Having seen the thrilling stage musical a few times, and hearing what a disaster the film was, I've been avoiding it for a long time. I should have stuck with that.
There are so many ways that they botched the Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning show, it's hard to know where to begin. Hiring the man who directed "Gandhi" to direct a big musical was clearly the biggest error.
The opening number, with dozens of auditioners dancing in slick unison, looks as though they've been rehearsing for months. This is especially baffling since "All That Jazz" and "Fame" had already captured the ragged, raw imperfection of aspiring dancers auditioning.
Dance numbers that seldom show the dancers' entire bodies (or "At the Ballet," where there's no dancing at all) prove that the director has no feel for staging musical numbers.
The music itself sounds like it's being played by a lounge band at an Airport Ramada Inn.
With the exception of Michael Douglas, Attenborough insisted on casting unknowns. They have remained so. They can all dance (except for Audrey Landers), but most of them can't really sing or act, and lack the charisma required to create an impression on film.
Don't get me started on the show-stopping songs that were replaced with inferior, mediocre tunes.
The only consolation is that Ryan Murphy (who knows from musicals) is planning to redo the show for TV. One hopes that his version will flush this unfortunate mess into a dim memory of botched movie musicals of the past.
There are so many ways that they botched the Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning show, it's hard to know where to begin. Hiring the man who directed "Gandhi" to direct a big musical was clearly the biggest error.
The opening number, with dozens of auditioners dancing in slick unison, looks as though they've been rehearsing for months. This is especially baffling since "All That Jazz" and "Fame" had already captured the ragged, raw imperfection of aspiring dancers auditioning.
Dance numbers that seldom show the dancers' entire bodies (or "At the Ballet," where there's no dancing at all) prove that the director has no feel for staging musical numbers.
The music itself sounds like it's being played by a lounge band at an Airport Ramada Inn.
With the exception of Michael Douglas, Attenborough insisted on casting unknowns. They have remained so. They can all dance (except for Audrey Landers), but most of them can't really sing or act, and lack the charisma required to create an impression on film.
Don't get me started on the show-stopping songs that were replaced with inferior, mediocre tunes.
The only consolation is that Ryan Murphy (who knows from musicals) is planning to redo the show for TV. One hopes that his version will flush this unfortunate mess into a dim memory of botched movie musicals of the past.