THE GREATEST SHOWMAN : DIGITAL/BluRay/DVD

[jo]

[jo]

LOLOL!

Paste this on top of the disc cover --

[jo]

[jo]

[jo]

[jo]

Twitter is exploding with sheer joy -- but this really made me LOL!

A national holiday!!

It's like what happened to THE BOY FROM OZ --

*It opened to terrible reviews ( save for praise for Hugh) -- the feeling was so gloomy that someone was predicting an early funeral for the show on the official TBFO message board!

*A year later, when it closed -- it was the hottest ticket in town! The best celebration at the Imperial...and it even merited its own write-up by a Broadway critic!


THE GREATEST SHOWMAN's home video release ( also representing the closing of the theatrical run) is getting the same joyful celebration!

[jo]

[jo]

Someone posted how happy she was able to get the last copy of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN at a Walmart.

But this one is not so lucky

Where's mine ??

Acording to Amazon --

Tuesday, April 10
9:48 AM

Package has left the carrier facility
Anchorage, AK US

Presumably, it is now flying by business class ( jk ) over the Pacific ( maybe via Japan) and then to my waiting arms in Manila

EDIT: It decided to visit South Korea instead...and should arrive here tomorrow evening. Will UPS be able to deliver it to me by Friday or Saturday? Hope so


My Target copy is now safe in the home of my nephew who lives near a Target store over there -- he must have picked it up very early and has dutifully informed his anxious aunt that he was able to get a copy, plus a CD that was priced much cheaper as a come-on to the BluRay ... It will get to me at some point

The things one does for a Jackman movie musical!

PS: Anything special about the Walmart package? It looks like it has a copy of the songbook? ( I already have the big-type songsheets) and 2 downloads ( This Is Me/Rewrite the Stars) -- nah, not interested if that's it.




Jo

[jo]

[njr]

Mine arrived yesterday! Thank you Amazon!

Nancy

[mamaleh]

Apr 9, 2018 21:08:05 GMT -5 jo said:

I still say in that upper right drawing included as part of the "concept art" in the booklet, HJ looks like Matthew Perry, LOL.

Ellen

[jo]

My BluRay/DVD arrived - safe and sound! Via UPS!

Jo ( ready to sing along )

[jo]

Okay -- First Pass!

*Saw the movie

*Haven't checked the SetUps - presumably the subtitles also include the lyrics ( so sing-alongs are available) ??

*Zoomed in on the Extras --

Commentaries are mainly from Michael Gracey and Hugh Jackman...and a few notes from Lawrence Mark ( main producer)...and some quotes from the major cast.

It seems it was Lawerence who saw the great possibility of a musicalization of Barnum's showbiz life, after seeing Hugh in rehearsals for the 2009 Oscars (" He is the greatest showman on earth today"). Two weeks after the Oscars, Hugh says Lawrence and himself decided to go ahead with a possible movie musical. I think this was the time when Jenny Bicks was commissioned to write the early script. Also, not mentioned was that in August of that year ( 2009), Fox announced the project for a Jackman movie musical ( at that point, Cameron Mackintosh has not even made a final decision to adapt Les Miserables to film). Hugh and Michael ( having worked previously together on the Lipton Tea ad) started working together after linking up early on ( MG signed on officially in 2011).

Best Part of the EXTRAS : THE SONGS!

This portion is worth the price of the disc alone!



Loved this portion because --

*It really validated some of our early thoughts on the film. The songs were developed as in musical theatre: to advance the story and to enhance characterization.


And to critics and pseudo critic-bloggers : Watch this portion! You say that the storyline is too thinly written -- part of that storyline is not embodied in spoken dialogs and related acted-out scenes. The songs ( melody and lyrics) tell us what happens to the plot, what depths in character development are emphasized, and how the actors sing out or dance or act out the plot and how their characters are developed!

I really enjoyed that portion immensely -- each song is explained and its creation is graphically portrayed by Pasek and Paul! These two guys are so refreshing and so likable - not one hint of ego! And what creative minds...collaborating in full with Michael Gracey ( who provides the story pitch...and chief sounding board)! And Hugh giving his all during the workshops ( esp with Come Alive and From Now On)



*If I were a drama or musical theatre teacher in an elective course for a non-acting academic program -- I would require this feature as required viewing! So much can be learned -- especially so with the emphasis that the musical composers do not work in artistic isolation -- they have to link up with the other talent who provide other parts of the creative vision! Even Broadway actors/composers can learn a lot from this collaboration between the best of musical theater with the best of filmmaking!



*Re the individual songs - you may want to watch how each one is inspired and developed!

But for FROM NOW ON -- I grinned when I heard Michael Gracey say " This is my favorite song... it is the eleven o'clock number"...and Benj Pasek says "it is all about redemption". Things I thought I also caught early on from watching song and scene in the movie.


