I remember waiting for this movie to come out. I'd grown up listening to Bernadette Peters. Performed lesser characters myself until I finally got to be the Witch. This movie had an all star cast and I was so excited.
End credits roll, and I sat there more angry than sad. A musical with so many moral lessons and all the movie can focus on is KILLING the Giant as the big finale. The whole movie ends with Children Will Listen and all I can think of is the kids who just learned that it is ok to kill to get what you want.
Yes the Giant dies in the musical but because of the limitations of stage the scene is less about getting that giant but focuses on the people struggling to survive against giant odds. Also, the true finale of the musical has a wonderful lesson that is completely cut out the movie. ...
There is one last reprise of the theme "Into the woods" One verse says, "... Into the woods but not to stray or tempt the wolf or steal from the giant." Because, let's face it, the giant is the most innocent party in the whole play. She was kind to the thieving, murderous boy, Jack.
"Into the woods, each time you go There's more to learn of what you know. ..Into the woods to mind the wolf, to Heed the witch, to Honor the giant. .... into the woods. Then out of the woods -- and happily ever after!" Then Cinderella says, "I wish..." and everyone looks at her in horror .... because, let's face it, the one thing humans are good at is forgetting life lessons.
None of this is in the movie ...
Not to mention the missing characters such as the narrator/father (well, the many funny theater scenes) ... and all the much needed comic relief crafted into the second half of the musical. (Because the body count is no laughing matter. :)
The musical has an intermission after they all get their happy ever after ... so when you see them again time has passed & they are all back to wanting more. Then the giantess starts destroying things as she looks for Jack (because he murdered her Husband ... can't stress that jolly tidbit enough) and their petty wants get pushed aside as life completely is changed for everyone.
I would like to say that my disappointment is like that of one whose favorite book is made into a movie ... not everything can fit into those 2 hours. However, this movie did a disservice to those who have never seen the real deal. I have see it/been in it. Can spout almost every line ad nauseam and yet I still cry at the end of even High school Productions. This movie left me cold. I still cry at the "eyes of an angel..." animal commercials, but the movie just didn't provide me with an emotional connection.
Then there is the scene where the baker runs off after finding out his wife has died. In the play the mysterious man (aka his father) says, "We disappoint, we disappear, we die but we don't. . . " and the baker sing a short heartbreaking song that ends, "...No more giants waging! Can't we just pursue our lives w/our children & our wives 'til that happy day arrives, how do you ignore All the witches, all the curses, the false hopes, the good-byes, the reverses All the wondering what even worse is still in store All the children All the giants .... just, no more "
In theater we are taught that the actor NOT crying is powerful. You sob because his words resignate, not because he is showing us how sad he is. It's the writer's version of show don't tell.
Then there are the children. According to the bonus features, the director feels its supposed to be children and not teenagers. I very very much beg to differ. Hello little girl is a seduction song and has many innuendos that worked sort of ok as Lilla looks 13 -14. Jack is a simpleton but not a child. With them as teenagers, there is a growing up they are suddenly forced to do. They truly have no one. The song, No one is alone didn't seem as powerful because these kids are so young that obviously someone will take care of them. And it seems odd that the baker is willing to say no to letting them stay with him when Jack can't be over 10. Now, if they were teens, then his reluctance is more understandable. Red is a bit scarier in the musical, pulling out her knife ... a fact which makes it funnier when the baker is horrified his wife would leave the baby with Red.
The baker and his wife do not argue as much as they do in the play. Theirs is NOT a perfect marriage. No marriage is, but the reality in their relationship are what allow her to be seduced by the prince and let us accept it as paet of her character flaw.
In the play, Rapunzel blames the witch for her unhappiness and says, "because of you, I will never be happy again." The Witch, whose own mother was NOT great example of motherhood (I mean seriously, who puts a curse on their own child?) Truly tries to protect her child by going to the way opposite extreme (there are parents out there like that). Yes, she does some horrible things in the name of love and she is definitely not a nice person. Her mistakes and how they affected her child go with the theme of the play. Later, Rapunzel is stepped on by the giant as she runs away from the Witch who is trying to save her which changes the whole tone of the Stay with me reprise ... they should've just got rid of that reprise if they were going to change that storyline.
I rewatched the movie recently thinking maybe I was so disappointed in 2014 because I had too high of expectations. But no, it is because they took a deep, well-crafted musical and morphed it into an odd sort of movie. They should have just done act 1 and ended it there. Oh, wait, that's basically what they did.
