THE GREATEST SHOWMAN: Official Reviews/Reactions (SPOILERS)

[jo]

Critics and other social media tweeters exchange views on The Greatest Showman, following the UK article of Robbie Collin ( some critic names are recognizable besides Collin - Guy Lodge/Scott Mendelson, etc. )--

Pls click on the tweet itself to see the thread discussions.


Hmm.... they cannot see the value of the film itself ( although didn't Guy Lodge reverse his opinion...and even go to a sing-along?). I think they argue about the thinness of the script -- because they do not generally consider the song lyrics as providing part of what advances the plot and/or help develop characters. Can you imagine if --

*we had to see every detail of how Barnum grew up from his impoverished young age to the young man who courted his wife-to-be and was full of ambitions to be a successful and innovative business man
*we had to see how Charity kept faithful through her youth to Phineas, and deciding eventually to marry him
*we had to see other business failures or other controversial business adventures that PT Barnum went through before he reached the Come Alive perfection
*we had to did deep into the back stories of Lettie Lutz, the Gentleman of Leeds ( the heaviest man on earth), the Tattooed Man, DogBoy, the Albino sisters, the Siamese Twins and other " oddities"
*we had to see the past lives of Philip ( when he grew up a privileged man and his success in producing plays which high society favored); how Anne and her brother grew up as victims of racism and what attracted them to trapeze entertainment.
*we had to see the past life of Jenny Lind, how she overcome her being born out of wedlock, her eventual success because of her beauty and her talent, how she became the toast of European society.
*we had to look deeper into the background of Mr.Bennet, the critic, and how critics then were viewed as society's arbiters of taste.

It can turn out to be a very long movie!



What else do we need to know about the various key characters, other than what the song and lyrics...and spoken dialog in the movie...tell us? Do these critics think that the songs in THE GREATEST SHOWMAN were there simply to heighten a scene, to bring pleasure and elicit other emotions, to break the monotony of spoken dialog ?? This is a true movie musical!


*What drove on Phineas to ambition, drive, and a desire for society's approval, apart from proving his love for Charity
(A Million Dreams was a clear statement of those dreams, fantasies, and ambitions - which will continue to drive Barnum as he became more and more successful)

*Was Barnum always right in his pursuit of his childhood dreams, sense of showmanship, personal ambitions about becoming a toast of society in his chosen career? Were there doubts that he may be choosing the wrong path? Were there regrets? Was there a new path that he chose to redirect his life and career?
(From Now On was such a strong, life goal-affirming realization of what mattered to him most - his epiphany and his resolve to become the person that he really wanted to be)

*why Charity fell in love with her childhood sweetheart, how she fell from favor with her parents, the difficulties she endured in the early years of marriage, the difficulties she was enduring while Phineas became more and more successful
(Tightrope already gave us such a character view)

*why Jenny became the "grasping" toast of society, and turning to a much married man to further toast her success?
(Never Enough tells us not just of a consuming love...but of a person who would want everything and everyone she wanted)

*why Lettie and the oddities threw off their inferiority complex
(This is Me is such a revelatory piece -- they sang of their inferiorities, their feeling that they are different and special, and then realized that there is something to be appreciated for such differences)

*why two men coming from different strata of society with different ambitions can come together to become partners in a venture that they both love
(The Other Side was splendid in portraying two opposing views coming together, after recognizing their differences but also accepting the more important aspects they share and love doing)

*the coming together romantically-speaking ( that harks back to Romeo and Juliet, Tony and Maria) of two people from completely different social backgrounds, why that attraction would seemed to be doomed, the expressions of longings and unspoken love
(Rewrite the Stars became the statement of those romantic yearnings, amidst the danger of such a relationship as symbolized by that unique and dangerous trapeze choreography)



*The success in the area of mass entertainment, what it meant to the RingMaster and his troupe
(The Greatest Show -- which gave us a musical portrait of what the circus is all about and who are these circus entertainers-- and Come Alive were the strongest statements that could ever be made to show the evolution of people who did not believe in the themselves, the power of personal ambitions and strengths in number, and the coming-together of those talents and bonds as entertainers!)




The creative talents that put together the movie were only too self-aware that a solid storyline and a strong portraits of key characters were needed, not just in look or dialog but also in the musical score that should support the storytelling and the character portrayals and development!

They did that -- it is sad that critics are looking for the conventional way of creating a worthwhile film ( a true movie musical) and maybe, just maybe, did not realize how musical theatre works! For THE GREATEST SHOWMAN borrowed liberally from the theatre, the stage, to tell us a story and how its characters were portrayed!

I am very happy with how the movie was presented... I would have been bored if it had become a 3-hour long conventional book and song showcase. There are 9 powerful songs, coupled with strong choreography ( including the trapeze choreo) in most cases -- they already provide the movie with much of the intimate looks into the characters as well as the strong links and statements that advance the story. All these, presented in a little less than 2 hours - that is actually excellent entertainment that will not bore the many demographics that the film hopes to attract!

It is different...and needs some utmost concentration ( because the lyrics would not be repeated in spoken dialog ( can you imagine if Barnum both sang and then spoke all his feelings and resolve in FROM NOW ON??)...but maybe there lies the creativity and innovativeness of this movie musical...and why people keep "obsessing" over it

Some critics have long noses

To each his own, of course



PS: Hey the post-production and the final edits were done with the help of excellent film-maker James Mangold! He certainly knows how to write a script; he also knows how to push the right buttons to elicit the audience's right emotional reactions to a movie; and he dares to be different from just being outright conventional. He must have steered Michael Gracey's cinematic vision-making towards a new but still excellent musical storytelling ... Surprising most of all, James Mangold even got an acknowledgement from the musical team that produced the soundtrack album ( you can read it in the fine print )


Jo

[jo]

May I reprint what Owen Gleiberman, chief film critic wrote about the criticsm of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN --

The Critical Sin of ‘The Greatest Showman’: It’s Defiantly Uncool
By Owen Gleiberman @owengleiberman

Owen Gleiberman
Chief Film Critic
@owengleiberman



CREDIT: Fox


I just got back from seeing “The Greatest Showman” a second time, and found it to be every bit as enthralling as I did the first time — in some ways, even more so. It’s an enraptured, live-wire, old-school-with-a-kustom-makeover retro musical that takes you back to the feeling you had as a kid the first time you ever saw a movie that made you go “Wow!” Yet I realize that just by saying that, I have made myself sound faintly ridiculous. To call “The Greatest Showman” a movie that has gotten no respect would be to understate the royal kneecapping the critics have given it. I’m on a lonely island of enthusiasm here (though not an entirely isolated island: Stephanie Zacharek of Time and David Ehrlich of IndieWire have both signed on as “Greatest Showman” enthusiasts).

The critics have been naked in their hostility. “The Greatest Showman,” it has been declared, is a pile of wholesome conventional movie-lite squareness. The way the film, it is said, turns P.T. Barnum’s circus of human oddities into a freak-show cavalcade of identity politics, all standing tall to claim their pride and dignity (you go, Bearded Lady!), is a pious and sentimental 21st-century anachronism. The movie whitewashes Barnum himself, taking someone who was an exploitative profiteer and turning him into a saintly grinning maestro-with-a-dream played with rambunctious gusto by Hugh Jackman. And I haven’t even mentioned all that catchy Broadway dance pop, staged in music-video numbers that look like something out of a family-friendly version of “Moulin Rouge!”



In reaction to these criticisms, I can only say: Yes, yes, yes, and yes. “The Greatest Showman” is, does, and commits each of those mortal cinematic sins. It’s an ultra-square movie. It salutes the Bearded Lady, Tom Thumb, and the rest as if they were members of some persecuted minority group united in a chorus of “What I Did for Love.” And if you’re looking for “reality,” you’d be better off saving your ticket money and spending 20 dutiful minutes perusing the P.T. Barnum page on Wikipedia.

Yet the historical-accuracy point, which has been made by more than a few critics, raises a telling question. Namely: Who in God’s name goes to a kaleidoscopic musical about P.T. Barnum looking for a chronicle of the complex historical figure he really was? As someone who has often argued for greater reality in movies, I might feel differently if the film were some epic dramatic P.T. Barnum biopic. But it’s not. It has roughly the same relation to the P.T. Barnum story — glancing, affectionate, fanciful — as “Singin’ in the Rain” does to the history of the waning days of silent film. “The Greatest Showman” is unabashedly a concoction. But here’s the thing: It’s a passionate and bedazzling one, a gracefully crafted tall tale that glides by without belaboring a moment. It’s as if Baz Luhrmann went back in time and made a musical for MGM in the late ’40s.


Here, I think, is why the reviews have been so united in their hate. The points raised above can all be debated, but what the critics are really saying is what they’re not actually coming out and saying: that “The Greatest Showman” is fataly uncool. It’s a splashy but chaste PG revel, with the barest hint of a dark side. It’s like a Blue State musical made for an audience of Red State potluck geeks.



Yet on that score, it’s an entrancing romance-of-showbiz bauble, with songs so infectious they soar. “Moulin Rouge!,” for all its visionary passion, was laced with puckish irony, and “La La Land” embedded its sincerity in a heady look-we’re-making-a-musical! meta splendor. “The Greatest Showman” never gets within a country mile of irony. It serves up its wide-screen emotion in big, sincere slabs. And that, let’s just say it, is something that now makes certain people cringe.


The cool factor has bled into film criticism from pop-music criticism, where enthusiasm for uncool acts — like, say, Coldplay — is frowned upon, unless it’s positioned as some sort of semi-apologetic guilty pleasure. And you can feel the influence of the cool factor in the way that certain films that might once have been power players have now been tossed onto a slag heap of diminished respectability. “Darkest Hour,” starring Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill, met with an early burst of acclaim, but it’s so straight-down-the-middle in its inspirational nobility that it began to be treated by the press as uncool. That’s why Oldman, once considered a lock for an Academy Award win, is no longer a lock; there’s no hipster quotient to his highly traditional bravura-under-latex performance. And a tastefully intelligent physical-deformity weeper hit like “Wonder,” which would once have been a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination, now doesn’t even seem to be in the right ballpark. Even its box-office success doesn’t work for it. It’s hot…but it’s not cool.

