The Sound of Music, Volume 5

It’s been awhile since I rounded up my musical watchings, which have slowed down, but not stopped entirely. In this edition, I review two movie musicals, one old and one new, two film versions of Broadway musicals, and a musical in which the movie score is almost completely different from the stage version. [Mild spoilers for Les Miserables ahead, if you’ve somehow never seen or heard anything about it and care about not knowing the ending.]

La La Land (2016 movie) – The movie was enjoyable enough, even if the plot is a little bland (two struggling artists, an actor and a musician, meet and fall in love). I wouldn’t have given it all the award nominations it received, but it was certainly more watchable than several other Oscar nominees I’ve sat through. The music’s not bad, and there are a couple good dance sequences, including the ending scene, borrowed from An American in Paris, which is TBD (to be discussed) below.
Notable songs: “Another Day of Sun,” “City of Stars”

Chicago (2002 movie) – Based on the stage version, which is based on a play, which is based on a real-life trial. I like this movie, and would classify it as one of the better movie adaptations. The plot centers on two women convicted of murder in jail and how they manipulate the criminal justice system and the press to not only win their freedom, but also fame. It’s meant to be satire/social commentary, so it’s not actually advocating for lying and bribing your way out of punishment. We played songs from Chicago a couple years ago at a band concert (it’s scored by Kander and Ebb, who also did Cabaret and New York, New York).
Notable songs: “All That Jazz,” “Cell Block Tango,” “Roxie”

An American in Paris (1951 movie) – Not a bad movie, though I don’t remember a whole lot about it. So take that as you will. It’s about an artist who falls in love with a perfume saleswoman who’s dating a singer. There’s also an heiress who takes an interest in the artist and a struggling pianist friend and it ends with a seventeen-minute long ballet sequence. I watched this partly because La La Land took so much inspiration from it, and thinking about it more now, yeah, it really did.
Notable songs: An American in Paris (by George Gershwin; we played it at the same concert as Chicago)

Les Miserables (2012 movie) – This was the musical freshman year at my high school, so I’m pretty familiar with it, though I wasn’t involved with the musical beyond going to see it. I did, however, play songs from it at some point during high school. If you’ve never seen any version of it, it’s complicated, but here’s the gist of it. Les Miserables follows an ensemble cast up to and during the French Revolution. Former prisoner Jean Valjean turned factory owner ends up caring for worker Fantine’s daughter Cosette while being pursued by police chief Javert. Valjean finds Cosette living with the Thenardiers, thieving innkeepers, and their daughter Eponine, and pays for Cosette’s freedom. Years later, Marius, a student revolutionist, falls in love with Cosette, but then the June Rebellion happens. Lots of people die, Valjean saves Marius, Marius and Cosette marry, and Valjean gains peace at last. Anyway, the movie’s good.
Notable songs: This is another musical where I know a lot of the songs, and the whole 2 hour, 40 minute show is almost sung through. Some highlights: “At the End of the Day,” “I Dreamed a Dream,” “Master of the House,” “On My Own,” “One Day More,” “Do You Hear the People Sing?,” “Bring Him Home,” “Empty Chairs and Empty Tables”

On the Town (1949 movie) – Based on the stage version, based on the Jerome Robbins ballet Fancy Free. It’s about sailors on shore leave in New York and their adventures on the town in places including Symphonic Hall, the Empire State Building, and Coney Island. It’s from the 1950s, so it’s all about the men trying to get women, but it’s mostly a fun musical. This is the movie that doesn’t have the same score as the stage version. The original music was composed by Leonard Bernstein, but it was “too hard and complex” so new music was composed. Seriously.
Notable music: (Yes, I’ve played this – Bernstein’s version – too.) “New York, New York” (not the theme from New York, New York by Kander and Ebb, sung in the movie by Liza Minelli and now associated with Frank Sinatra)

As it turns out, I guess I could have called this edition “the one with all the music I’ve played in band.” I’ve got four more unreviewed musicals, but I don’t know yet if I’ll write a slightly shorter post or wait until I watch one more musical. Until next time.