*Btw, it seems that the workshops did not start only after The River ended.

It looks like it started right after PAN was completed filming...and before Hugh began his run in The River. We see him with an almost bald head, with only the beginning of re-growing hair showing. So, he was doing double duty at that time. Preparing for The River while learning songs for the workshop!


*In the commentaries, it seems Hugh has chosen to play a background role -- with him praising others and giving them more important roles in this project! What is obvious to us is that FOX would only take the risk with him front and center in the project! That was why he had to go against doctor's orders for the final workshop which was the make-or-break session with Fox execs!


**Still have to comment on Other Extras!



Enjoy the home video and the extras!

I bet there will be many happy homes watching ( and singing along to, if wanted) the movie again and learning all the background stuff which made this movie so resonant and so beloved!

Hope some critics watch it ... and realize that they have been less than fair...and less learned about movie musicals as a genre!


Jo

[jo]

Hey, spot Deb with Hugh while he seems to be rehearsing a number ( he is in costume) ? Hint: She is taking pictures, but not of Hugh

Jo

[jo]

[jo]

http://instagram.com/p/Bhe0l7zBBnS

[jo]

Did my eyes deceive me -- but I did not find the names of Austyn and Cameron on the screen credits for THE GREATEST SHOWMAN BluRay version. In the theatrical screening, the names of the two young actresses were the first billed (among the minor cast) after Zendaya. They did very well and their portrayal added to the emotional warmth and joy of the movie.


Jo

[mamaleh]

Just finished watching the "Songs" extra on the Blu-ray. Fascinating and very informative, indeed. Got a kick out of Hugh's saying he wishes his legs were 20 years younger only to have someone else --- was it Laurence Marks or Michael Gracey? -- dismiss that as unnecessary since Hugh "is a machine." That is, full of unstoppable energy. Agreed!

In the small portion of a segment on lighting I was able to see thus far, I believe it was Seamus McGarvey who said the audience didn't have to see Hugh in full lighting at the first scene because everybody knows who he is, hence the dramatic silhouette. He said the same thing about the rooftop love-scene-in-dance, as he called it, with the sheets dancing along with HJ and Michele Williams. Maybe so, but I still wish the lighting had shown the duo in fuller detail. I get annoyed when I read the occasional remark by someone opining that the lighting was subdued because Hugh had a dance double.

Looking forward to seeing the rest of the extras. And of course watching the actual movie a few more times.

Ellen

[jo]

Before Hugh said he wished his legs were 20 years younger, he quoted Michael as saying that " I would make his feet bleed" - meaning, take after take after take. Haha - Hugh does love to dance. I think it is also because he enjoys physical activity such as sports and dancing is a more graceful use of the human body. You can see the athleticism in some of his moves ( such as the way he lifts or throws Michelle around -- I do like his way of making Michelle do a pirouette - don't know the exact term). There was also one behind-the-scenes that while rehearsing, he overshot the wall and leapt over it - the momentum was too fast *giggle*

Jo

[jo]

Re the SONGS --

Someone tweeted that he/she expected to hear Jenny Lind sing an operatic song...and was disappointed with NEVER ENOUGH.

In the commentary, Michael Gracey says NEVER ENOUGH is the only stand-and-deliver song in the movie.

What he did not say was that the song is meant to showcase how an excellent singer can mesmerize the audience with the beauty of the piece and its delivery. That would support the plotpoint that this incredible impact on Barnum himself and the audience would lead to moments where Barnum is led somewhat astray in pursuit of his ambition for courting the carriage trade, not realizing that it could lead to estrangement from his own family and his circus troupe.

Also, I think to have shown an operatic song in the movie would have put it very much out of context from the tone of the movie. The tone was contemporary, putting music that was not reflective of the period, by design. For that matter, the choreography ( I like how it is described as "muscular") is modern and very compelling. It is interesting that Pasek and Paul said that the creation of this song was their most difficult task! They knew that it needed to be contemporary in tone, but how can they make it outshine the others in one particular way, so that the very strong impact on Barnum and the audience is understandable and even expected?

Of course, what helped the delivery was Rebecca Ferguson's own stunning beauty and elegance, coupled with her own acting instincts to delivering a song that she knew would be dubbed eventually. She actually sang her own version of the song ( no lipsynch to a pre-recorded track), which Loren Allred studied so that when Loren finally delivered the song, she used how Rebecca gave the song her own interpretation. Great matching of talents!

Btw, on the complaint about the mismatch of a period piece with contemporary music -- no one has yet questioned how filmmakers use classical music ( Beethoven, Tschaikowsky/Tchaikovsky, etc) in their modern films. Woody Allen used a lot of classical music in SCOOP... Music is eternal.

