| re: What’s wrong with “I feel pretty”? | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 04:02 pm EST 02/22/20 | |
| In reply to: re: What’s wrong with “I feel pretty”? - PlayWiz 03:39 pm EST 02/22/20 | |
|
|
|
| "I don't think even 'alarming' and 'charming' and their Spanish equivalents are 700-800 level vocabulary words on the SAT either, so I don't really understand Sondheim's embarrassment over his lyrics. Even someone without a college degree might from time to time speak a few words that contain an internal rhyme, too. It's a perfectly lovely song which works to lighten the mood for a few minutes before pretty much everything in Maria's world comes apart, which makes the contrast in tone even more striking and dramatic." I agree 100 percent, Also, "I Feel Pretty" is one of relatively very few light and joyous moments in the show, and is essential to the overall emotional balance of the story for that reason. I would argue that this is true whether the song is placed where it was in the original production or moved to the earlier position where it was slotted in the movie. As far as I'm concerned, anyone who argues for its exclusion simply doesn't understand the need for at least a few moments of light and joy even in the darkest tragedy. P.S. For what it's worth, I think Sondheim also has a problem with "fizzy and funny and fine," because he feels in retrospect that the alliteration is too sophisticated and witty for Maria. I'm not saying I agree with that either, because let's face it, songs in musicals are often stylized and have a feeling of heightened reality. I personally have always had more of a problem with Nellie Forbush's "I'm bromidic and bright as a moon-happy night pouring light on the dew," as that sounds SO "written" to me, whereas "fizzy and funny and fine" could be a phrase that a not particularly well educated person could come up with while purposely trying to be silly by indulging in wordplay. And don't forget that, throughout the song, Maria is basically making fun of herself and acting all pretentious for humorous purposes -- e.g., "I hardly can believe I'm real!" "The city should give me its key!" "[I feel] so pretty, Miss America should just resign!" |
|
| reply | |
|
|
|
| Previous: | re: What’s wrong with “I feel pretty”? - showtunetrivia 06:04 pm EST 02/22/20 |
| Next: | re: What’s wrong with “I feel pretty”? - Chromolume 06:55 pm EST 02/22/20 |
| Thread: |
|
Time to render: 0.019306 seconds.