Into the Woods

Tags

2010's, Anna Kendrick, Billy Magnussen, Chris Pine, Daniel Huttlestone, Disney, Emily Blunt, Fantasy, Into the Woods, James Corden, Johnny Depp, Lilla Crawford, MacKenzie Mauzy, Meryl Streep, Musical, Rob Marshall

Film Title

Into the Woods

Director

Rob Marshall

Starring

• James Corden as The Baker
• Emily Blunt as The Baker’s Wife
• Meryl Streep as The Witch
• Anna Kendrick as Cinderella
• Daniel Huttlestone as Jack
• Chris Pine as Cinderella’s Prince
• Lilla Crawford as Little Red Riding Hood
• Billy Magnussen as Rapunzel’s Prince
• MacKenzie Mauzy as Rapunzel
• Johnny Depp as The Big Bad Wolf

Something of a re imagining of classic fairy tales bound together with a newer story and put into a musical/fantasy hybrid from Disney, Into the Woods is also a mixed bag of sorts.

In classic fairy tale fashion, the movie opens with the words ‘Once Upon a Time’. The main story is of a Baker and his Wife who more than anything in the world want a child, yet somehow for them it has proved impossible. The source of this comes literally spinning into their home like a whirlwind in the form of an evil and very powerful Witch. The evil being explains that due to the Baker’s father stealing beans of magical properties from her precious garden, she placed a curse upon his family so that future generations would be unable to have children. The devious hag also took the Baker’s baby daughter and raised her as her own. The girl eventually became the long-haired Rapunzel, imprisoned in a tower from the outside world, singing lilting lullabies to pass the time. She is later discovered thanks to her lovely voice by a handsome prince, who falls deeply in love with her. Meanwhile, desperate to break the curse upon their family, the Baker and his Wife accept the terms of the Witch’s hard bargain. If they can procure four specific items from classic fantasy stories within the days before the third full moon, the curse will be forever lifted. This in turns means they must both journey deep into the mist enshrouded woods where magical mayhem and mystical mischief awaits them. We also have the stories running alongside this one, that include the items needed to break the curse. These consist of a young boy named Jack selling his beloved cow for magical beans that grow the famous beanstalk, a greedy girl in a red cape visiting her Grandmother as well as being stalked by a hungry wolf and a downtrodden Cinderella transformed from rags to riches so she can attend the nearby ball held by another dashing royal prince.

As aforementioned, Into the Woods is something of a mixed film of both excellence and parts that could have been improved upon. Rob Marshall does infuse the piece with visual style and theatricality, which is very befitting of the musical genre. And boy does the visual style deliver with the Gothic woods being a particular highlight of production design. The costumes are also very well crafted with technique and effortless skill. I must say I enjoyed Corden’s narration, he brought a wry delivery to it as magical events continued to mount. Where Into the Woods falters is in its length and lack of memorable musical numbers. Although the pacing in the beginning of the movie, in the second half it tends to drag and become a little boring. As for the musical numbers, the stream of consciousness approach is actually rather good for a while. Yet it can become very monotonous and though some numbers bristle with energy, there isn’t really a killer song to be remembered once the movie ends. The same can be said about the altering of classic fairy tales. In some cases it provides interesting and often dark viewing, but in others it should really have been left to the classic version. Saying all this, Into the Woods is definitely a more enjoyable movie that Marshall’s last musical Nine, but it still has many flaws.

James Corden and Emily Blunt are really good in the central roles and have humorous yet loving chemistry with one another. Blunt is especially excellent at portraying the good-hearted Wife with warmth and shows off considerable skills in the vocal department. Meryl Streep takes what is essentially a pantomime villain role as the crone and breathes life into it. You can really see that Streep is having a ball here portraying the evil and cunning Witch and she plays it with such delicious glee. As always when Streep is in a movie, she gives it calibre with her engaging and highly talented presence. Anna Kendrick combines a beautiful voice and sympathetic delivery to give a modern interpretation of Cinderella; as we watch her wrestle with indecision over a union with her Prince. Daniel Huttlestone plays Jack with wide-eyed charm and youthful energy as he inadvertently gets himself tangled up in this magical quest. Chris Pine is used too little to be really memorable. Though it must be said that his musical number where he argues that the pain caused by love is greatest of all is particularly funny. Lilla Crawford brings a bratty and not so sweet disposition to a successful revamp of Little Red Riding Hood. And it’s quite good to see another take on a character that is so often portrayed as winsome and lamb like. Billy Magnussen doesn’t have much to work with as Rapunzel’s Prince, just like MacKenzie Mauzy as the imprisoned maiden. Johnny Depp contributes a creepy cameo as the predatory Wolf looking to make Red Riding Hood his next meal.

So all in all, Into the Woods has its share of excellent moments partly because of some stylish direction and fine performances. It’s a shame that it couldn’t be more memorable considering all the attributes it had.