End credits roll, and I sat there more angry than sad. A musical with so many moral lessons and all the movie can focus on is KILLING the Giant as the big finale. The whole movie ends with Children Will Listen and all I can think of is the kids who just learned that it is ok to kill to get what you want.
Yes the Giant dies in the musical but because of the limitations of stage the scene is less about getting that giant but focuses on the people struggling to survive against giant odds. Also, the true finale of the musical has a wonderful lesson that is completely cut out the movie. ...
There is one last reprise of the theme "Into the woods" One verse says, "... Into the woods but not to stray or tempt the wolf or steal from the giant." Because, let's face it, the giant is the most innocent party in the whole play. She was kind to the thieving, murderous boy, Jack.
"Into the woods, each time you go There's more to learn of what you know. ..Into the woods to mind the wolf, to Heed the witch, to Honor the giant. .... into the woods. Then out of the woods -- and happily ever after!" Then Cinderella says, "I wish..." and everyone looks at her in horror .... because, let's face it, the one thing humans are good at is forgetting life lessons.
None of this is in the movie ...
Not to mention the missing characters such as the narrator/father (well, the many funny theater scenes) ... and all the much needed comic relief crafted into the second half of the musical. (Because the body count is no laughing matter. :)
The musical has an intermission after they all get their happy ever after ... so when you see them again time has passed & they are all back to wanting more. Then the giantess starts destroying things as she looks for Jack (because he murdered her Husband ... can't stress that jolly tidbit enough) and their petty wants get pushed aside as life completely is changed for everyone.
I would like to say that my disappointment is like that of one whose favorite book is made into a movie ... not everything can fit into those 2 hours. However, this movie did a disservice to those who have never seen the real deal. I have see it/been in it. Can spout almost every line ad nauseam and yet I still cry at the end of even High school Productions. This movie left me cold. I still cry at the "eyes of an angel..." animal commercials, but the movie just didn't provide me with an emotional connection.
Then there is the scene where the baker runs off after finding out his wife has died. In the play the mysterious man (aka his father) says, "We disappoint, we disappear, we die but we don't. . . " and the baker sing a short heartbreaking song that ends, "...No more giants waging! Can't we just pursue our lives w/our children & our wives 'til that happy day arrives, how do you ignore All the witches, all the curses, the false hopes, the good-byes, the reverses All the wondering what even worse is still in store All the children All the giants .... just, no more "
In theater we are taught that the actor NOT crying is powerful. You sob because his words resignate, not because he is showing us how sad he is. It's the writer's version of show don't tell.
Then there are the children. According to the bonus features, the director feels its supposed to be children and not teenagers. I very very much beg to differ. Hello little girl is a seduction song and has many innuendos that worked sort of ok as Lilla looks 13 -14. Jack is a simpleton but not a child. With them as teenagers, there is a growing up they are suddenly forced to do. They truly have no one. The song, No one is alone didn't seem as powerful because these kids are so young that obviously someone will take care of them. And it seems odd that the baker is willing to say no to letting them stay with him when Jack can't be over 10. Now, if they were teens, then his reluctance is more understandable. Red is a bit scarier in the musical, pulling out her knife ... a fact which makes it funnier when the baker is horrified his wife would leave the baby with Red.
The baker and his wife do not argue as much as they do in the play. Theirs is NOT a perfect marriage. No marriage is, but the reality in their relationship are what allow her to be seduced by the prince and let us accept it as paet of her character flaw.
In the play, Rapunzel blames the witch for her unhappiness and says, "because of you, I will never be happy again." The Witch, whose own mother was NOT great example of motherhood (I mean seriously, who puts a curse on their own child?) Truly tries to protect her child by going to the way opposite extreme (there are parents out there like that). Yes, she does some horrible things in the name of love and she is definitely not a nice person. Her mistakes and how they affected her child go with the theme of the play. Later, Rapunzel is stepped on by the giant as she runs away from the Witch who is trying to save her which changes the whole tone of the Stay with me reprise ... they should've just got rid of that reprise if they were going to change that storyline.
I rewatched the movie recently thinking maybe I was so disappointed in 2014 because I had too high of expectations. But no, it is because they took a deep, well-crafted musical and morphed it into an odd sort of movie. They should have just done act 1 and ended it there. Oh, wait, that's basically what they did.