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| re: SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS - On Stage Vs. Film | |
| Posted by: JereNYC (JereNYC@aol.com) 11:25 am EST 03/10/21 | |
| In reply to: re: SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS - On Stage Vs. Film - showtunetrivia 08:01 pm EST 03/09/21 | |
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| Thanks for the response, Laura. My initial qualms about the kidnapping scene in the movie stem from how entirely different it is in tone and execution from the entire rest of the movie. A fluffy fantasy musical suddenly lurches into reality for one scene and it is ugly. Imagine a movie of THE SOUND OF MUSIC where we see Nazis rounding up Jews and shooting dissenters in the street, while the von Trapps are solving a problem like Maria. It may be that Stanley Donen, the director, and the writing team (Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich, Dorothy Kingsley) simply botched the scene in the writing and directing. To my mind, it would have been improved if the actresses playing the kidnapped women had simply been directed to play the scene in a different way that didn't highlight their abject terror. We've all seen movies and musicals and movie musicals where, if we think about it for a moment, our response would be "Huh...if this wasn't a movie/musical/movie musical, that situation would be very different." That entire sequence was difficult for me to watch and focus on anything other than the women's reactions. And I'm a little surprised that the jarring change of tone was let slide at MGM, although perhaps their attention was too taken up by BRIGADOON at the time. Had I been Dore Schary, I think I'd have asked for reshoots. Regardless of how one feels about women or the acknowledgement that 1850 was a different time, it's hard to ignore the tonal shift that almost makes that scene seem like it's out of a different movie altogether. |
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| re: SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS - On Stage Vs. Film | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 11:44 am EST 03/10/21 | |
| In reply to: re: SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS - On Stage Vs. Film - JereNYC 11:25 am EST 03/10/21 | |
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| "It may be that Stanley Donen, the director, and the writing team (Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich, Dorothy Kingsley) simply botched the scene in the writing and directing. To my mind, it would have been improved if the actresses playing the kidnapped women had simply been directed to play the scene in a different way that didn't highlight their abject terror. " Understood, and I completely agree. In my opinion, a similar situation exists in the film of MY FAIR LADY (and, I believe, also in the film of PYGMALION, though I haven't see that in a while and I'm not sure). The scene in question in MFL is the one where Eliza has come to live with Professor Higgins in order to be schooled by him, and she is trundled off to the washroom to be bathed by the servants. It's set up that Eliza is not used to taking baths, to put it mildly, so she recoils from bathing -- and when that happens, the servants FORCIBLY try to restrain her and remove her clothes while Audrey Hepburn as Liza literally begins screaming and crying in terror and embarrassment. I always find that horribly sadistic little scene incredibly hard to watch, and I think it's one of the most glaring flaws in the film. For that matter, it was one of the biggest flaws of the overall excellent Lincoln Center Theater production that this scene, which was NOT in the script of the stage show, was added, although thankfully it was played in a way that wasn't so horribly off-putting. |
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