Musicals being made into movies, repeat pet peeve
By TheRealDawn
@dawnald (85146)
Shingle Springs, California
January 4, 2013 2:01pm CST
I complained when they made Mamma Mia into a movie that, as fun as it was, the singing was just not that good. Why, oh why do they have to put big stars into movie musicals instead of people who can actually sing? I love Pierce Brosnan to death, but he absolutely sucks as a singer. And Meryl Streeps singing wasn't as good as advertised either.
But I digress...
Les Miserables was possibly the best musical I ever saw on stage, bar none. When Valjean died, I cried. And I never cry. And the music was just so beautiful and well done - by REAL SINGERS.
I had high hopes for the movie version, I really did. They did actually get stars who could sing, and the hype about them taping the singing live (instead of filming the action, but recording the songs in a studio and putting the two together later) gave me hopes that it would come across more like a stage production than most movie musicals do.
Well, I liked the movie. OK, I didn't hate it. And I even cried when Valjean died. But in the back of my head, I couldn't quite get past the singing. Anne Hathaway can sing, but the way they did it, her performance just did not do justice to the vocals. Hugh Jackman, an actual Broadway star, was caught singing off key a few times. And Amanda Seyfried, I just flat out hated her vocals.
Eddie Redmayne as Marius was awesome, and Natalya Wallace as Eponine was pretty good.
And I was actually pleasantly surprised at Russell Crow's vocals.
But, although awful it was not, it wasn't quite what it could have been.
When, oh when will Hollywood cast a movie musical with SINGERS regardless of the person's fame in the industry?
3 people like this
17 responses
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
4 Jan 13
I was talking to my neighbor about this movie and because she is so involved in the local theater, she did say that in a play, there is so much going on, that sometimes we miss the "off key" in singing and that in the movie, they have the ability to fix that and they didn't.
I also found out the theater is putting this play on next year, so I am hoping to see it, since I have only seen the movie versions...
@sid556 (30959)
• United States
6 Jan 13
Im not a fan of musicals at all. I always felt that breaking into song took away from the reality of the story. The only musical I saw and actually liked was Hair and that was how many years ago? I never did see the stage version but my Aunt played in it locally...I wanted to see it but it was controversial and I was too young...the parents would not allow it.
1 person likes this
@sid556 (30959)
• United States
7 Jan 13
I haven't seen that but have heard some of the music and yes..I agree that it is more like an opera. I take it you didn't like "Hair". I honestly still would love to see the play. The movie was great...the music..well..it was interesting. Ya..I know, my taste buds are a bit questionable,heh?
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
7 Jan 13
No, I did like Hair. They actually cast people who could sing. :-D
No accounting for taste. 
@p1kef1sh (45681)
•
5 Jan 13
Mamma Mia was dreadful and Julie Waters was positively execrable. Whilst I can understand the desire to bring theatre to the masses in a form that non-theatre goers will appreciate; this is nearly always at the cost of quality. But it makes money and for some, that is truly the meaning of art!!
1 person likes this
@Suzieqmom (2755)
• United States
4 Jan 13
I agree that Les Mis was one of the best musicals I have ever seen, especially one of the more modern ones. And I have had friends tell me the same thing about the movie that you have made--that the singing just isn't good enough, although the movie itself isn't horrible. I wonder whether I should even bother to go see it?
Do you remember the days when they used to actually cast the theater stars in the movie versions--like Julie Andrews, for instance? Her voice was phenomenal, and her expertise made the big screen version of the musical as well done as the theater versions. I wonder why they still don't follow this model? Seems to make more sense....
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
4 Jan 13
They didn't cast Julie Andrews in Camelot (the movie), they cast Vanessa Redgrave, and didn't even have the smarts to get Marnie Nixon or somebody to do the vocals.
@Suzieqmom (2755)
• United States
5 Jan 13
Tornkee--you make an interesting point. Makes sense--just as there are many screen actors who could never carry off a stage production, because they just don't have that "live" presence.
