Rating: 
Summary: Fantasticks Flops
Review: The Fantasticks is a little film. It has very little to offer. There is little talent, little in the way of production values and little relation to the original show. I don't know why filmmakers feel they have to make so many changes when they transfer a stage play to film. So many of the best elements of the play are missing in this film. The Fantasticks is a very "theatrical" play. It is representational and the audience is asked to use their imaginations. There is almost no scenery and the costuming is kept to a minimum. There is no orchestra, only 2 pianos. It is a marvelous play as is readily seen by its long, long run. The film attempts to take this magical piece and place it in a reality setting, thereby losing all the wonder of the original. The best lines have been left out; the best songs eliminated or changed. And the performances - oh my! It was very sad to see what happened there. True, they were handed inferior material and direction. However, there is no excuse for the abundance of mis-casting. The most notable gaff was in casting Joe McIntyre as The Boy, Matt. Mr. McIntyre cannot act, sing or dance. He doesn't even look good - more like a country bumpkin than a romantic boy. I can only guess that the producers were trying for the teeny-bopper audience. Jean Louisa Kelly was passably fair, although her voice could not hold up to the demands of the music. Jonathon Morris, as El Gallo, was quite out of place, indeed. He didn't come close to the El Gallo I remember. The rest of the cast was fair but without any spark. I was terribly saddened by the mis-use of the great Barnard Hughes. His role was embarrassing to say the least.I could go on and on, but I will stop here. This video rates 0 stars in my book. When will "they" learn to video tape a stage performance of a play rather than try to re-do it as a movie?
Rating: 
Summary: Missing Song
Review: I wonder why the song the fathers sang in the stageplay .... "plant a cabbage, get a cabbage..." was deleted from the video. It was one of my favorite parts and I have seen it on stage five times.
Rating:
Summary: A Fantastick Disappointment
Review: Viewers of films the likes of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" and "A Little Night Music" will see the trend continue in "The Fantasticks." The entire script was reconceived for the screen by the play's original off-Broadway writers, but in this case the script is not at fault. Good performances by stars the calibur of Joel Gray and Bernard Hughes are squelched by director Michael Ritchie. Not only is the intimate charm of the story lost, but the disjointed cutting from locale to locale within single songs left me feeling like Ritchie was severely rushed in slapping this piece together. "The Fantasticks" does not bode well for the future of the big screen musical.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully Fantastik!!!!!!!!!!!1
Review: I had never seen the play before seeing this movie. But, I was curious about the story line and I'm a long-time musical movie lover! Now, this movie isn't "Sound of Music" or "Fiddler on the roof" so if you're exspecting that, don't watch it. This movie is completely different and more up-to-date in the sense of story-line. The romantic, almost Romeo and Juliet story, is wonderful and the songs are very enjoyable. I thought for a first time actor on the screen, former New Kid Joe McIntyre showed that not only can he sing but he can act with the best of them too! Why this movie never made it to the actual big screen (and it took 5 years to come out!) is beyond me. I think it would of done well and I can't wait to own my own copy! Give the movie at least a chance. I don't think many will be disappointed!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Why the brutal attacks on this adaptation?
Review: I've always had a deep attachment to this show since I was a small child. One Saturday afternoon my mother decided she wanted the day off from my sister and me and bought us tickets to a local production of "The Fantasticks". Elliot Gould appeared as El Gallo and moments later a 16 year old Liza Minnelli broke out into an amazingly energetic version of "Much More". It was true theater magic and a show I've never forgotten. Over the years I've seen the off-Broadway production and just recently our local theater group staged it. So with much anticipation I had waited AND waited for the release of the film version. I had received an advance copy of the original film version before the edit and release and was put off by it. Okay as a theater purist I've always preferred seeing a film/video adaptation of a show done in the way "Sweeney Todd" was done...filmed with most of the original/replacement cast before a live audience. But since this is not the case with "The Fantasticks", I was willing to accept viewing it with a different perspective. Granted the song presentions & editing of musical numbers may put off some but after I got use to the director's style I rather enjoyed his interpretation of taking a small fragile theater piece to the big screen. I still found magic in this DVD and although there was sometimes an amateurish feel to the dance numbers I much preferred it to the slick, stylized, overblown versions we're use to seeing in bringing a show to film. If you're a fan of the show, watch it with open eyes. If not see it anyway and I think you'll be glad you did.
Rating: 
Summary: NOT FANTASTICK...
Review: While Michael Ritchie and friends obviously were looking to retain the sweet simplicity of the classic stage play by placing this fable in the open mid-West, with its pure vistas and uncluttered focus, this movie is often terrible. None of the actors are able to convey, through the book or the music, which is badly sung, the magical feeling of the stage show. Nor do they have the empathetic qualities they need. And this musical, which is propelled at all times by its lush, complex and near-perfect musical score and its poignant lyrics, is done a great disservice by the fact that virtually every number has been reorchestrated, cut, butchered and staged in an almost manic look that renders them unintentionally funny when they aren't merely distracting. Run to New York and see the charming little show, which I guarantee will be better sung, full of heart and wistful in all the right places.