I’m not saying these movies should be winning Oscars. But I’m taking note of a shift away from middlebrow taste on the part of the film-critic establishment that has now made itself part of the awards machine. When applied to a movie like “The Greatest Showman,” that anti-middlebrow fervor becomes a lethal dart. As a drama that expresses itself in joyful bursts of pop passion, “The Greatest Showman” is twice the movie that “Baby Driver” was, yet “Baby Driver,” for all its stitched-together faux-Tarantino overkill, was rhapsodized over as the coolest movie of the year. “The Greatest Showman” is one of the uncoolest, because it’s a wholehearted musical that’s neither kitschy nor ironic nor hip.

Yet audiences are responding to it. For a movie that started slow out of the gate, it enjoyed a surprisingly robust second weekend — a 73% jump in sales (from $8.8 to $15.2 million), which amounts to a record hold for a movie playing in over 3,000 theaters. That’s an indication that the word of mouth is creating some major ripples. I feel like I know why. It’s a picture with so much to savor, from the barroom drinking duet between Jackman and Zac Efron that’s a giddy tour de force of tossed shot glasses to the glory of Zendaya’s trapeze moves and the burnt-in hurt of her tears; from Rebecca Ferguson-with-the-voice-of-Loren Allred’s incandescent performance of “Never Enough” to the exquisite way that Jackman, in the last scene, throws away the line “The show must go on!” If you see “The Greatest Showman” with an open heart, I promise that the movie will sweep you up. You just won’t feel cool about it.

.

[jo]

A student film blogger from WELLESLEY College shares her view of the movie!

Critics can learn from such clear-eyed views from the young!


www.theodysseyonline.com/the-greatest-showman-musical?sec=pop24&utm_expid=.53hHQ_sIS_GVYl9TPM4psw.1&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2F6RYIdFdEkk

“The Greatest Showman” is more than just a biopic. It’s beauty is in its celebration of the uniqueness of life.

It is not the number of angsty moments in a movie that should drive a critical review - but rather how it leaves each audience member's heart and soul and mind!

Les Miserables is soul-stirring while The Greatest Showman is heartfelt! Both are mind-blowing artistic creations!

[jo]

Quite a very good assessment of the appeal of the movie!

From Australia --

thebrag.com/greatest-showman/

The Greatest Showman is an impossible success story
Written by Ella Donald on Mar 27, 2018

It’s a Sunday afternoon sing-along session of The Greatest Showman in a suburban Brisbane megaplex, and I can’t remember the last time I witnessed a response like this to a film.

Present is the type of cross-section that most films desire to grab: teenagers, grandmothers, couples, parents charged with groups of children and handing out pre-prepared snack bags. Most people here have seen the film once, twice, and more times before now, as will soon become apparent, but the palpable excitement rivals the hotly anticipated mystery of the most secretive Star Wars movie.

Sing-along sessions are usually a source of side eye directed at overly enthusiastic participants, but not this time. Nervous giggles ripple through the crowd when the first notes blare. An over-excited few make a false start on the first words. We warm up for out big moment. Then, we take flight.

“Ladies and gents, this is the moment you’ve waited for,” Hugh Jackman and the audience croon in unison. The audience doesn’t stop buzzing for nearly two hours, singing out every line, clapping at the end of songs like Jackman himself was sliding on his knees up the front, gasping and cheering alternately with each kiss.

We have practiced our best renditions of ‘Never Enough’ and ‘This Is Me’ in showers and cars, and now, with a triumphant exhale, we realise that the moment of being able to belt the hell out of the songs amongst receptive company is nearly here. To paraphrase: it’s everything you ever want, it’s everything you ever need, and it’s here right in front of you.
The plot is scant, and spoken words are a waste of energy Showman doesn’t have time for.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a film that brings me such unadulterated joy,” Stephanie, a filmmaker and editor says. She has seen Showman four times – three times in a normal session, once in a sing along.
“The music, the heart in the story, the ‘spectacle’ element; it always leaves me feeling happier than when I came into the cinema.”

Rujeela, who has just seen it for a third time, agrees with her. “The sing-along was such a fantastic experience, because most of the people there had already seen the movie and loved the music and were so passionate and loud and happy. It felt like going to see your favourite band in concert.”

“It unites everyone who has ever felt out of place and it embraces differences,” says Cecilia, who has seen the film three times, but doesn’t think “that is enough”.

“I saw it in London one night with my friend and we walked out mesmerised. The damn Greatest Showman soundtrack; it basically became the soundtrack of our trip. Then when we were in Glasgow it was really gloomy and snowing a lot and we weren’t up to walking around, we saw the movie again. We screamed when Hugh Jackman came in with a husky voice in the first few minutes.

“Flashforward to me being back in Australia and dragging my boyfriend to another session. He hadn’t seen it before, but I wouldn’t stop talking about it and he reluctantly agreed to seeing it. He loved it, thank goodness.” She laughs. “It would have been an issue had he not liked it. It makes me feel hopeful.”



For a film that mere months ago looked like an expensive passion project gone wrong, this is quite some recovery. So how did we get here?

I saw the film at a premiere in December, loving its impeccably choreographed exuberance and joy, but unsure whether it would find a home with an audience. My worry: are we too cynical for something that’s basically been ripped from the screens of 1952 and plopped into 2017?



The Greatest Showman has the type of disregard for history that most are resistant to these days, proving a loosely P.T. Barnum flavoured musical instead of an autobiography that confronts the ugly reality of his circus. Critics were mostly uncaring or negative. “This ersatz portrait … is all smoke and mirrors, no substance” said The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney.

“The Greatest Showman takes a billion of the world’s oldest story beats and refashions their prefab emotions into something that feels like it’s being projected from another planet” agreed Indiewire’s David Ehrlich. And Ehrlich’s is one of the more positive reviews; he uncovers a hint of what makes the film work.

Over two months after release, The Greatest Showman hasn’t left the top ten at the box office in Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Instead of starting big, it has only grown through word of mouth. It’s an amazing and rare success that hasn’t so much come out of nowhere, but been a fantastic against-the-odds victory.

The records it has broken are numerous, so here’s a small selection. It opened in the US in fourth place with under $10 million on Friday December 20, a reception that Fox’s chairman told The Hollywood Reporter left her feeling “gut-punched” and as though the film’s journey would soon be over. But then, it held on.

The soundtrack, described as “unbearably amazing” by someone I talked to, is only the fifth soundtrack in the last ten years to spend multiple weeks at the top of the Billboard charts. Figure skaters at the Winter Olympics simply couldn’t let it pass by.

Covers and dance routines have flooded YouTube, and lead song ‘This Is Me’ has become an anthem, helped by an emotional behind the scenes video of star Keala Settle. Even as the Showman’s main competition, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, halved its gross weekly, closing out February at number 28 at the box office, the musical has only increased – or barely declined – every weekend. The film even did the unheard of in its second weekend outing, nearly doubling its gross. Opening at a soft third place on Boxing Day in Australia, it has remained steady since, making history both here and in the UK by taking the top spot in its sixth week.



Having defied expectations and made records, and currently showing more staying power than even Titanic, it’s a mystery as to what the end gross will be when the film takes its final theatrical bow (no sign of that yet).

In the US, it has already surpassed La La Land, which ended its run at nearly $500 million worldwide, to become the fourth biggest musical of all time. It’s a fact made more remarkable by the market currently. Films quickly clean up with dizzying openings and vanish, with a hotly anticipated release like the Last Jedi making $1.3 billion and disappearing in the space of ten weeks, audiences increasingly proving uninterested in 3D and other gimmicks.


The film has more in common with Singin’ In The Rain, The Greatest Show On Earth, and the escapist hit parades of the WWII era than La La Land.

In contrast, Showman is still boasting sold out sing-along sessions across the world, full of wholehearted whooping and cheering; a rare film that can be seen by anybody. “The lesson is that certain audiences are underserved, particularly in a world where Disney is delivering all these monster tentpoles,” said producer Peter Chernin to The Hollywood Reporter.
With the exception of the radio-ready soundtrack, the film has more in common with Singin’ In The Rain, The Greatest Show On Earth, and the escapist hit parades of the WWII era than La La Land. Showman doesn’t attempt to update to the mindset of 2017 or reinvent its formula, and it doesn’t have a hint of the sly winking at the audience that defined that film and distanced viewers from the characters.

The plot is scant, and spoken words are a waste of energy Showman doesn’t have time for. Rather, it will do absolutely anything it can with its endlessly energetic cast – moonlit dances on rooftops, romantic duets on trapezes, cover-ready power ballads – to make you smile. It’s consciously doing something radical and unseen; something that has been sucked from the multiplex in the age of mega-serious superhero franchises, horror, and disaster movies. But viewers are no less hungry for what Showman has to offer: unfiltered joy and a communal experience.

It’s a success not entirely dissimilar to one that took place over 50 years ago. In 1965, after expensive gimmicks, a series of disastrous films, a steady drift to television, and declining attendances (sound familiar?), 20th Century Fox brought itself back from the brink with The Sound Of Music. Sound familiar? While more expensive than the quickies the studio had been producing in a bid to make some cash (it cost a little over $8 million, which equates to around $63 million now) and dismissed by critics (iconic critic Pauline Kael called it “the sugar-coated lie people seem to want to eat”), it was a hit in the way the studio hadn’t seen since the 1950s.

It opened in a limited number of cities around the United States, playing only two shows a day with allocated seating and costlier than average tickets. Despite this, after four weeks, playing in only 131 theatres, it took first place at the box office. It stayed there for the next 30 weeks. Billed as “the happiest sound in the world”, like Showman it thrived on repeat viewings, with some towns in the US selling more tickets than there were inhabitants. A year later, it was the highest grossing film of all time. It didn’t leave theatres until the 1960s became the ’70s.



