkably like Elena Roger.
Both Zac Efron and Michelle Williams vocally hold their own. Michelle Williams sings one solo song and duets with Hugh Jackman. Zac Efron duets with Hugh Jackman and (as referred to above) with Zendaya.
You get to see the fire that burns the museum down and the reason why it started in the first place.
To counterbalance all of the colour and wonderment there is also a character of a cynical reporter and towards the end its good to see him come together to gain a mutual respect of each other.
But Hugh Jackman really shines in this film as P.T. Barnum. Possibly because it's a different role or because of the vocal ranget but he sound nothing like he did in Les Miserables. He acts, sings and dances.
When it was screening I leant over to my sister and said "This is simply outstanding!". Later when we came out there were interviewing patrons in front of a green screen and my sister actually told there interviewer that the film was 'magical!'.
Honestly, I cannot rave about this film enough!
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Post by foxa on Dec 21, 2017 21:45:01 GMT
And if you want to see some of the cast doing Crosswalk the Musical with Richard Corden in NYC (including Jackman and Efron), there is this:
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Post by anthony40 on Dec 21, 2017 22:08:54 GMT
Yeah, saw that.
Love it!
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Post by Jon on Dec 21, 2017 22:31:06 GMT
And if you want to see some of the cast doing Crosswalk the Musical with Richard Corden in NYC (including Jackman and Efron), there is this: Think you mean James Corden!
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Post by foxa on Dec 21, 2017 23:20:37 GMT
Yeah - sorry, posted in haste and too late to edit. But enjoy!
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Post by greeny11 on Dec 22, 2017 0:45:42 GMT
This score is my favourite Pasek and Paul offering to date. I love every song on the soundtrack - especially From Now On. I'm not a big film watcher, but I will give this a go on the basis of the music.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2017 8:19:02 GMT
Interesting feature on Sky Movies about this. Hugh Jackman interviewed by Alex Zane included.
Jackman says back in pre-production when the team were looking for writers for the soundtrack Pasek & Paul lied to get into a meeting to get in. They'd claimed they were Tony nominated for their work on James & the Giant Peach (which hadnt actually made it to Broadway).
He also says Dear Evan Hansen will be making its way to London.
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Post by Stephen on Dec 27, 2017 19:09:54 GMT
I really enjoyed this today. A great movie to see over the festive period. Enjoyed the cast and the beautiful montages. Left wanting for the realistic sadder ending but can understand why the choice was made to keep it uplifting. {Spoiler - click to view} Doesn't Charity die in the musical? Is that much later on in their life before he joined the circus with Bailey?
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Post by ali973 on Dec 27, 2017 23:05:34 GMT
I hardly head to the movies over here but I think I might give this a whirl soon along with Coco. For the record - I gave La La Land a miss and still haven't seen it. I generally can't really get into movie musicals..
But I already have a problem or two with this, even before seeing it, and this is coming from a person who normally reserves judgement until seeing something.
I sampled the soundtrack, and as suspected from Pasek & Paul, the music is relentless, generic and sounds like an Apple commercial. And this is coming from a person who isn't necessarily a musical or music classicist and I enjoy an everyday pop song.
Also, Barnum was a true jerk to his wife and exploited human "oddities" for a profit, but in this filmed honored and rebranded as a champion for individuality...Kind of tasteless.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2017 6:12:38 GMT
Just found this video. So beautiful and emotional. I can't stop crying omg.
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Post by anthony40 on Dec 28, 2017 8:38:29 GMT
Hey, that interview was filmed in my home town of Sydney.
You can se the Opera House in the background with the ferries going past.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 28, 2017 11:55:58 GMT
I’ve kind of arrived at the point where I don’t like HJ’s voice. I think it sounds very tight in the throat and strained. I watched Les Mis the other night on Netflix and it really struck me.