Dawnald--Camelot is one of my favorite musicals of all time. I remember my mother telling me that at the time, not giving Julie Andrews the lead in the movie was something of a Hollywood "scandal" and that when the movie failed to do well, many people were glad. I believe afterwards Julie Andrews was given the lead in the movie versions of the plays she starred in, wasn't she?
As an aside, what a loss it was when she lost her beautiful singing voice, wasn't it?
1 person likes this
@Tornknee (72)
• Australia
4 Jan 13
Haha, every time someone mentions Julie Andrews I can't help but think of Peter cook and Dudley moores bedazzled, where the devils magic words are "Julie Andrews". But I totally agree she and her contemporaries had the ability to make musicals translate to film beautifully. However I personally know a number of excellent stage actors and singers who are just unable to restrain their performance style so that it works on film. One of the best things I ever heard about the difference between stage and screen is that stage requires you to act outwardly and screen requires you to work internally. Some actors just aren't able to adjust and to find a genuine musical theatre talent who can break their habits and put in a solid screen performance is not easy. I don't think that this is any reason to abandon that model it just helps to understand why they take the easy way out and go with names they know will bring in the crowds.
1 person likes this
@changjiangzhibin89 (16784)
• China
5 Jan 13
They actually made a mess of it for not choosing the right people.Big stars didn't know everything.They would sooner use people who could actually sing than use the big stars who cheated audiences by lip-synching.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
5 Jan 13
They didn't lip-synch, they were actually singing. The point is that their singing didn't do the material justice.
@changjiangzhibin89 (16784)
• China
6 Jan 13
That is to say,they didn't sing as good as they used to do.You seem to be a music lover and show good taste in music.
1 person likes this
@Tornknee (72)
• Australia
4 Jan 13
I couldn't agree more, I nearly vomited when I heard Russell Crowe was playing javert. Nothing particular against rusty but I see no reason it should be him and not a trained singer (although i do agree that he was surprisingly good). Having trained in acting myself I understand that stage and screen acting are vastly different but surely they could find an up and comer with real singing experience who can also restrain his acting to work on screen. I find myself thinking of Jim sturgess who played the lead in Across The Universe and was excellent. Which while we're on the subject, what is your opinion of jukebox musicals?
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
9 Jan 13
There is one exception for me where I am so glad that a musical got made into a film and that was Evita, mainly because of who got the starring role and the support was excellent casting. I love Madonna and she was excellent as Eva Peron, Antonio Banderas was the narrator and Jimmy Nail was Mageldi and Jonathon Pryce was Colonel Peron. I remember when it came out at the cinema I went to see it three times.
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
4 Jan 13
yeah, too bad they didn't let her do Camelot on film...
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
4 Jan 13
Ooh, Hugh Jackman is in it? I might have to see it.. but I'll wait till it's out on video.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
4 Jan 13
Yeah, he kind of looked "Wolverine-ish" at the end of the movie. :)
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
5 Jan 13
MMMMM.. and that's the role that made me love him! Can't wait to see it now!
1 person likes this
@allen0187 (58582)
• Philippines
13 Jan 13
hi there dawnald.
i haven't watched the musical and i have no plans of watching the movie. i'm not a big fan of musicals. anyway, i've read the book. i like the story but i can never get myself to watch a musical. lol! 
not so sure why...
anyway, funny you should mention 'mamma mia'. my daughter loves the movie. i know there are scenes that are inappropriate but she loves the songs in 'mamma mia'. seriously, the first time that she heard the songs in the movie, she had that looked that she had heard these songs before. truth be told, when my daughter was a baby, my mother would see to her abba songs. i told her this bit and from then on she would watch the singing parts of the movie (she would skip the other parts of the movie!lol!
).
cheers and happy mylotting!!!
not so sure why...
anyway, funny you should mention 'mamma mia'. my daughter loves the movie. i know there are scenes that are inappropriate but she loves the songs in 'mamma mia'. seriously, the first time that she heard the songs in the movie, she had that looked that she had heard these songs before. truth be told, when my daughter was a baby, my mother would see to her abba songs. i told her this bit and from then on she would watch the singing parts of the movie (she would skip the other parts of the movie!lol!).
cheers and happy mylotting!!!1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
28 Jan 13
I love the songs in Mamma Mia too, but they were not sung well in the movie.