Viewers are no less hungry for what Showman has to offer: unfiltered joy and a communal experience
“(Before) I never really understood the impulse to rewatch a film as many times as possible, over even the shortest period of time. This is definitely new to me,” says Elena, a critic and editor who attended the world premiere of the sing along version in London.

“The film is such a spectacle – in the sense of a full-body experience. The songs are so good, I listen to them all the time, but they are even better with the image. I think the way in which the film itself embraces both its more ridiculous parts and its genuinely gorgeous elements with the same enthusiasm and humour is extremely seductive and thrilling. It’s such a wild ride, but always a beautiful and earnest one. It almost transcends notions of good and bad, to reach into sublime fun.

“[It’s] such an unruly beast. At the first screening, I was mostly baffled. By the second viewing, I knew the lyrics of the songs already, and being able to follow with the characters was a whole other kind of thrill. At my third viewing, I became extremely involved in the emotional story of the characters, which itself is at the core of the songs, and I cried. The fourth viewing was a singalong, and that was again something else entirely.
“Everyone in the room was just so happy and so free: there was this amazing energy where everyone screamed the songs of course, but also very much had fun with the more ridiculous aspects of the film. People would actually respond to what was going on. It was amazing!”

“For example, when Jenny Lind was about to kiss Barnum on the lips in front of the audience of her last show, everyone of course already knew this was going to happen, and we all anticipated the moment so much. There was a huge crescendo of sound in the room; then everyone screamed ‘No!’ when the kiss happened. It was very playful, but never mocking. It’s hard to believe a film like this can exist. And it’s just so funny it does!”



As with the success of La La Land, there are questions as to whether the success hints at an untapped market for musicals. Few and far between but proven box office magnets, some say that there is a hunger for more music at the multiplex, while others say that musicals are too individual to make such a distinction.


Back at the Brisbane multiplex, as the credits roll, my audience continues singing ‘This Is Me’ and ‘Rewrite The Stars’, and a crowd of girls start dancing in front of the screen (a sight that has been repeated at many sing-alongs), I wonder if Showman’s success shows something else audiences are looking for that has mostly disappeared: an unambiguously joyful and uncynical escape, and one that can be shared.

“I’ll admit when I went to go see the movie (the first time) I had no clue what it was about. The movie took my expectations and completely blew me away,” Rujeela says. “The next time I saw it I convinced my friend to go watch it. My favourite part was getting to watch her face light up the way mine did.”

The Greatest Showman is still playing at selected cinemas across Australia

[jo]

This is not a review...

but an excellent article by Scott Mendelson (Forbes) on his recent exhaustive interview with Hugh, Benj, and Justin re the motivations, the expectations, and the realities of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN film project . It also touches on the substance and reasons for the appeal of the movie.


www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2018/03/28/hugh-jackman-on-greatest-showman-challenges-and-retiring-from-wolverine/#6aebad1a63ca

Hugh Jackman in 'The Greatest Showman'


I was fortunate enough to speak last week with Hugh Jackman, along with songwriters Justin Paul and Benj Pasek, about the shockingly leggy success of their P.T. Barnum musical The Greatest Showman. The film has earned $171 million domestic (and $400m worldwide on an $84m budget) from an $8.8m Fri-Sun (and $13.4m Wed-Sun) debut, making it one of the leggiest wide-release openers of all time.

The film is currently available digitally and on Movies Anywhere and will debut on DVD, Blu-Ray, 4K Ultra HD and VOD on April 10. The post-theatrical releases will contain a singalong edition and a Music Machine "Jukebox" feature, along with two hours of behind-the-scenes supplemental material.
And now, without further ado, here we go. ...



Scott Mendelson: Hi, thank you for taking the time to talk to me.

Hugh Jackman: I never get any calls from my business manager about the press, but anyway, you've been unbelievably supportive.

Justin Paul: Yeah, and we also love the article where you quoted all the song titles. …


Mendelson: That was hard work, so thanks for noticing! When did you first realize that this wasn't just a normal Christmas release for people?

Jackman: Probably not till the new year. It was around the Golden Globes weekend when it had gone up, and we were like, “Oh, we're gonna be OK,” like, we're respectable. I remember someone going, you know, “I think that we'll get the $70 or $80 million.”

Paul: We don't want to ruin the original musical for everyone else. A lot of it was just relief. Still, I don't think anyone thought it would just keep going and going and going.

Jackman: We were just talking before about how eerily like the story of P.T. Barnum the results of the box office have been. They're turning lemons into lemonade, and you know, being driven by people and critics maybe not liking but people loving it, it's so like the story, it's kind of uncanny.


Mendelson: The movie reminds me a lot of The Prestige. Obviously, it's not nearly as dark of a picture, but in terms of the value of entertainment in a harsh and sometimes brutal world. Well, first, why make an original musical versus just adapting the old Barnum show?

Jackman: I did Les Misérables, and I've done a bunch of musicals on stage, but I've never done an original musical, and I figured, this may be me at the top of my game, and if I can use that profile for anything, it would be [something original]. Whether I'm on stage or on the screen, I like to do original things. And this is coming from the guy who's done nine X-Men movies, by the way.'


Mendelson: I'm not going to drown you in X-Men questions, I promise, but was it a different kind of physical exertion to do basically nonstop singing and dancing?

Jackman: Yeah, they're both comparable. I would say a little more difficult on the filming days with singing and dancing because it's nonstop and you're just sort of dancing all day. But [leaving the Wolverine role] had nothing to do with the physicality of the role. Or otherwise, I wouldn't have done an original musical.

I couldn't think of another story to tell with that character. The idea for Logan came up, and that got me so excited, and I was like OK, that's the one. You know it's better to leave the party before you get kicked out.


Mendelson: So because people are going to want me to ask: You're done with Wolverine for now?

Jackman: I'm done.


Mendelson: Were there any deleted scenes, any musical numbers that didn't make the cut for The Greatest Showman? It's a very swiftly paced movie. And there are times it almost feels like a film that was cut as succinctly as possible to please the family audience. Was it just written very succinctly from the start?

Benj Pasek: We developed a lot of the movie as if it were a musical. We did four rounds of workshops. In anticipation of each of those rounds, we would write new material. There are a lot of abandoned pieces of music. By the time we got to shooting, we whittled it down. But for every moment in the film, there is a song that was cut.

Jackman: Yeah, there was a bunch of scenes written and then cut. Some of it had to do with pacing. We were [trimming] down subplots that ultimately didn't pay off. It's a really difficult thing to pace scenes into songs. That's why these guys won the Tony Award for Dear Evan Hansen, but it's very difficult to make a movie musical. Because people think, “Oh, I'll get, you know, Aaron Sorkin to write the book, and I'll get Jay-Z to write the music, like, it's so easy.” But the most difficult thing of all is that pacing and balancing between book to song.

Pasek: What was always the goal was to create songs that sounded like they were a mix of theater and pop. Hugh and [director] Michael Gracey always envisioned this as using music that sounds contemporary, and usually contemporary pop songs don't further narrative, so we were always trying to straddle both worlds. We were trying to find how you'd express something that can sound like it's something that belongs in contemporary music but that also is doing the necessary work of progressing story.

Jackman: We knew the reality is we had to play for family audience. And I mean down to 5-year-olds. We were at a high budget ($84 million), and so that was something we knew going in.

Pasek: That literally affects the minute count from song to song. It affects the length of songs. We want to give the moment what it deserves, but we also know that if we are trying to play to the family audience, and we've got kids in there, they're not going to want to sit through five-minute-long ballads.

What else are we doing to keep their attention, or are we cutting down the song form to accommodate to that? That’s why it does have swift pacing. Something that I think is cool about it is that it really does lets the music tell a lot of the story, or at least pick up a lot of the real estate.

Jackman: And thematically, how deep can you go as well? I know I heard a bunch of reviewers wanted us to concentrate more on the cynical side of Barnum and that historical side, but you have the realities of a 5-to-10-year-old audience as well to deal with.



Mendelson: What choices did you make in terms of what to emphasize about Barnum's actual personality? There were things that weren't going to belong in a PG-rated musical. What did you want to emphasize in that version of P.T. Barnum?

Jackman: I think it’s the version of "the man will turn lemons into lemonade," who sees things that others don't, that celebrates diversity. He can see an opportunity in diversity, but ultimately, he’s not a perfect man. His obsession to succeed and overcome the poverty of his youth possibly led him to take his family for granted, or even his circus family for granted. The subplot with Jenny Lind was probably dramatically about as far as we could take it.

By the way, and a lot of people thought that that was all just glossed over. It's much closer to the truth. I can tell you that I've read 37 books on him. Tom Thumb got married in his house and lived there for many years. A lot of the “oddities” lived with him, and he made them incredibly wealthy and famous. When he lost his money, which he did seven times in his life, one of the times, his backer was Tom Thumb.

You've got to remember, this is in the era of 1850, where they were considered by everyone else as cursed by God and the bottom of the rung and hidden by their families in basements. So he stood up for them. And so that part of [the story] is true.


Mendelson: Is there any possibility that we'll see more of his life? Either in a theatrical sequel or in a Broadway show? I can't imagine Fox is looking at these numbers and saying, "Yeah, we're done."

Jackman: We were talking about a live version of the show even before [the movie] came out. There was a discussion at one point in the eight-year journey of this movie of maybe going live first. I remember Stacey Snider calling me and saying, "Maybe we go live first."

When Keala Settle got up, stood in the middle of a room and sang “This Is Me,” with no makeup, no nothing, no anything, there was not a dry eye in the house. The musical really works live.

Pasek: One thing I think we are all so heartened by is the audience response and the fan response, and that it's coming from people all over the world. We're really thinking about whatever else could happen with this piece and with these songs, these performances — how can we get it to those people who have championed it and who have, in a way, made it theirs? How can we give something else back to them?


