Threaded Order Chronological Order
| re: Response. | |
| Last Edit: lordofspeech 09:59 pm EDT 04/06/23 | |
| Posted by: lordofspeech 09:44 pm EDT 04/06/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Response. - lowwriter 11:09 am EDT 04/06/23 | |
|
|
|
| SPOILERS ABOUT THE ORIGINAL STORYLINE CREATED BY LERNER: The joust parallels the Ascot Gavotte scene in MY FAIR LADY, for one thing. For another, it turns the plot on its head: Guenevere has merrily teased the 3 knights into challenging Lance. Her purpose is to humble him. Fine, and we expect the joust to be exciting. By staging it as an observed and reported narrative, Lerner and Hart were able to attenuate the suspense leading to the killing of the 3rd knight. (I think it was Lionel). So, when his corpse is carried mournfully onstage, Gwen sees the consequences of her vain gesture. A kind of murder. So, then, when Lance kneels and brings the knght back to life (out of his, Lance’s purity), she must be undone. And her heart is undone. So too is Arthur undone, for seeing Lance’s embodiment of grace, and for seeing Guenever shattered. The way it’s been changed by Sorkin takes away all the gravity of it, takes the possibility of miracle away, deprives us of recognizing how and for what Guenevere has become enthralled. Lance is not just a hunk. He’s all that she and Arthir envisioned for their RoundTable. Sorkin grounds it in the prosaic. Miracles and purity were part of the Arthur stories. Holy Grail, anyone? And then, yes, of course we should see Arthur’s face and Jen’s face when Lance is knighted. What they feel and know about what has irreversibly happened to their heretofore inviolate devotion should be all we need to watch. Turns the thrones around, for heaven’s sake! I’m sorry to grouse so much, but this is all so disrespectful. Of the author(s), i.e., Lerner, Hart, Loewe, et al. (The staging of the other major narrative ellipse, the choral song GUENEVERE, with what seem to be rewrites, does work.) |
|
| reply to this message |
| re: Response. | |
| Posted by: melvotaw 05:59 pm EDT 04/07/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Response. - lordofspeech 09:44 pm EDT 04/06/23 | |
|
|
|
| Thank you! I could not agree with you more. That change was the worst of all of them (besides not showing that Arthur and Guenevere DO fall in love early on). The event that causes Guenevere to see Lance in a new light and fall in love with him is IMPERATIVE to the story. Without it, the gravity of it all is lost. This is one of my favorite musicals of all time, and Sorkin just ruined the whole thing. I have just ordered a secondhand copy of the original Broadway script to reread it (I did the show many years ago). It was hard to get hold of a copy, but I'm looking forward to reminding myself of the differences since the film diverts considerably from the original script. |
|
| reply to this message |
Time to render: 0.013023 seconds.