Rating:
Summary: VERY flawed film of a theatre classic
Review: THE FANTASTICKS has been a fixture in theatre for almost 40 years now, and while it is nice to see this show finally appear on film, this particular version leaves one feeling rather empty. The cast, for the most part are fine, especially Joel Grey, Barnard Hughs and Teller. However, it never quite jells into a magical whole. Part of that may be due to the fact that the show itself is SO dependant on the stagecraft that helped set the tone. A lot of it has to due with the editing that leaves some very strange choices: the reduction of the hit "Try to Remember" into little more than a wrap-up number at film's end, El Gallo's role as narrarator basically being eliminated, and the fact that Broadway pro Joel Grey is partnered with an actor who can barely carry a tune. All of these things plus more add up to a rather lame version of a great play. Thankfully, the DVD special features adds to the experience with deleted scenes and songs, showing us what COULD have been. While I recommend the DVD for musical buffs, I cannot recommend this film for the average viewer.
Rating: 
Summary: Butchered but still magical
Review: Director's cut -- please??? A gorgeous film adaptation of the stage musical is severely edited but still retains incredible visuals and great performances. But what was MGM thinking? Why not give us the Director's Cut (which would have been at least thirty minutes longer) and retain the show's creators' vision? Doesn't make sense. The deleted scenes are priceless, and we thank the good folks at MGM for including those, but would you please release the collector's edition now?
Rating:
Summary: Very flawed, yet strangely charming
Review: After eagerly awating the arrival of the DVD of one of my favorite musicals, I have very mixed emotions about it. I wish I could give it 5 stars, but have to deduct one because of the horrible cutting job done to it. Evidently the director and producers are unaware that there a great number of fans who know the songs and dialogue word for word. Some of the cuts are unbelievable. The "hit" song, "Try To Remember" become a very short version at the very end of the film. Since the whole idea of the show is to remeber emotions and situations, cutting this number really hurts the whole film. (Luckily the full version is on the bonus features of the DVD)One of the biggest clues to the character of El Gallo - the narrator and driving force of the piece - comes at the end of the speech beginning: "There is a curious paradox that no one can explain --"(just prior to the song "They Were You") The final lines of the speech are cut ("I hurt them for that reason, and myself a little bit too.") they made the character a bit more human. It is really a beautifully poetic speech and one of my favorites in the show. The "Old Actor" and his sidekick, Mortimer, have some of their best scenes cut (again, thanks to the DVD special features, they can still be seen, even though out of context). Teller, who is the usually silent member of the team of Penn and Teller actually speaks in these scenes, but you will only see them in the "special features". One real plus for the DVD is that the original "Rape" number is included. This is the one that was in the show when it opened 40 years ago and has now been rewritten because of today's standards. Even though it is explained that "rape" is used with the old meaning of "abduction" not the sexual violation of today, people object to the original very funny number. To have it is a definite plus for the DVD. In the theater, "Fantasticks" is presented very simply on a small platorm with no elaborate scenery. This could not work in a film. The idea of setting parts of the story in a traveling carnival is a good one and works surprisingly well. The whole film has an other world, fantasy feeling that is right for the story. (The carvnival is reminiscent of the one in "Somthing Wicked This Way Comes".) It is probably the only way this musical could have worked as a film. The performances, with one exception, and excellent. Joel Gray is wonderful as one of the fathers. Contrast this performance with the emcee in "Cabaret" and you will see just how talented this man is. The one exception is a very miscast Jonathon Morris as El Gallo. The part calls for a strong singer and larger than life personality, Morris has a barely adequare singing voice and no charisma to speak of and his English accent is out of place. How the girl would want to go off with him is unbelievable. All in all, it is worth watching and having but is not as good as it could have been if important parts had not been cut. It would have been helpful if the director, Michael Ritchie, had explained why the cuts were made in his audio track, but he never tells the reasons. Perhaps some day a "special edition" DVD will come out with the full, uncut version.
Rating:
Summary: Beguiling
Review: That MGM/UA chose to ignore this treasure still astounds me. I saw it in Los Angeles twice and could not wait to buy the DVD. I only wish a CD was available. Oddly, I was never a huge fan of the play, and never would have dreamed it possible that it could be translated to film. The slight story and broad theatrics have been adapted with amazing subtlety and simplicity combined with breathtakingly gorgeous orchestrations by the great Johnathan Tunick, who has done a lot of great work for Sondheim. The cast succeeds beyond all expectations; especially successful are Jean Louisa Kelly and Joe McIntyre, who play off one another charmingly. I was puzzled by some of the stinging reviews this film got when it was finally released. I suspect those same people dislike The Sound of Music, Oklahoma! and the musical form in general. Bottom line, if you enjoy musicals, chances are you will find much to enjoy in this.
|