Jo

[hughmanity]

Talk about annoying...someone said to me yesterday that she heard that wasn't  Hugh's voice.  Aargh!!! Can't stand the ignorance!

Apr 13, 2018 10:48:49 GMT -5 mamaleh said:

Just finished watching the "Songs" extra on the Blu-ray. Fascinating and very informative, indeed. Got a kick out of Hugh's saying he wishes his legs were 20 years younger only to have someone else --- was it Laurence Marks or Michael Gracey? -- dismiss that as unnecessary since Hugh "is a machine." That is, full of unstoppable energy. Agreed!

In the small portion of a segment on lighting I was able to see thus far, I believe it was Seamus McGarvey who said the audience didn't have to see Hugh in full lighting at the first scene because everybody knows who he is, hence the dramatic silhouette. He said the same thing about the rooftop love-scene-in-dance, as he called it, with the sheets dancing along with HJ and Michele Williams. Maybe so, but I still wish the lighting had shown the duo in fuller detail. I get annoyed when I read the occasional remark by someone opining that the lighting was subdued because Hugh had a dance double.

Looking forward to seeing the rest of the extras. And of course watching the actual movie a few more times.

Ellen

[jo]

A lot of people are not aware that Hugh is also a musical theatre stage actor! That is live singing! There are very isolated exceptions but that is done to enhance the production ( the only one I know was that instance in Jersey Boys). Also, he has hosted the Oscars and the Tonys ( multiple times) and he was definitely singing and dancing by himself! Also, many people are not aware of his role in Les Miserables.

It could also be that the confusion on Hugh's voice is because he changed his singing style, after he started taking lessons with Liz Caplan ( at the suggestion of Pasek and Paul). He moved away somewhat from his musical theatre/legit stage style to one that he says is more comfortable with him. Compare his singing for Les Miserables vs The Greatest Showman.


Sorry, but the video is no longer available on the CBS site -- but here is the summary :

The Talk
Hugh Jackman: 'I found my own voice' with 'Greatest Showman' S8 (0:49)

Hugh Jackman discusses his latest film "The Greatest Showman," the soundtrack reaching number one on the Billboard charts and re-teaching himself how to sing for his role. "It was a great exercise for me because not only did I get to learn a new style, I actually think I really found my own voice because I think what I did was copy other people," says Jackman. "I was producing a sound that I thought was meant to be Broadway singing, but it wasn't my own voice. So my actual joy for singing grew."

[jo]

Hugh is a high baritone - I guess that means he can reach the upper range which is close to tenor range. On the other hand, he can do a great lower range baritone such as in Oklahoma! and some adlib instances when he just blurts out singing a Sinatra song (" Come fly with me..." when he did that video of him publicizing his co-piloting a plane -- can't remember what it is called, but it is a plane that can touch the water and fly in the air-- over Sydney Harbour). I also love his rendition of ballads like ALL THE LIVES (OF ME) -- my favorite song from THE BOY FROM OZ. I am also very delighted when I hear him sing the " my little girl..." part of Billy's Soliloquy from CAROUSEL.

On an aside, will he turn up and watch the current revival of CAROUSEL?

Jo

[hughmanity]

Well, I'm going to see it tomorrow, so I'll let you know! LOL!

Apr 13, 2018 21:15:27 GMT -5 jo said:

Hugh is a high baritone - I guess that means he can reach the upper range which is close to tenor range. On the other hand, he can do a great lower range baritone such as in Oklahoma! and some adlib instances when he just blurts out singing a Sinatra song (" Come fly with me..." when he did that video of him publicizing his co-piloting a plane -- can't remember what it is called, but it is a plane that can touch the water and fly in the air-- over Sydney Harbour). I also love his rendition of ballads like ALL THE LIVES (OF ME) -- my favorite song from THE BOY FROM OZ. I am also very delighted when I hear him sing the " my little girl..." part of Billy's Soliloquy from CAROUSEL.

On an aside, will he turn up and watch the current revival of CAROUSEL?

Jo

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[jo]

But where is he at the moment -- his last post a day or so ago showed him running by a fully-grown ( with fresh leaves) hedge ... so could that be in NYC? Unless he is posting from another place where he might have spent his anniversary with Deb?

I have never seen a stage production of CAROUSEL. I saw the movie with McRae/Jones and of course the gritty-looking unofficial tape of the Carousel concert at Carnegie

Too bad Hugh's ambitions to remake the movie never happened. It reached a stage where the script has been contemporized, the script was sent to a director who might be interested in it, Anne Hathaway was being courted for the role of Julie, and he already received some assurance from Fox 2000 that they would look at it seriously.

Anyway, hope you enjoy the show, hughmanity


Jo