Mendelson: Why do you think the film connected in the way it did? Especially after opening weekend, especially after the Christmas holiday?

Pasek: Having Hugh and the amazing cast. We all feel like we're living in a very, very cynical and divisive world right now where you turn on the news and you're not seeing the world reflected to you that you want to see. The Greatest Showman, I think, is a world that we wish we lived in. It upholds all the ideals that we want to be true, and the morality we want to champion. I think that going to a theater and getting to escape into the world as we wish it would be, as opposed to the world that we are currently existing in, is a really, really great thing.

Jackman: The music is a huge factor. If we all had our time over again, we would have released the album probably around three months before [the movie opened]. There’s a quote about musicals that people love a musical because of the music, and it works because of the book. Everybody loved the music. In England, we are No. 1 for the 10th week in a row.
If [the soundtrack sales] hold on this week, we will equal Adele for the most weeks at No. 1 in the past 30 years. It has been downloaded a billion times. I still can't get my head around that. People's love of the music makes them want to run to see it again and again and again, because of how they feel.


Mendelson: Even for my fellow critics, whether they liked the movie or didn't like the movie, the songs were earworms. We all know that we're going to see drunken karaoke versions of “Never Enough” or high school drama auditions of “This Is Me” for the next decade or two. It has had that kind of impact.

Pasek: Yeah. They will continue to haunt us for a long time.

Jackman: We had a rule that when people listened to the music — and by the way, Michael Gracey did 1,000 pitches of the movie around the world. It was like a now quite famous 45-minute pitch that he did about the movie, where he would act out all the lines, and he had artwork for the whole movie.

He would play three or four songs, depending on how many he had. And at the end of the pitch, he would say: "I don't care what you thought of the music. Don't tell me now; even if you think it's the best song you've ever heard, I don't care. But I want you to email me tomorrow if you wake up and that song is in your head."

Because the big thing for everybody is that no one will hear 10 songs for the first time and like them straight away. That's why there's no original musicals. People must like the music first.

People say, "Ah, well, they just wrote a pop song." You know what? I literally challenge anyone: Go out and write 10 pop songs. Go write 10 earworms that everyone will think about. It's so hard to write — what these guys did, lyrically and musically, is so hard. And even the people who have done it historically, musically, like even like an Andrew Lloyd Weber couldn't maintain it his whole career.


Paul: We should bring him (Hugh Jackman) everywhere with us.

Jackman: It pisses me off when people go, "Ah, that's an easy form of art." Come on!


Mendelson: Yeah, (the soundtrack) has been on my phone for the last three months. The live-action musical is something that everybody says, "Oh, it's dead, oh, it's dead," but when you get one made, they do well. Especially around Christmastime.

Jackman: I remember Christmas was always a discussion. It was never talked about coming out at any other time.

Paul: Just the idea of the whole family getting together and watching a musical together, it just feels so classic, almost aspirational.


Mendelson: And it's something that you can't approximate at home. Which makes it very valuable in terms of the constantly threatened theatrical experience.

Pasek: It's true. It's really like we're seeing franchise films, we're seeing event films. And a musical will always be an event film. And so that's a hopeful thing.


Mendelson: What's next for everybody?

Jackman: I have a movie coming out called The Front Runner with Jason Reitman. I finished filming that last year, and honestly, we are working hard right now on working out a live version of the show. There's like three different possibilities currently. And that's the long answer for saying “unemployed.” But you should ask these guys. Because these guys are literally, like, you have 15 jobs currently.

Pasek: We're getting to extend our forced friendship with Hugh Jackman, so we made him be friends with us.

Jackman: No, no, it wasn't forced. I said if we do north of $250 million [worldwide], we'll stay friends!

Pasek: Yeah, we're getting to extend that friendship in talking about the live possibilities of The Greatest Showman. We're at work on a couple of things. First and foremost, we're doing an adaptation, the classic Disney animated film Snow White. We're doing that as a live-action musical. We're taking some of the old material and incorporating that and writing new songs as well.


Mendelson: Thank you very much for taking the time to talk to me. It's been a fun story to follow. You don't see legs like this anymore. It felt like something out of the 1980s.

Jackman: I'll give you a fun fact I heard from the head of Fox when I was in London. He says they're on the same screens they opened with after 12 weeks, which has never happened for them. I said, "How long do you think it'll last?" And he says, "I think it could play right through summer." It's kind of wild, crazy.


Mendelson: Wow. It gives me hope in a "Netflix and chill" world.

[jo]

Mendelson: What's next for everybody?

Jackman: I have a movie coming out called The Front Runner with Jason Reitman. I finished filming that last year, and honestly, we are working hard right now on working out a live version of the show. There's like three different possibilities currently

And that's the long answer for saying “unemployed.” But you should ask these guys. Because these guys are literally, like, you have 15 jobs currently.

Three possibilities of adapting a live version of the movie ??


*A true book musical adaptation for the stage ?

*A pure concert version with bare staging that can be performed in different places?

*A semi-staged version of the musical for Broadway, like BACK ON BROADWAY which can also be portable to other select places ?



What are other possibilities?


Jo

[jo]

Should film criticsm as a discipline be re-evaluated if it needs reform?


www.screen-idle.com/calls-for-wholesale-reform-of-film-criticism-after-the-greatest-showman-turns-out-to-be-awesome/

[jo]

I www.foxnews.com/opinion/2018/04/07/greatest-showman-appeals-to-just-about-everyone-except-film-critics.html

'The Greatest Showman' appeals to just about everyone -- Except the film critics

By Douglas MacKinnon | Fox News

Other than the brave men and women who put their lives on the line to protect us all, there are few people I admire more than those who cast aside conventional wisdom and the never-ending discouragement of naysayers to follow their passion into the creative arts.

These are individuals – young, old, and in-between – representing every subset of humanity who courageously choose to defy the astronomical odds stacked against them and pursue their dreams to become singers, actors, painters, writers, musicians, sculptors, photographers, fashion designers and work in other creative fields.

These gifted individuals make all of our often tough and troubled lives infinitely better with the gifts they bestow upon our senses.



Conversely, one of the occupations I least admire is that of critic. Whether they criticize film, television, art, music, writing, fashion or other creative fields, I look upon these people as folks who often did not have the talent to make it in the fields they criticize. But they often have the power to render meaningless, the blood, sweat and tears of those who dared to defy the odds, dared to dream and dared to believe in themselves.




The latest and most glaring example of this is the negative and even nasty reviews for a movie that has become one of the most meaningful word-of-mouth hits of all time – “The Greatest Showman.” The musical, released in late December, is based on the life of P.T. Barnum (1810-1891), who created the Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Despite being panned by many critics, “The Greatest Showman,” is a smash hit with audiences – grossing more than $415 million worldwide as of Friday, after costing $84 million to make.

Many moviegoers say they absolutely loved the film and its messages of persistence, inclusion and love. They spread the word and the movie attracted huge audiences.

Precisely because of all of the negative reviews, my wife and I had listed “The Greatest Showman” as a “maybe.” Then people we trusted told us that if we only saw one movie this year, we had to see this one.

We did and were deeply touched by the film’s multiple positive messages.


“The Greatest Showman” has literally lifted moviegoers from their seats as they rise to cheer and applaud a movie that speaks directly to them.

The films speaks directly to the misfits. Directly to the “average” people. Directly to the non-cool kids. Directly to those who live paycheck-to-paycheck. Directly to those who have known more failure than success in life. Directly to those fighting illness.

It speaks directly to those who have been hurt and discriminated against because of the color of their skin, their weight, their looks, the way they speak, their faith, or their sexual orientation. Directly to those who refuse to be assigned their “place in life” by those with more money, power and influence. Directly to those who dare to dream that their creative force will one day bring joy and awakening to others.

Directly to almost everyone.


For almost two hours, “The Greatest Showman” lifts the human spirit as it creates the possibilities of hope, acceptance and escape, while planting the seed to dream. That’s an accomplishment far greater than some little gold statue given away at an awards show.


And yet, many film critics still gave “The Greatest Showman” bad reviews. Sadly, the mindset of some critics has always been: “I am better, wiser, and much more cultured than the unwashed masses and I will interpret and explain that which their ignorant little minds could not possibly comprehend.”

Ironically, in the film “The Greatest Showman,” a critic is featured who exhibits exactly that flawed and snobbish thinking. Could that be why some critics went after the film, in a twisted attempt to protect their own?

Maybe the time has come to create a website dedicated only to critiquing the opinions of critics. I suspect it would be quite popular with the millions finding comfort in the lyrics from the hit song “This is Me” from “The Greatest Showman” soundtrack, including the line: “Won’t let them break me down to dust … I make no apologies. This is me.”

Douglas MacKinnon is a former White House and Pentagon official and author of the memoir "The Forty Days: A Vision of Christ's Lost Weeks." (Simon & Schuster, 2016).

I wonder if any of the critics who gave the movie negative reviews have had a chance to rethink their views of the movie, maybe after a second viewing? The only one who said she did that was not a film critic but NYTimes film editor Stephanie Goodman. She said she sustained her mixed reactions to the movie, but she had not stopped there. She went on to ask the general public about their views on the movie ( and received over a thousand replies); not only that, she sat down with Hugh and Pasek&Paul to discuss the critical reactions to the movie. Owen Gleiberman of Variety not only wrote a fairly glowing review of the movie but even wrote a follow-up article analyzing why many critics gave negative reviews instead of enjoying the movie.

I wonder if any of those who reviewed the movie have had second thoughts, given the overwhelming public approval of the movie? I wonder if any of them even revised their initial thinking and finally recognized the good points that the general public responded to in such an astounding manner ? I wonder if any of them have even asked for a rethink of the basics of film criticism and perhaps adapt a more useful yardstick to guide the general public in their film choices?

The silence is deafening!


Jo

[jo]

[jo]

Remember the first reactions to the workshop of FROM NOW ON?

