One of the main things that annoyed me about this film was how much of the score got cut of the film...I was wondering for other fans of the musical, which numbers were you most disappointed at being cut from this movie? I really
missed "The Miller's Son' and "In Praise of Women". Honarable mention to "Liasons."
I honestly only missed "Lisasons"...but as for "The Miller's Son"..I never felt enough of a connection with Petra, that I thought she deserved her own song. As for the "In Praise of Women"...well as is the film is 120 minutes, my god if they had kept in these three songs...plus the greek chorus. I think they made some wise choices. The best songs are definitely here and represented well.
shareI would have traded Fredrika's solo of "The Glamourous Life" for either "The Miller's Son" or "In Praise of Women" though I can understand what you're saying abut Petra...her role was reduced to practically nothing in the film.
shareAccording to Hermione Gingold's autobiography, "Liaisons" was filmed to images of old Valentine cards, a concept Gingold did not care for. Ultimately the number was cut.
"I don't use a pen: I write with a goose quill dipped in venom!"---W. Lydecker
I'm sad to see the songs go (in particular, I fancy the original Glamorous Life, but it wouldn't transfer to the screen well), but I always thought that the very best number in the show was cut from the stage version!
I'm talking about MY HUSBAND, THE PIG, of course. I'd kill to hear Dame Diana Rigg sing it!
Sheer ecstasy at once produced a
Wild shriek from Mr. Wentworth-Brewster
Not to be cruel, but I've always fancied that the original version of "The Glamorous Life" was replaced so that Dame Liz would have less singing with which to concern herself! And I still regret the loss of "Liaisons" which is probably my favorite song from the show (aside from you-know-what).
"Stone-cold sober I find myself absolutely fascinating!"---Katharine Hepburn
I absolutely agree, the less Taylor sang, the better. Plus I think that the "Letter Song" is ravishing and the lyric gives us a great portrait of Desiree's life from the unexpective perspective of her romantic but neglected daughter.
Sondheim has confessed that when he writes a new song for a project he had already completed, he's never quite satisfied with theoutcome because he cannot get his head back into the sound opf the project, and the new song ioften ends up sounding like whatever his current project happens to be. Even though it's only a difference of a couple of years, I had always thought that Fredrika's Letter Song sounded like Pacific Overtures.
"Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils."
In addition to the butchering of the score there was the clumsy attempt to change the setting. The "Smiles of the Summer Night" speech is still there, even though it's a reference to Sweden's Midnight Sun and makes no sense in Vienna. A phrase in Henrik's religious book is attributed to Martin Luther in the stage version, but in the movie version the SAME PHRASE is attributed to Saint Augustine because Henrik is now Austrian and therefore Catholic! If somebody's going to change a detail in an adaptation they need to do it intelligently.
Liaisons was filmed but the footage seems to be lost. I actually think I know where in the iflm it woulda come--as there's such an abrupt cut. I get why it was cut, it's a long and VERY static song and though I guess they tried to keep the visuals interestign with valentines cards it woulda been hard to pull off--but I miss it.
Of course we know way all the Chorus songs were cut as they're not there so I won't mention those... But I do feel In Praise of Women could have EASILY been played in the scene where they play it as incidental music--it almost cries out to be sung for me and is frustrating to watch-- Miller's SOng is a perfect song but again I think it owuld be hard to make work in a film for a variety of reasons (one being Petra's smaller role).
HOWEVER I do have to say what they kept in is often my fave version of that music. Tunick did a GREAT job of adapting the score, my fave new touch of his are the added strings in the orchestration for Little Death. I now miss them whenever I listen to the stage version. I also think all fo the singing (dubbed and non) besides Liz is really well done--the stage veterans sound even more on the ball than they did on the Broadway CD to me.
I know some don't like that a tiny bit of Weekend was cut--but I think it works, and I like the editing and reordering of Now/Soon/Later (aka Now/Later/Soon on stage). I also like that Henrik/Eric now is sung in a different, lower key, one that suits my own voice conveniently--btu I think it works better for his (brief) singing moments.
<< Liaisons was filmed but the footage seems to be lost. I actually think I know where in the iflm it woulda come--as there's such an abrupt cut. I get why it was cut, it's a long and VERY static song... >>
I never saw the Broadway productions, but I wore out the album when I was a child and saw a little theater production of it once (which was good)...and I always felt Liasons was an incredibly boring song, musically.
I'm sure a magnetic actress could do a lot with it on stage...but it's just not that thrilling, in my book.
I missed Henrick's second verse to Later....all the melodies in that sequence are so pretty.
"In addition to the butchering of the score there was the clumsy attempt to change the setting."
If memory serves, the change in setting was dictated by financial backing which, for various reasons, caused the film to be made in Vienna. They should have floated a loan from Ingmar Bergman! NIGHT MUSIC is another film that could cause viewers unfamiliar with the stage version to avoid seeing it if an opportunity arises.
"If I'd been a ranch they'd have named me the 'Bar-None'."
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I'd have kept the whole stage version intact. I saw a production last night-amateur,in Ealing,and the fourth and best I've ever seen.
shareI was sorry they cut out the five liebesliede singers. Some of my favourite songs are sung by these impartial onlookers. My fave is Remember, but I also like Perpetual Anticipation. And obviously, The Miller's Son would have been nice too.
I actually prefer the version of The Glamorous Life in the movie than the one in the stage play, but that might be because I've only ever heard Glynis Johns' rendition, and her voice leaves a lot to be desired.
I hope they still make that shampoo I like.
According to the liner notes (by Sondheim's archivist, Peter Jones) the production simply ran out of money before several songs could be filmed. The shooting script called for "Liaisons", "Remember" (reworked as a montage), "In Praise of Women" and "The Miller's Son" to be included. "Liaisons" was only partially completed before the money was gone.
The notes also mention the dubbing process. Fredericka's songs were sung by Elaine Tomkinson, The men performed their own singing. Some of Lesley-Anne Down's singing was "sweetened" in places, as was Liz's. Jones mentions the sound editor painstakingly cut-and-pasting together snippets from Liz's many takes in order to create a passible performance. Even then it is said that a top-secret dubbing session was conducted afterward with a singer who was never to be named.
I've actually heard Liz's original, undubbed vocals and it's pretty obviously not her singing in most of the film.
The unused version of "Liaisons" has surfaced, but I've never run across the other cut songs, which would likely have been prerecorded prior to the film beginning shooting (and the money running out).
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Zaphod's just zis guy, you know?