 

Les Misérables

Tags

2010's, Aaron Tveit, Amanda Seyfried, Anne Hathaway, Colm Wilkinson, Daniel Huttlestone, Eddie Redmayne, Helena Bonham Carter, Hugh Jackman, Isabelle Allen, Les Misérables, Musical, Russell Crowe, Sacha Baron Cohen, Samantha Barks, Tom Hooper

Film Title

Les Misérables

Director

Tom Hooper

Starring

• Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean
• Russell Crowe as Javert
• Anne Hathaway as Fantine
• Amanda Seyfried as Cosette
• Eddie Redmayne as Marius
• Helena Bonham Carter as Madame Thénardier
• Sacha Baron Cohen as Thénardier
• Samantha Barks as Éponine
• Aaron Tveit as Enjolras
• Isabelle Allen as Young Cosette
• Daniel Huttlestone as Gavroche
• Colm Wilkinson as Bishop Myriel

Based on the well-known musical, which in turn was inspired by Victor Hugo’s epic novel, Les Misérables is a sprawling tale of love, sadness and revolution. Directed by Tom Hooper and boasting a stellar cast, it is a film that won’t disappoint lovers of the musical. It isn’t a film for everyone, but has many positives to talk about, mainly the songs and the strong performances of the cast in this epic story.

The film starts in 1815.  Jean Valjean is a convict who has been serving a 19 year sentence for stealing a loaf of bread for his starving relatives. Jean is granted parole by Javert, a captain who tells him to honor what the parole agreement says or he will be found out sooner or later. Unable to find employment, he takes refuge in a church ran by the kindly Bishop Myriel. In the night, Jean steals his silver but is late reprimanded. Instead of turning him in, the bishop saves Jean and urges him to do something good in his life. Jean Valjean taking this into consideration, decides to break his parole and begin his life again. Eight years later, under a new identity, he is the respected mayor of a French town who also owns a factory. Although seemingly happy with his new existence, he is still haunted by the memory of the obsessive Javert. His fear comes true when Javert arrives in town as the new chief of police. Another thread in Valjean’s story is the tale of a young grisette named Fantine. She is fired from her job in one of his factories after it emerges that she has an illegitimate child named Cosette, who she regularly sends money to as the girl is living with the swindling Thénardiers . Penniless and desperate, the tragic Fantine sells her hair, teeth and eventually her body in order to provide for her daughter. Valjean finds Fantine in the gutter, slowly succumbing to illness. On her deathbed, he promises her he will take care of Cosette. After paying the innkeepers in charge of Cosette, Jean is discovered by the determined Javert. Taking Cosette he narrowly flees from Javert. Nine years later, poverty is rising and rebellion is in the air in Paris.  A now grown up Cosette catches the eye of a young firebrand named Marius, who immediately falls for her. His close friend Éponine, secretly pines for Marius but it is all in vain as he falls for Cosette and revolution starts to grow around them. Heartbreak, emotion-filled songs and an epic sweep all abound as Les Misérables makes the transition from stage to screen with positive results.

The first thing to notice about Les Misérables is the fact that the actors sing live, rather than mime along to a pre-recorded track. In many cases this technique works as it captures the raw emotion of the character’s feelings. The use of close-ups in these songs will put off many, but for me it showed the passion of the actor singing the songs. Sweeping camera angles and an excellent colour scheme add to the visual impact, especially in the opening scene when Jean along with multiple prisoners is pulling a large boat and the violent waves add to their struggle. The visuals of the drab streets and dark corners helps back up the almost mournful landscape that the characters populate. The many splashes of colour in the later half of the film add to the rebellion as violence and anger erupts.

A big draw is the talented cast that Hooper has assembled to flesh out this tale. Hugh Jackman gives a towering performance as Jean Valjean, capturing the way he rises from destitution to honorable man, navigating his way through a cruel world. His vocals are very impressive to, adding to the overall powerful portrayal that anchors the movie. Russell Crowe, although not quite as vocally adept, manages to be quite convincing as the obsessed Javert, whilst showing an occasional soft side.  It isn’t one of Crowe’s best performances, but it isn’t one of his worst either. Anne Hathaway turns in an Oscar-winning performance as the tragic Fantine, and although she’s only on the screen for around 20 minutes, manages to make an indelible mark. Her triumph is her rendition of “I Dreamed a dream”, which is one of the most emotional and heartbreaking moments I’ve seen in a film for a long time. Captured in one continuous shot, Fantine, her hair cropped, her clothes torn and her spirit broken, sings of a longing for a better day whilst breaking the audience’s hearts along the way. Hathaway’s performance is one that lingers long in the memory because of its emotional impact. Amanda Seyfried is suitably wistful as Cosette, although I would have liked for her character’s arc to have been expanded a little. Eddie Redmayne certainly delivers as the passionate Marius who falls for her. Redmayne infuses “Empty chairs at empty tables”, a hymn for the fallen, with a sincerity and sadness that is quite remarkable. Providing comic relief are Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen as unscrupulous swindlers. Another person who certainly impresses is Samantha Barks as the lovelorn third wheel of Marius and Cosette’s love, Éponine. She imbues her with a sweetness and deep sadness that is luminous to witness. Her bruised performance of “On my own”, which she sings whilst in the rain, is a stunningly heartfelt moment. Other supporting members include Aaron Tveit as revolutionary Enjolras, a sweet Isabelle Allen as the young Cosette, Daniel Huttlestone as the funny and endearing Gavroche and Colm Wilkinson as the Bishop who helps Jean in his journey.

As I’ve mentioned earlier, Les Misérables  will not be a film for everyone as the live singing and use of close-up’s may cause a few to roll their eyes. But if you want a musical with a sweeping score, some excellent acting and historical setting, it may just be for you.