Here's another one, but the response especially from the one who had already seen it is different ( in contrast to the movie version) is different ... but very understandable!





The movie version is the story of PT Barnum!

The workshop version is the journey of Hugh Jackman!

[jo]

A father views the moral/religious significance, from a Catholic viewpoint, of the rise and fall of Barnum and the lessons it has held for him!


aleteia.org/2018/04/19/what-this-catholic-dad-saw-in-the-greatest-showman/?utm_campaign=NL_en&utm_source=daily_newsletter&utm_medium=mail&utm_content=NL_en


Coincidentally, Michael Gracey wanted this viewpoint well-appreciated in the movie, hence the ending that he designed for the movie!

[jo]

This very positive review posted only recently has added the next percentage point to raise the RTomatoes rating Of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN to 56%!

www.moviechambers.com/2018/04/18/hollywoodhome-the-greatest-showman/

[jo]

www.foxnews.com/opinion/2018/04/07/greatest-showman-appeals-to-just-about-everyone-except-film-critics.html


Values


'The Greatest Showman' appeals to just about everyone -- Except the film critics

By Douglas MacKinnon | Fox News


In the Foxlight: Hugh Jackman talks 'The Greatest Showman'

Michael Tammero sits down with the star of the movie musical.



Other than the brave men and women who put their lives on the line to protect us all, there are few people I admire more than those who cast aside conventional wisdom and the never-ending discouragement of naysayers to follow their passion into the creative arts.

These are individuals – young, old, and in-between – representing every subset of humanity who courageously choose to defy the astronomical odds stacked against them and pursue their dreams to become singers, actors, painters, writers, musicians, sculptors, photographers, fashion designers and work in other creative fields.
These gifted individuals make all of our often tough and troubled lives infinitely better with the gifts they bestow upon our senses.

Conversely, one of the occupations I least admire is that of critic. Whether they criticize film, television, art, music, writing, fashion or other creative fields, I look upon these people as folks who often did not have the talent to make it in the fields they criticize. But they often have the power to render meaningless, the blood, sweat and tears of those who dared to defy the odds, dared to dream and dared to believe in themselves.


The latest and most glaring example of this is the negative and even nasty reviews for a movie that has become one of the most meaningful word-of-mouth hits of all time – “The Greatest Showman.” The musical, released in late December, is based on the life of P.T. Barnum (1810-1891), who created the Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Despite being panned by many critics, “The Greatest Showman,” is a smash hit with audiences – grossing more than $415 million worldwide as of Friday, after costing $84 million to make. (Jo's note -- the article was written sometime in April)

Many moviegoers say they absolutely loved the film and its messages of persistence, inclusion and love. They spread the word and the movie attracted huge audiences.

Precisely because of all of the negative reviews, my wife and I had listed “The Greatest Showman” as a “maybe.” Then people we trusted told us that if we only saw one movie this year, we had to see this one.


We did and were deeply touched by the film’s multiple positive messages.

“The Greatest Showman” has literally lifted moviegoers from their seats as they rise to cheer and applaud a movie that speaks directly to them.

The films speaks directly to the misfits. Directly to the “average” people. Directly to the non-cool kids. Directly to those who live paycheck-to-paycheck. Directly to those who have known more failure than success in life. Directly to those fighting illness.

It speaks directly to those who have been hurt and discriminated against because of the color of their skin, their weight, their looks, the way they speak, their faith, or their sexual orientation. Directly to those who refuse to be assigned their “place in life” by those with more money, power and influence. Directly to those who dare to dream that their creative force will one day bring joy and awakening to others.
Directly to almost everyone.



For almost two hours, “The Greatest Showman” lifts the human spirit as it creates the possibilities of hope, acceptance and escape, while planting the seed to dream. That’s an accomplishment far greater than some little gold statue given away at an awards show.

And yet, many film critics still gave “The Greatest Showman” bad reviews. Sadly, the mindset of some critics has always been: “I am better, wiser, and much more cultured than the unwashed masses and I will interpret and explain that which their ignorant little minds could not possibly comprehend.”

Ironically, in the film “The Greatest Showman,” a critic is featured who exhibits exactly that flawed and snobbish thinking. Could that be why some critics went after the film, in a twisted attempt to protect their own?



Maybe the time has come to create a website dedicated only to critiquing the opinions of critics. I suspect it would be quite popular with the millions finding comfort in the lyrics from the hit song “This is Me” from “The Greatest Showman” soundtrack, including the line: “Won’t let them break me down to dust … I make no apologies. This is me.”


Douglas MacKinnon is a former White House and Pentagon official and author of the memoir "The Forty Days: A Vision of Christ's Lost Weeks."

[jo]

Directly to those who refuse to be assigned their “place in life” by those with more money, power and influence. Directly to those who dare to dream that their creative force will one day bring joy and awakening to others.

For a very long time, till now, I have always thought the song THIS IS ME was only more of a song that espouses the theme for those who are shunned by society because they are different...but who rise beyond that social class because of their self-belief.

I have only come to realize that it is also a song for those starry-eyed with dreams and ambitions ... and how their own self-belief can turn those dreams into reality!


PTBarnum qualifies under both categories!

Hugh Jackman can say that his passion projects ( aka dreams and ambitions) also give him the right to sing THIS IS ME as an appropriate song for the pursuit of his personal dreams!

For almost two hours, “The Greatest Showman” lifts the human spirit as it creates the possibilities of hope, acceptance and escape, while planting the seed to dream. That’s an accomplishment far greater than some little gold statue given away at an awards show.

In a way, this movie gives a lot more meaning to what film as a cultural medium can do to lift the human spirit! No award given by a small group of people who think they know better can ever change what it means when a worldwide audience gives their collective thumbs-up!


Jo

[jo]

A local community paper in Tennessee reviews the movie for home video advice --

www.erwinrecord.net/viewpoint/movie-night-hugh-jackman-shines-greatest-showman/

I was worried about whether I would enjoy the parts of the story being told through song. It turns out that I was worried for no reason. The songs were catchy and, in some instances, they conveyed the emotions of the characters in ways that simple dialog or acting never could. The songs convey the ups and downs of Barnum and the others who orbit him like he was the sun. The music allows you to become more invested in the movie as it progresses.

But, regardless of the quality of the supporting cast, “The Greatest Showman” would rise or fall based on the quality of the performance by Hugh Jackman. Thankfully, Jackman is one of the elite actors in Hollywood today. He was great in both the speaking and singing parts in the movie. Was Jackman as spectacular here as he was in “Les Miserables?” Maybe not, but it’s still a performance worth seeing.

[jo]

Technically not a film review … but an assessment of the many useful business management messages taken from the movie --


www.linkedin.com/pulse/greatest-showman-hollywood-blockbuster-best-business-get-iain/

[jo]

This review from a screenwriting site recognizes what audiences all over the world discovered about this movie shunned by film critics.

thescriptlab.com/features/screenwriting-101/8266-finding-joy-greatest-show/

Finding Joy in the Greatest Show
By Britton Perelman
February 12, 2018

Main, Movie Reviews, Screenwriting 101


The Greatest Showman wasn’t the best movie of the year.

It doesn’t have the depth of Three Billboards, the tenacity or guts of I, Tonya, or the complex story structure of Dunkirk. It doesn’t have the romantic thoughtfulness of The Shape of Water, the playfulness of Lady Bird, or the performances of All the Money in the World.

But it does have one thing all those other movies don’t. Joy.

Movies are supposed to make you feel something. It’s why we leave the comfort of our apartments, shell out 12 dollars for a ticket, spend even more at the concession stand, and sit next to complete strangers for several hours. And the best movies do make you feel something, even if you don’t know what that something is.

While it’s easy to be critical of movie musicals — those films where the characters break into song and dance in the middle of their daily lives, then continue on like nothing unusual has happened — we shouldn’t look down on movies that make audience members smile during the film.

When a movie such as The Greatest Showman leaves you bubbling with joyous energy, that shouldn’t be ignored.
Second, third, even fourth viewings don’t diminish this feeling whatsoever. Instead, each additional return to the theater only increases the appreciation for both the story and spectacle created in the film.



You start to notice details that weren’t obvious the first time. The running motif of passing the hat on to others. The delicate editing during an opera performance that creates a meaning all of its own. The moment in the very beginning that Barnum’s ambition shows through, foreshadowing for the events to come. The way the dancers of Barnum’s circus weave around each other, the choreography and song telling the story and giving you goosebumps.

You hear dialogue anew, with meaning and subtext that wasn’t originally apparent. You consider the line between fact and fiction carefully. You wonder how much of P.T. Barnum’s life was changed in adapting it for the big screen. You wonder if it matters at all.

And every time, you leave the theater smiling.

The movie ends with a quote from the eponymous showman himself.


“The noblest art is that of making others happy.”


Barnum may not have been as flamboyant as he is portrayed in the film, and his true intentions may not have been as wholesome as they are in the movie. But neither matters.

The Greatest Showman may not be the best movie of the year, but it’s a joyous, sweeping celebration of dreamers, misfits, and camaraderie. It makes people happy. And that, indeed, is the noblest art of all.

[jo]

A love letter to THE GREATEST SHOWMAN --

authoronlocation.com/2018/05/31/the-greatest-showman/


The author says the movie is for dreamers --

and we all know that the first dreamer would be HUGH JACKMAN!

