Can-Can film

I haven't had nearly enough Cole Porter in my Year, yet, so I'm making up for that with the film version of Can-Can. The message of this film seems to be that, yes, the bad boy often wins out. I also need to remember that Cole Porter wrote good songs for good shows--even if the film version of this one doesn't show him off to his best advantage.

The casting of this film is an odd combination of Americans and Frenchmen. Frank Sinatra and Shirley MacLaine are very colloquial and American as Francois Durnais and Simone Pistache; even when singing "C'est Magnifique" they seem more their Brat pack personas than anything else. Maurice Chevelier and Louis Jourdan are the French members of the cast and it's hard to argue with either of them as charming performers, although neither are the singers that I really wanted to hear. I suppose the casting is to drive home the class distinction that plays a part in the storyline of bad boy Sinatra and class act Jourdan both vying for the love and, a-hem, hand of MacLaine.

The plot is basically wrapped around a big "dance-tease" waiting for the Can-Can to be danced. When it finally comes, it is lively, but filmed in a very two-dimensional way. Who choreographed this? Hermes Pan for the film, Michael Kidd on the stage. But it appears that characters were switched around from the stage to the screen (or at least given other names), so I'll have to listen to the cast album to compare and contrast.

The songs, while being some of Porter's most memorable, seem lack-luster. Most are ballads and are presented at the slowest possible tempo, it seems. There aren't enough upbeat songs to balance out the dourness (that's the wrong word, help me here) of songs like "It's The Wrong Face". In looking at the song list for the stage show, it also appears that much was changed in transfering this to the screen, so cast album ho.

Can-Can
Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter
Film released in 1965 by 20th Century Fox
Cast: Frank Sinatra, Shirley MacLaine, Louis Jourdan, Maurice Chevelier

Sweet Charity film on DVD

I seem to be in a DVD rut at this point in my Year. But if they are all as good as Bob Fosse's film version of his stage production of Sweet Charity, then I'm fine by it. Shirley MacLaine has exactly the right balance of bravado and vulnerability, eternal optimist and perennial victim. And she is the perfect embodiment of Fosse's choreography. The music is at the same time bubbly and specific to time/place/character.

This was Bob Fosse's first job directing a film and there is an interesting DVD extra about his efforts to translate his stage production to film. He uses a lot of various cinematic techniques in telling the story and presenting the music and dance. Sometimes they feel a little dated and slow down the story-telling, but I give him points for looking outside the box.

The men get short-changed in terms of musical numbers in this film, which cuts several of the songs from the stage show. But there is a good ol' fashioned Stubby Kaye chorus number.

I found myself mesmerized by the portrayals by some notable musical theater performers in smaller roles in the film, which I think is a positive comment on their watch ability. Chita Rivera is front and center on the rail during the "Big Spender" number, and finally gets the dance on the roof she was denied when Rita Moreno was cast in the film of West Side Story. The afore-mentioned Stubby Kaye is the dance hall manager. Ben Vereen appears in the night club dance scene. And I think I can totally get behind any religion that has Sammy Davis Jr. as its apostle!

Sweet Charity
Music by Cy Coleman
Lyrics by Dorothy Fields
Screenplay by Peter Stone (of 1776?) based on the book of the stage musical by Neil Simon
Directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse
Cast: Shirley MacLaine, Chita Rivera, Ricardo Montalban, Stubby Kaye, Sammy Davis Jr., John McMartin