@bounce58 (17385)
• Canada
5 Jan 13
So, does this mean I shouldn't watch this movie?
I try to watch a lot of movies. If not in the theater, then at least on cable or on-demand. I did see all the high praises for this movie, and it did pique my interest a bit. But I still had doubts because I was sure that it wouldn't do the musical justice.
HNY dawn!
I try to watch a lot of movies. If not in the theater, then at least on cable or on-demand. I did see all the high praises for this movie, and it did pique my interest a bit. But I still had doubts because I was sure that it wouldn't do the musical justice.
HNY dawn!@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
5 Jan 13
Happy New Year.
It wasn't bad, it just wasn't great either.
@WildHorses (718)
• United States
9 Feb 13
I think part of the problem is the money. Whoever will do the part for the least money if they are half a$$ decent is what gets the person in, but, sometimes, when the directors want a specific actor no matter how they sing is about the politics on it. Pretty sad if you ask me but then your hearing suffers the consequences. 
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
9 Feb 13
I think it's more about putting stars in than anything.
@Pegasus72 (1898)
•
28 Jan 13
I really enjoy all of the musical being done and redone, even making them into movies. You get to see new people with different takes on what the movie should show of the musical.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
28 Jan 13
And I'm not saying it was done badly. I enjoyed it a lot. I'm just saying the singing could have been better.
@Sindelle (824)
• United States
6 Jan 13
I have not managed to drag any of my friends with me to see this film yet however I've been online listening to the music and am preparing myself for a let down.
I'm a huge fan of the London Cast Recording. I feel this play requires exceptionally strong vocals. I could understand them not having broadway quality voices but the singing I have heard is just nowhere near what it should be. Russel Crowe has no broadway background and love him or not has no business playing the lead in Les Mirables. When I heard Javart sing Stars in the musical it almost brought me to tears (in a good way)....Russel Crowe butchered one of my favorite songs. They should of used actors to get the crowds appeal and dubbed them with good voices. Or at the very least prerecorded the voices they had so they wouldn't sound as bad.
Hugh Jackman can sing but he didn't look his best in that movie and neither did anyone else. I think out of all the characters I found Anne Hathaway's singing least offensive.
This could of been something spectacular with some very obvious and much needed changes. Such a shame. Like I said I still want to see this because I'm curious but I've already listened to the soundtrack and I already am preparing myself for a let down. I will say this though...whoever had the idea to include Colm Wilkinson as the priest was very wise. Its a shame he couldn't just follow them around and sing the entire movie for them lol.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
7 Jan 13
I liked Ann Hathaway's vocals the least, actually. And she can sing, but the way they filmed it, it just didn't come across for me.
I really did enjoy the movie, the acting almost made up for the singing. But not quite.
yeah, it was awesome that Colm Wilkinson was in it.
@BarBaraPrz (47611)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
4 Jan 13
I thought the singing in Mama Mia was the original Abba recordings dubbed in. What do I know?
1 person likes this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
4 Jan 13
I did not see themusical Mama Mia - only the movie which I enjoyed. I have not seem Les Mis either so am at a disadvantage in this discussion. I do hope to buy it soon or get it downloaded for free as I have heard that the movie is good.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
4 Jan 13
The movie really isn't bad at all, it's just that the singing isn't up to the stage version.
@subhojit10 (7375)
• India
4 Jan 13
Thanks a ton for sharing this discussion. Yes u are absolutely right, even i feel the same that when directors cast hard core actors in musicals then it becomes difficult even for the best of actors to get into the skill of their characters in those films. Only someone from the film fraternity can play such roles with panache and grace. I think the directors should rethink before casting for their movies based on music.
What say?
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
4 Jan 13
It would be nice if they would give new people a chance too instead of the same old box office stars.