[jo]

What an irony that many of the top critics thumbed down the movie...without appreciating how the general public might judge the appeal of the movie. I did read many of the Negative Critics ( especially those of the TOP CRITICS)...but only read a few of the positive ones from the ALL CRITICS reviews. While looking for a particular critic I came across this little known site which seemed to have fully appreciated the potential appeal of the movie ( I was unable to reprint or even cite many of the ratings at that time because I was concentrating on trying to judge the impact of the negative ratings on the audience reactions) --

weliveentertainment.com/welivefilm/review-greatest-showman-must-see-musical-masterpiece/

Review: The Greatest Showman is a Must-See Musical Masterpiece

Scott Menzel December 20, 2017 12 likes

Review: The Greatest Showman is a Must-See Musical Masterpiece

The Greatest Showman is a movie musical about the rise of P.T. Barnum who is brought to life by the brilliant Hugh Jackman. The film showcases how Barnum started out as a poor man with a vivid imagination and big dreams. Barnum was looked down upon by many of his peers, but he didn’t allow their negative viewpoints to stop him from taking risks and becoming a huge success. The film highlights Barnum’s life from his early days to his rise to fame and fortune becoming known as the master of selling outrageous ideas while ultimately learning a thing or two about himself in the process.

The Greatest Showman is a wonderful rags to riches story and one that feels incredibly fresh and fitting to the world of today. There have been a lot of films that I liked in 2017, but The Greatest Showman struck a chord with me (no pun intended) and is my favorite film of the year. As someone who adores Musicals and Broadway, I do miss being 20 minutes away from New York City and being able to see Broadway shows on a regular basis. While I was watching The Greatest Showman, I felt like I had a front-row seat to the best show on Broadway. The film completely embraces the theater experience, and every scene feels perfectly choreographed and will make audiences feel as though they are watching an actual Broadway production rather than a film. For that reason alone, The Greatest Showman is one of the best movie musicals ever made!

Michael Gracey crafts a film that is filled with remarkable visuals, great performances, incredible dance numbers, wonderful messages, and easily one of the best soundtracks of the decade. The attention to detail that Gracey shows throughout the film cannot be denied. The way he films certain scenes which truly capture the moment is nothing short of fascinating. There are so many great scenes in this film that it’s hard to narrow it down to only one or two, but the one that immediately sticks out is the scene where Barnum meets Phillip Carlyle (Zac Efron) at a bar, and they talk about going into business together. The way that Gracey moves the camera during this scene while Jackman and Efron sing The Other Side made my jaw-drop. The way he filmed the shot sequence to the dance choreography was just fascinating to watch.



Benj Pasek and Justin Paul are amazing lyricists who have a real gift for writing songs that go on to win awards. Pasek and Paul wrote the music for La La Land and did the music for Dear Evan Hansen which has won several Tony Awards. The Greatest Showman soundtrack as I said earlier is easily one of the best soundtracks of this decade if not, the best. I came out of the theater and immediately purchased the soundtrack. I cannot remember the last time that has happened. I have listened to the soundtrack at least once a day for about ten days now, and it never gets old. The opening song, The Greatest Show which also opens the film does such a fantastic job showcasing how incredible Hugh Jackman’s voice is. Watching Jackman act, sing, and dance in a feature-length movie musical is such a fun experience and one that I can’t wait to revisit over and over again.

Speaking of Jackman, I can’t picture anyone but him bringing P. T. Barnum to life. Jackman lights up the screen as Barnum. He becomes this man who isn’t perfect but still refuses to let others control his destiny. Barnum is portrayed as a loving husband and father but one who isn’t without flaws. He becomes obsessed with fame and fortune while forgetting about what really matters in his life. I do admire what Jackman brought to the table with this performance. It would have been easy to showcase only one side of Barnum but Jackman’s performance encompasses all sides of Barnum’s personality. He is this brilliant creative businessman but also a man that has no problem taking advantage of others. Jackman’s take on Barnum is the perfect blend of both worlds. He is totally lovable in one moment and a complete jerk in others. I don’t think any other actor could have pulled off such a well-rounded performance as flawlessly as Jackman did.

Zac Efron has never been better. His performance as Phillip Carlyle is the one that I have been waiting for. For years, I have been waiting for Efron to impress me and after watching him star in mediocre comedies, this is finally a role that perfectly fits Efron. The back and forth scenes between Carlyle and Barnum feel genuine, and I loved the energy between the two actors. You can tell both of them had such a great time working on this film and loved being able to bring this story and their characters to life. Zendaya, who was the scene stealer in this summer’s Spider-Man: Homecoming was terrific. I fell in love with Anne Wheeler as a character, and I applaud the film for tackling interracial relationships and how they were looked down upon during the era in which Barnum made a name for himself.


While Jackman, Efron, and Zendaya were all incredible in their roles, it is Broadway superstar Keala Settle who steals the show away from everyone whenever she is on-screen. Settle has such an incredible presence and a remarkable voice. The scene where Settle performs This is Me brought tears to my eyes. I seriously wanted to stand up and applaud when the song ended. I also love that her character, as well as many of the other supporting characters, are given something to do as well as a nice amount of screentime. All the supporting characters really build upon the story and shape this engaging and entertaining film. I also need to point out that Michelle Williams is just delightful in this film as Barnum’s wife. I feel like Williams always tackles serious dramatic roles and it was so wonderful to see her smile in a film and just embrace her musical side. The song Tightrope featuring Williams is beautifully performed.

The Greatest Showman is a remarkable celebration of music, creativity, and imagination. It is 2017’s La La Land and a cinematic love letter to dreamers everywhere. While some critics may argue that the story is too simplistic, I personally think it works in the film’s favor because musicals work best when they are simple. This is the type of story that will have mass appeal and will work for a wide demographic. In other words, The Greatest Showman is a visual and musical spectacle for all ages. I cannot wait to see it again and hope that the film does well at the box office so that they turn it into a Broadway show. I would love to see these actors together on the stage. The Greatest Showman is the perfect film for the holiday season and one that will make you want to stand up and cheer!

Scott ‘ Movie Man’ Menzel’s rating for The Greatest Showman is a 10 out of 10.

Sounds like exactly the same sentiments of the general public

[jo]

There are 2 fairly late reviews which sound as if they were probably freed from the oppressive impact of the negativity of the first and second waves of critics' reactions.

One was written on April 18, 2018 --

www.moviechambers.com/2018/04/18/hollywoodhome-the-greatest-showman/

Hollywood@Home: The Greatest Showman
By Paul Chambers – April 18, 2018
Posted in: Awards Worthy, Hollywood@Home, Music/Drama, New on Blu-ray, New on DVD

Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron are a joy to watch in “The Greatest Showman.”

“The Greatest Showman” is one of the best films of 2017 and one of the best live-action musicals in decades. Everything about this film clicks from start to finish. The music, the choreography, the costumes and the performances are top-notch.

I have never seen Hugh Jackman in such a natural place. He is an idealized version of P.T. Barnum, of course. The creator of the Barnum & Bailey Circus may be missing most of his warts, but that’s not even the point of the story. “The Greatest Showman” is a musical love affair that cherishes the idea of inclusiveness, while delivering some incredible toe-tapping tunes. Songs that make you want to get up out of your chair to sing and dance. It had a staggering effect on me.

I’ve always suspected that Jackman had talent, but I was never a fan. No longer. His voice, his movements and his screen presence in “The Greatest Showman” are utterly winning. He is that movie star that you really want to know. The one you wish you could be, if you had any talent for acting. He captures the essence of Barnum, the good side of a historical figure who wasn’t always good. Jackman is the song and dance man of our young century.

“The Greatest Showman” is even more remarkable because it’s the directorial début of Michael Gracey, who is previously known mostly for music videos. It’s easy to say that this anachronistic portrayal of life in the 19th century has a bit of a music video feel to it. But, it doesn’t. Even when the sets start to feel claustrophobic, they aren’t. They’re just smaller and more efficiently occupied by the players. The filmmakers are showing us that this is a theater troupe. It’s an integrated group of characters and bringing them in close contact, at times, really works in the film’s favor. The audience feels as if they are in the theater (or the tent) during the musical numbers. It’s a closeness that’s sublime.

The musical numbers are off-the-charts amazing. The nine songs written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul not only tell the story, they get into your mind in the most delightful way. “This is Me,” is, of course, the showstopper. It was nominated for an Academy Award and was honored by other groups as well. But, all nine songs impressed me, and that was due to the undeniable talents of the songwriters, with some help by the filmmakers who precisely staged the music with just the right choreography, just the right talent, just the right costumes and just the right sets. It was a perfect blend of cinematic principles and techniques.

On the negative side, you could argue the film could have been edgier. The story mostly glosses over Barnum’s dark side. Perhaps the writers could have thrown in a murder or two. One of Barnum’s “oddities” could have been “offed” in a nasty tidal wave of human prejudice. But, that would counter the tone of the film. Inclusiveness, dignity and racial equality are the issues and the story handles them in a mostly upbeat style. Why not? There’s enough room for all kinds of tellings in Hollywood. Grade: A

The other was written on May 11, 2018 --

leepers.us/showman.htm

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN
(a film review by Mark R. Leeper)

CAPSULE: This is a largely fictionalized and very glitzy account of the life of Phineas T. Barnum who went from suffering severe poverty to being one of the richest men in the world as the inventor of a new art form, the American circus. It dramatizes several of the more familiar incidents of his life and career, including his introductions of General Tom Thumb, his bearded lady and the tour of opera singer Jenny Lind. Fanciful in its production, this is a "spiced-up" version of the life of P. T. Barnum. Barnum builds his empire on imagination and dream. Rating: high +2 (-4 to +4) or 8/10


THE GREATEST SHOWMAN was written by Jenny Bicks and directed by Michael Gracey. Their hands turns the story into a musical imaginative extravaganza with 21st Century Broadway singing and pyrotechnic dancing. The story centers, of course, on Barnum and his ever-faithful wife and his dealings with his so-called oddities" who would have been called by the less pleasant name of "freaks." Barnum, played by Hugh Jackman, seems to make every effort to make his circus a bigotry-free environment for his oddities, but in the end he may have prejudice of his own.

There is not as much attention given to Barnum's American Museum as there is to his circus. In an alchemy not really explained by what we see onscreen, the screen Barnum just happens to run into perfect oddities for the real-life Barnum's exhibitions, a circumstance Barnum would have envied. They appear perfect without them being developed *and* made up and he can immediately see them as they will appear on-stage. At his first glance at his future bearded lady she looks exactly how she will look on their stage.