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Post by The Lost on Dec 28, 2017 13:36:37 GMT
Just found this video. So beautiful and emotional. I can't stop crying omg. This is beautiful. She hits a couple of flat notes at the start but then grows into something really special once she steps out from behind the music stand. Thanks for linking.
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Post by poster J on Dec 28, 2017 16:08:16 GMT
Saw this today and I think it was a great put a smile on your face movie for the holiday period...but not much more than that.
The performances are great - Williams, Jackman, Ferguson and Zendaya all shine. Even Zac Efron is tolerable for once. And the musical numbers are well choreographed and polished with a great ensemble.
But does it really tell the true story of P.T. Barnum? Not in the slightest. It barely scratches the surface of any of the characters and zips along at such a pace that nothing is ever really dwelt on at all. Everything works out and resolves itself over and over again.
Uplifting? Yes. Realistic? No, not particularly.
The music is not going to be anything new to anyone who's ever heard more than about 3 notes from La La Land, but it's harmless, tuneful and occasionally clever and witty. If you go into this expecting movie making at its finest you'll be disappointed, but if you're simply looking for a bit of colourful, well produced and performed escapism with a touch of Hollywood gloss, then it's a perfectly pleasant way to pass a couple of hours.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2017 17:45:12 GMT
Agree with the comments from poster J . Although I will say that Pasek & Paul only contributed lyrics to La La Land for one song, nothing musically. The songs from The Greatest Showman pretty much jump around the same 4 chords throughout - when not rhythmically overwhelmed. Interesting to note they were only credited for the songs as two other composers were credited for the films score. Liked it, didn't love it. Stylistically, very Moulin Rouge, there were a number of really obvious nods to it throughout. The whole thing moved far too quickly for my liking, without giving any time to get into any characters depth or create any real emotional warmth. Not sure how so many people have ended up in tears watching it. Given how tightly they wrapped everything up at the end, I thought the movies conclusion was quite odd. For me I was left felling a bit underwhelmed as some really soft piano chords faded out, despite all the characters receiving a 'happily ever after' closure. A nice mindless 100 minutes. Hopefully this will provoke the production of some more musical movies of this ilk.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2017 22:05:29 GMT
Saw it this afternoon and I did like it but not lovi. I do agree thinking some of it seemed to be too quick and not developed. Liked all the performances and the cinematography was very good as well as it being very ambitious for a first time movie director. I was worried that the songs would be too poppy and did not know how it would fit in but I did also like all the sons but some time in felt they went a but generic and poppy. A nice way to spend an afternoon and while not my favourite movie musical it was fun. I was also looking on Spotify at the album and I feel like it is missing aimeof the songs like one when they were in the bar and maybe others .
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Post by ellie1981 on Dec 28, 2017 23:37:23 GMT
I was whisked out of the film the second I was supposed to believe that Hugh Jackman was the same age as Michelle Williams!
I just didn’t think the songs flowed into it and it sounded so forced. The abundance of autotune completely ruined the songs and the style of music just didn’t sit right with me. Rebeccca Ferguson is introduced as a Opera star, but then she sings a Christina Aguilera type song on stage every night? All the music just sounded like early 00s Max Martin type pop songs.
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Post by groupbooker on Dec 30, 2017 0:45:54 GMT
Saw the film on Wednesday with a group of friends who knew nothing about the film - they all loved it, as did we. Totally agree all the way through with anthony40's review. Its light, colourful. speeds along and is the perfect film to enjoy for all the family. Yes it does not cover all the problems in his life and ends on a high, but can anyone of you say that the musical Barnum with Michael Crawford tells all and had a downbeat ending?? But the musical still plays and tours and people enjoy it. Look on it as an enjoyable couple of hours at the cinema. Love the music and look forward to buying the dvd when on sale!
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Post by haz23 on Dec 30, 2017 22:59:00 GMT
I saw this today and LOVED it - so much colour and good for the soul. And what a soundtrack! Pasek and Paul have proved themselves once again. SO good.
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