I have seen this show performed live numerous times (once starring Zero Mostel!), and know it well. (In the interest of disclosure (like I'm a reporter or something...) I've even performed in it). Done well, it's a hilarious romp across the stage. Done poorly, it's a bore. And this movie does it very poorly indeed.
This film suffers from the dreaded "opening up" disease that infects so many Hollywood films. The Broadway original is performed on one set consisting of three houses. While the film does concentrate on the three houses, there's other scenery to view, including a ludicrous chase sequence that seems to take place throughout all of Rome. This removes the small, intimate feeling of the show and doesn't allow for the sense of panic and doom that occurs as the situations Pseudolus gets himself into get worse by the minute.
Additionally, the direction is lame. The show is a musical, but the movie seems embarrassed by that. The songs are poorly directed, with annoying camera tricks and bits of business that ruin the pacing. It even seems that the songs were almost an afterthought in the direction of the movie. (When directing Popeye, Robert Altman said he wanted the songs to appear out of nowhere instead of the way they usually have a beginning, middle and end. The same seems to be true here, and it doesn't work in either film.) The physical business that runs throughout the movie is so far over the top that you end up wondering when the funny bits will start.
The pluses are obvious: Zero Mostel and Jack Gilford, two old pros trying to make it all work. Buster Keaton is wasted in a role that could be hilarious had he been allowed to play with it.
I'm aware that this movie got a pretty decent rating from viewers, which puts my comments in the minority. All I can suggest is that if you have the opportunity, see the original show and then see the movie again. I'd be willing to bet you'd revise your score down. Way down.
This film suffers from the dreaded "opening up" disease that infects so many Hollywood films. The Broadway original is performed on one set consisting of three houses. While the film does concentrate on the three houses, there's other scenery to view, including a ludicrous chase sequence that seems to take place throughout all of Rome. This removes the small, intimate feeling of the show and doesn't allow for the sense of panic and doom that occurs as the situations Pseudolus gets himself into get worse by the minute.
Additionally, the direction is lame. The show is a musical, but the movie seems embarrassed by that. The songs are poorly directed, with annoying camera tricks and bits of business that ruin the pacing. It even seems that the songs were almost an afterthought in the direction of the movie. (When directing Popeye, Robert Altman said he wanted the songs to appear out of nowhere instead of the way they usually have a beginning, middle and end. The same seems to be true here, and it doesn't work in either film.) The physical business that runs throughout the movie is so far over the top that you end up wondering when the funny bits will start.
The pluses are obvious: Zero Mostel and Jack Gilford, two old pros trying to make it all work. Buster Keaton is wasted in a role that could be hilarious had he been allowed to play with it.
I'm aware that this movie got a pretty decent rating from viewers, which puts my comments in the minority. All I can suggest is that if you have the opportunity, see the original show and then see the movie again. I'd be willing to bet you'd revise your score down. Way down.