Bicks' screenplay returns repeatedly to issues of prejudice, lookism, sexism, snobbism, bullying, and racism. It is a surprising volume for a single film. While Barnum defends his oddities from the bigots and bullies, we see him later in a different light. Barnum himself is not free from similar prejudice on a higher level. Jackman as the famous Master of Ceremonies adds a lot of class to the performers on the stages. Jackman does not look at all like Barnum, but he will do until a better one comes along.

The American musical has been foundering since the 1960s. We are not getting more musical plays like THE KING AND I or MY FAIR LADY. MOULIN ROUGE is not much of a substitute, much less LA LA LAND. Occasionally a new musical comes along giving us a successful musical and there may be a few more as a film comes along to test the waters. THE GREATEST SHOWMAN would probably not have been released but for the successful recent LA LA LAND. The irony is that while LA LA LAND probably enabled THE GREATEST SHOWMAN to be made, THE GREATEST SHOWMAN is by far the better musical. I rate the film a high +2 on the -4 to +4 scale. The proper name for the film should have been BARNUM! but there has already been a successful Broadway musical of that name. THE GREATEST SHOWMAN is available on streaming and disk.

[jo]

Reviews are still coming out --

Best family movie of the year!

tinseltownmom.com/the-greatest-showman-best-family-movie-of-the-year-review/

[jo]

I'm not even sure if I posted the full review by rogerebert.com here -- maybe just the link... as this often happens when the internet is being engulfed with review after revew upon release...

but now that the dust has settled down ( from the early critical dissing of the movie to the resurgent and defiant audience reactions...and up to now when summer open-air concerts continue to show off THE GREATEST SHOWMAN...and unexpected records have been registered for the movie box office and the soundtrack album)...

I find it exhilarating to look back at the earliest reviews which correctly ( at least from the audience's point of view) captured what made the movie endearing and intoxicating...and leading to near-classic status ( time will tell whether we will see it on repeat screening on TV during the holidays)!

www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-greatest-showman-2017

| Sheila O'Malley
December 20, 2017 | 64


"Without promotion, something terrible happens...nothing!" - attributed to Phineas Taylor Barnum

"The Greatest Showman," directed with verve and panache by Michael Gracey, is an unabashed piece of pure entertainment, punctuated by 11 memorable songs composed by Oscar- and Tony-winning duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who composed the songs for "La La Land," as well as the current Broadway hit Dear Evan Hansen. The film is made for the whole family to enjoy, and so it leaves out many of the darker elements (explored in the 1980 Broadway musical Barnum, music by Cy Coleman). This is a difficult tightrope to walk, but credit is due to Gracey, a perfectly cast Hugh Jackman, and the entire cast, who play this story in the spirit in which it was written (by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon). "The Greatest Showman" positions itself as a story celebrating diversity, and the importance of embracing all kinds.


There are those who will see this as a rose-colored-glasses view of what was a pretty exploitive situation. But in a 19th and early 20th century context, the circus and then vaudeville were welcoming places where those who had skills or who were rejected by society could find a home. Barnum put "misfit toys" onstage, saying, in essence, "Aren't they amazing?” (all while filling his pockets. For more thoughts on P.T. Barnum's barely acknowledged influence on American culture author Trav S.D.'s 2005 lecture at the Barnum Museum in Bridgeport, CT is a good place to start.) Cary Grant, who had a harsh poor childhood, got his start as a tumbler in a vaudeville troupe. Years later he described his revelatory first visit to the Bristol Hippodrome:

"The Saturday matinee was in full swing when I arrived backstage; and there I suddenly found my inarticulate self in a dazzling land of smiling, jostling people wearing and not wearing all sorts of costumes and doing all sorts of clever things. And that’s when I knew! What other life could there be but that of an actor? They happily traveled and toured. They were classless, cheerful, and carefree. They gaily laughed, lived, and loved."



That's what "The Greatest Showman" captures.

The film starts with the title song "The Greatest Show," a show-stopper with repetitive thumping percussion (reminiscent of Queen's ferocious "We Will Rock You"). Hugh Jackman—in red impresario's coat and top hat—takes us on a dazzling tour, with cinematographer Seamus McGarvey keeping the movements fluid, and all the actions connected, plunging you into the center ring. The whole number comes from the brazen heart of showbiz: Make it interesting! Give 'em something to look at! Make sure you reach the cheap seats! Barnum croons seductively, "Just surrender cuz you feel the feeling taking over!" I obeyed without reservation.

During the next number, "A Million Dreams" the young and poor Barnum (Ellis Rubin) befriends a well-bred little girl named Charity Hallett (Skylar Dunn), and they dream of creating their own destiny. This is the first time in "The Greatest Showman" where a character stops speaking and starts to sing instead; the segue is gracefully handled, setting up the artificial device early on. If you don't set up that trope with confidence, it makes it look like you're embarrassed to be doing a musical. By the end of the song, the little boy has become Hugh Jackman and the little girl has become Michelle Williams, leaping and twirling across the rooftop of their tenement, bed sheets on the line billowing to the beat.



After struggling to establish himself, Barnum launches out on his own, creating a theatre in the heart of New York City. He gathers together people with special talents as well as those with physical abnormalities (a giant, a bearded lady, Siamese twins, a dwarf—who would eventually be known as General Tom Thumb, Barnum's first "breakout star"). The "audition" sequence is extremely tricky, but the tone is set by Jackman's inclusive delight at the parade of humanity before him. It's a moment when ignored people are for the first time really seen.

Lettie Lutz, the "bearded lady," played by Tony-nominee Keala Settle, with a powerhouse voice, is one of the first to come on board. Settle's performance—her first major role onscreen—is one of the many keys to why "The Greatest Showman" is so effective. She understands the spirit of the project, and you watch her transformation from cringing shame to fearless Diva. Her anthemic "This Is Me" is one of the emotional centers of the film. Barnum's business partner is playwright and society boy Phillip Carlyle (Zac Efron), with snobby parents who are not only horrified at his "slumming,” but also at his romance with an African-American trapeze artist (Zendaya) who sports a pompadour of cotton-candy pink hair. Their love story, as presented, is tender, pained, and sweet.

Rebecca Ferguson plays Jenny Lind, the "Swedish Nightingale," whom Barnum took on a whirlwind concert tour through America It was his entryway into "polite" society. Jenny Lind's power ballad "Never Enough" makes you understand why Barnum, backstage, falls in love with her instantly, throwing his marriage into crisis. Ferguson may be lip-synching to Loren Allred's breathtaking vocals, but it is her performance that carries.

Ashley Wallen choreographed the numbers and there are many innovative moments, where she uses the outer environment to inform the movements of the characters. In "The Other Side," Barnum convinces a reticent Carlyle to join the circus, and as he sings, the bartender puts down shot glasses, swipes the bar with a cloth, all as accents to the beat. The real standout, however, is "Rewrite the Stars," the love song between Efron and Zendaya,taking place in the empty circus tent, when she flies on the trapeze far above him, and he tries to climb up the ropes to meet her. Up, down, they both go, sometimes coming together, dangling above the ground, or sweeping in a wide circle together around the periphery of the tent. It is a moment when the film—every element onscreen—merges and transforms into pure emotion. This is what a musical can do like no other artform.



One of the deep pleasures of "The Greatest Showman" is you don't have to grade the singing and dancing on a curve, as was necessary with "La La Land" (or, further back, to "Chicago," where quick cuts hid Richard Gere's lack of tap dancing skills.) Hugh Jackman, with his powerful high baritone, got his start in musicals, performing in productions in Melbourne, and then in a hugely acclaimed revival of Oklahoma! in the West End. He won a Tony Award for his performance as Peter Allen in The Boy From Oz and has hosted the Tony Awards three times. He is an old-fashioned triple-threat. Film fans may know him mainly as "Wolverine," and there's nothing wrong with that, but once upon a time a song-and-dance man like Hugh Jackman's could sing and dance his way through mainstream Hollywood. He's unleashed here.

So, too, is Zac Efron, who also got his start because he could sing and dance in the phenom that was "High School Musical." His career has morphed into something rather unique, with titles like "Hairspray," "Neighbors," and a hilarious small part in this year's "The Disaster Artist." He has something that cannot be manufactured, although many try, and that is old-school movie star charisma. Add to that a beautiful voice, plus dancing skills, plus a surprisingly ironic sense of humor, and he's got the full package. It's thrilling to see him in a big splashy musical. He's very much at home.

Michelle Williams, with anachronistically long blonde hair, has a strong clear voice, and there's something exhilarating about how she tosses herself into thin air, knowing Jackman will catch her. In what could be a thankless "wet blanket wife" part, Williams adds a spunky sense of adventure, showing us the kind of woman who would say "No" to a ladylike society-wife life, and fling herself into the unknown with her man.

The timing of this release is interesting. On May 21, 2017, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus folded up its tent for good, after 146 years of uninterrupted operation. Rocked by controversy due to criticisms of exploitation and animal abuse, they retired the elephant acts in 2016, but it was too late. Barnum was dogged by criticisms from the beginning. Many of the "acts" were fakes. Barnum actually didn't say the quote most associated with him ("There's a sucker born every minute") but he might as well have said it and his critics despised him for the assumption about popular entertainment and the regular folk who enjoy it. But in the film, Barnum, with a dazzling smile, explains to a skeptical journalist, "People come to my show for the pleasure of being hoodwinked."
I was hoodwinked by "The Greatest Showman." And it was indeed a pleasure. Ringling Brothers may have closed up shop, but Barnum lives on.

[ruby]

Aug 18, 2018 22:04:42 GMT -5 jo said:

I'm not even sure if I posted the full review by rogerebert.com here -- maybe just the link... as this often happens when the internet is being engulfed with review after revew upon release...

but now that the dust has settled down ( from the early critical dissing of the movie to the resurgent and defiant audience reactions...and up to now when summer open-air concerts continue to show off THE GREATEST SHOWMAN...and unexpected records have been registered for the movie box office and the soundtrack album)...

