ABCs at the Movies: The Doubles Round!

[MaineWriter]

[southendmd]

Talk about totally ridiculous!

IMDb summary:  The two partners of a ladies' garter business are constantly feuding with each other. When they ask their lawyer to dissolve their partnership, he proposes that instead the two of them play a single poker hand: the loser to become the winner's personal manservant for a year.

Manservant?

With Ginger Rogers

[Fran]

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ac6o8PXthzQ[/youtube]
                       Fred Astaire's famous ceiling dance (3:01)

[MaineWriter]

This movie is 50 years old this year! Hard to believe...

Poster from the Broadway production:



and the movie:



South Pacific is currently playing in New York in a revival that is getting wonderful reviews. It will be there until June 22nd although I have heard it is completely sold out. Paul, time for ebay tickets  ?

[southendmd]

Val Kilmer as Moses?  Oy!

IMDb:  This film/musical is absolutely atrocious. It's nothing but a long collection of drawn-out, uncreative, boring, canned songs with pretty much every cliché lyric in the book. Is it supposed to be a Jesus Christ Superstar wannabe, without the writing talent? The cheesy MIDI drums and Windows 95ish video transitions especially add to its "bad church production" feel. I wasn't expecting much going in, but I was completely stunned by the tremendous void of artistic or entertainment value. I swear I've seen class presentations by high-school kids with more creativity. Could this possibly be a serious effort? By professionals? And how in the world does someone with as big a name as Val Kilmer get wrapped into something so awful? Perhaps he owed somebody a favor? I don't get it. Absolutely disgusting.

Paul, time for ebay tickets  ?

Very tempting...
Edit:  I just looked:  they're going for $500 to 2600 per pair!

[Fran]

From IMDb:

U-CARMEN is a feature film based on Bizet's nineteenth century opera, filmed on location in a modern South African township setting. The energy, compassion and heat of township life in all its elements will create a constantly visually interesting and dynamic background for the unfolding of the story.

The Carmen story owes part of its huge popularity to the thrilling combination of a violent gangster tale with a passionate almost supernatural love story. As it unfolds it explores issues of fame and wealth, the position of a strong and independently minded woman in a very masculine society, and perhaps most importantly, the incomprehensible attraction between abuser and victim.

Bizet's opera, based on Prosper Merimee's novel, premiered in Paris on March 3, 1875. Set in a poor area of Seville, the story of the magnetic woman who seduces, loves and ultimately destroys her lover and herself, is well known. Girl (Carmen) seduces boy (Don Jose), boy becomes completely obsessed, girl leaves boy for another (the Matador), boy in a jealous rage kills her. Carmen's mother-obsessed soldier lover who is displaced by the glamorous matador is one of the greatest tragic figures in all of musical theatre. But the story is her story. Why does she push her soldier into violence? Why doesn't she escape at the last moment? What drives her to destruction?

Although these fascinating aspects of human relationships are explored in a penetrating and at times uncomfortable way this is no intellectual journey but a bawdy, passionate, vibrant tale with enormous warmth and heat and some of the greatest tunes ever written. The fantastic vitality and huge skill of the performers from Dimpho Di Kopane make an impact beyond that achieved by any filmed opera to date. The soundtrack, recorded by Dimpho Di Kopane with Imbumba, a young South African orchestra, combines Bizet's score with traditional South African music creating a powerful musical experience.

[MaineWriter]

Very tempting...
Edit:  I just looked:  they're going for $500 to 2600 per pair!

YIKES!!!

[MaineWriter]

I can't believe this hasn't been played yet!

[southendmd]

From IMDb:

U-CARMEN is a feature film based on Bizet's nineteenth century opera filmed on location in a modern South African township setting. The energy, compassion and heat of township life in all its elements will create a constantly visually interesting and dynamic background for the unfolding of the story...

I actually saw this on a plane!  I loved it.  Great fusion of Bizet and township music.  

[southendmd]

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seCJz2FDec0[/youtube]

"Ease on Down the Road" 2:41