I find it exhilarating to look back at the earliest reviews which correctly ( at least from the audience's point of view) captured what made the movie endearing and intoxicating...and leading to near-classic status ( time will tell whether we will see it on repeat screening on TV during the holidays)!

www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-greatest-showman-2017

| Sheila O'Malley
December 20, 2017 | 64


"Without promotion, something terrible happens...nothing!" - attributed to Phineas Taylor Barnum

"The Greatest Showman," directed with verve and panache by Michael Gracey, is an unabashed piece of pure entertainment, punctuated by 11 memorable songs composed by Oscar- and Tony-winning duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who composed the songs for "La La Land," as well as the current Broadway hit Dear Evan Hansen. The film is made for the whole family to enjoy, and so it leaves out many of the darker elements (explored in the 1980 Broadway musical Barnum, music by Cy Coleman). This is a difficult tightrope to walk, but credit is due to Gracey, a perfectly cast Hugh Jackman, and the entire cast, who play this story in the spirit in which it was written (by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon). "The Greatest Showman" positions itself as a story celebrating diversity, and the importance of embracing all kinds.


There are those who will see this as a rose-colored-glasses view of what was a pretty exploitive situation. But in a 19th and early 20th century context, the circus and then vaudeville were welcoming places where those who had skills or who were rejected by society could find a home. Barnum put "misfit toys" onstage, saying, in essence, "Aren't they amazing?” (all while filling his pockets. For more thoughts on P.T. Barnum's barely acknowledged influence on American culture author Trav S.D.'s 2005 lecture at the Barnum Museum in Bridgeport, CT is a good place to start.) Cary Grant, who had a harsh poor childhood, got his start as a tumbler in a vaudeville troupe. Years later he described his revelatory first visit to the Bristol Hippodrome:

"The Saturday matinee was in full swing when I arrived backstage; and there I suddenly found my inarticulate self in a dazzling land of smiling, jostling people wearing and not wearing all sorts of costumes and doing all sorts of clever things. And that’s when I knew! What other life could there be but that of an actor? They happily traveled and toured. They were classless, cheerful, and carefree. They gaily laughed, lived, and loved."



That's what "The Greatest Showman" captures.

The film starts with the title song "The Greatest Show," a show-stopper with repetitive thumping percussion (reminiscent of Queen's ferocious "We Will Rock You"). Hugh Jackman—in red impresario's coat and top hat—takes us on a dazzling tour, with cinematographer Seamus McGarvey keeping the movements fluid, and all the actions connected, plunging you into the center ring. The whole number comes from the brazen heart of showbiz: Make it interesting! Give 'em something to look at! Make sure you reach the cheap seats! Barnum croons seductively, "Just surrender cuz you feel the feeling taking over!" I obeyed without reservation.

During the next number, "A Million Dreams" the young and poor Barnum (Ellis Rubin) befriends a well-bred little girl named Charity Hallett (Skylar Dunn), and they dream of creating their own destiny. This is the first time in "The Greatest Showman" where a character stops speaking and starts to sing instead; the segue is gracefully handled, setting up the artificial device early on. If you don't set up that trope with confidence, it makes it look like you're embarrassed to be doing a musical. By the end of the song, the little boy has become Hugh Jackman and the little girl has become Michelle Williams, leaping and twirling across the rooftop of their tenement, bed sheets on the line billowing to the beat.



After struggling to establish himself, Barnum launches out on his own, creating a theatre in the heart of New York City. He gathers together people with special talents as well as those with physical abnormalities (a giant, a bearded lady, Siamese twins, a dwarf—who would eventually be known as General Tom Thumb, Barnum's first "breakout star"). The "audition" sequence is extremely tricky, but the tone is set by Jackman's inclusive delight at the parade of humanity before him. It's a moment when ignored people are for the first time really seen.

Lettie Lutz, the "bearded lady," played by Tony-nominee Keala Settle, with a powerhouse voice, is one of the first to come on board. Settle's performance—her first major role onscreen—is one of the many keys to why "The Greatest Showman" is so effective. She understands the spirit of the project, and you watch her transformation from cringing shame to fearless Diva. Her anthemic "This Is Me" is one of the emotional centers of the film. Barnum's business partner is playwright and society boy Phillip Carlyle (Zac Efron), with snobby parents who are not only horrified at his "slumming,” but also at his romance with an African-American trapeze artist (Zendaya) who sports a pompadour of cotton-candy pink hair. Their love story, as presented, is tender, pained, and sweet.

Rebecca Ferguson plays Jenny Lind, the "Swedish Nightingale," whom Barnum took on a whirlwind concert tour through America It was his entryway into "polite" society. Jenny Lind's power ballad "Never Enough" makes you understand why Barnum, backstage, falls in love with her instantly, throwing his marriage into crisis. Ferguson may be lip-synching to Loren Allred's breathtaking vocals, but it is her performance that carries.

Ashley Wallen choreographed the numbers and there are many innovative moments, where she uses the outer environment to inform the movements of the characters. In "The Other Side," Barnum convinces a reticent Carlyle to join the circus, and as he sings, the bartender puts down shot glasses, swipes the bar with a cloth, all as accents to the beat. The real standout, however, is "Rewrite the Stars," the love song between Efron and Zendaya,taking place in the empty circus tent, when she flies on the trapeze far above him, and he tries to climb up the ropes to meet her. Up, down, they both go, sometimes coming together, dangling above the ground, or sweeping in a wide circle together around the periphery of the tent. It is a moment when the film—every element onscreen—merges and transforms into pure emotion. This is what a musical can do like no other artform.



One of the deep pleasures of "The Greatest Showman" is you don't have to grade the singing and dancing on a curve, as was necessary with "La La Land" (or, further back, to "Chicago," where quick cuts hid Richard Gere's lack of tap dancing skills.) Hugh Jackman, with his powerful high baritone, got his start in musicals, performing in productions in Melbourne, and then in a hugely acclaimed revival of Oklahoma! in the West End. He won a Tony Award for his performance as Peter Allen in The Boy From Oz and has hosted the Tony Awards three times. He is an old-fashioned triple-threat. Film fans may know him mainly as "Wolverine," and there's nothing wrong with that, but once upon a time a song-and-dance man like Hugh Jackman's could sing and dance his way through mainstream Hollywood. He's unleashed here.

So, too, is Zac Efron, who also got his start because he could sing and dance in the phenom that was "High School Musical." His career has morphed into something rather unique, with titles like "Hairspray," "Neighbors," and a hilarious small part in this year's "The Disaster Artist." He has something that cannot be manufactured, although many try, and that is old-school movie star charisma. Add to that a beautiful voice, plus dancing skills, plus a surprisingly ironic sense of humor, and he's got the full package. It's thrilling to see him in a big splashy musical. He's very much at home.

Michelle Williams, with anachronistically long blonde hair, has a strong clear voice, and there's something exhilarating about how she tosses herself into thin air, knowing Jackman will catch her. In what could be a thankless "wet blanket wife" part, Williams adds a spunky sense of adventure, showing us the kind of woman who would say "No" to a ladylike society-wife life, and fling herself into the unknown with her man.

The timing of this release is interesting. On May 21, 2017, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus folded up its tent for good, after 146 years of uninterrupted operation. Rocked by controversy due to criticisms of exploitation and animal abuse, they retired the elephant acts in 2016, but it was too late. Barnum was dogged by criticisms from the beginning. Many of the "acts" were fakes. Barnum actually didn't say the quote most associated with him ("There's a sucker born every minute") but he might as well have said it and his critics despised him for the assumption about popular entertainment and the regular folk who enjoy it. But in the film, Barnum, with a dazzling smile, explains to a skeptical journalist, "People come to my show for the pleasure of being hoodwinked."
I was hoodwinked by "The Greatest Showman." And it was indeed a pleasure. Ringling Brothers may have closed up shop, but Barnum lives on.

Understandably, choreographer Ashley Wallen is referred to as she. I suspect that has happened throughout his life.

[jo]

If I am not mistaken, it was not Ashley who was the major choreographer for THE OTHER SIDE, although the wrong attribution is understandable because Ashley did the bulk of the choreography work. It was Daniel Cloud Campos whom they commissioned to work out the basic choreography moves for THE OTHER SIDE as well as for the intricate REWRITE THE STARS! And Daniel also played the bartender


Btw, you may remember Daniel when he first visited Pearl Studios to meet Hugh Jackman during pre-production...but he was mum on what part he would play in the production. It seems that he knew Michael Gracey from before.


Jo

[jo]

The Greatest is now widely-recognized as an ultimate crowd-pleaser! Yet in this review for TV choices, the NYTimes continues to cling to its original review of the movie ( when even their Film Editor, Stephanie Z, took it upon herself to investigate why everyone is falling in love with the movie and the musical score)!

What’s on TV

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN (2017) 8 p.m. on HBO2.

With the Barnum & Bailey Circus shuttered and its elephants in retirement in Florida (really), this biographical quasi-musical about P. T. Barnum inspired devotion among audiences when it hit theaters in December. Hugh Jackman plays the illustrious Barnum, periodically bursting into original songs written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. (That duo wrote the lyrics for “La La Land” and the music for “Dear Evan Hansen.”) Michelle Williams, Zac Efron, Zendaya and Rebecca Ferguson all co-star. A circus needs to be more than the sum of its spectacular parts, though, and, in his review for The New York Times, Jason Zinoman wrote that the film is less thrilling than its subject. He called it a “montage sequence that occasionally turns into a movie musical.”

What a cynical, sarcastic, condescending attitude from Zimmerman and the person who copied it for this TV recommendation guide. He should have at least said that there may be a different and more positive side to the movie, given the tremendous worldwide response to its appeal!


Hrmmpphhhhhh…. these people sometimes do not do justice to the both-sides-view stance of journalism!


Jo