Gypsy
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Movie Reviews of Gypsy
Movie Review: Gypsy is great!
Summary: 4 Stars
First of all, I was excited to find Gypsy for less than $100 on DVD again! I missed the first round of releases and then it was discontinued so it became a 'rare' item. Naturally, that meant when I saw this in the Gold Box deals I went nuts and bought it right away! It came in perfect condition, and rather quickly as well (I ordered from the US to Canada).
It's a great movie, definitely better in a lot of parts than the Rosalind Russell version. Though the perfect film would be Rosalind Russell's voice, Bette Midler and Natalie Wood's acting, and the more 'open' way that the Midler version is presented. I would recommend this for any fan of burlesque or Bette Midler or musicals in general!
Movie Review: i liked it
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the only film version of the movie GYPSY that is somewhat close to the play! I mean the only good person in the origional is Natalie Wood, even she has flaws! But with Bette Midler as Mamma Rose, shes great! Sure, not the best for the part, but good. For instance Patti LuPone might have better! But Ms. Midler gives the best performance of her career I think! And all the co-stars are great defanlty the girl for Louise! But the guy for herby cant sing but makes up for it in pretty good acting. If you want something worth your money with a good cast get this movie! I liked it.Movie Review: Great rendition
Summary: 4 Stars
I was recently in a production of "Gypsy" and have grown pretty attached to it. I thought this rendition was done quite well, but I prefer the Baby June from the original film and I prefer the strippers from the original film as well. I like Bette's performance the best out of the other Mama Rose actresses from film and/or Broadway.
My only complaint was a small glitch in the DVD that causes it to skip. Maybe a spin on the Disc Doctor will cure it.
Movie Review: Everything's Coming Up Crabgrass
Summary: 3 Stars
It looked good on paper: Powerhouse performer Bette Midler playing the most famous role in musical theater, directed by Emile Ardolino, the guy who turned "Dirty Dancing" into a national phenomenon. So what went wrong? The truth is, Midler simply isn't a good enough actress to capture the subtleties of as complex a character as Momma Rose. She's all big eyes and broad gestures, waving arms and manic mood swings; it's a community theater performance, going for the obvious at every turn. Is Rose manic and driven at times? Yes, of course; her father calls her a "crazy woman" in an early scene. But from her first entrance, Midler seems to have confused "powerhouse" with "bulldozer." She spits her lines out in rapid succession, with all the bawdiness with which she tells her famous Sophie Tucker jokes in concert. But where's charm, humor, sexiness; all the manipulatively feminine characteristics that make Rose such a seductive, seditious presence in everyone's lives? Rose gets her way not because she beats Herbie, June and Louise into submission, but because her dreams and desires are so strong they have no choice but to believe in them themselves. Auntie Mame is described as The Pied Piper, but it's an apt description of Rose as well. Midler's characterization is so grating, I can't imagine anyone doing much more than running in the opposite direction.
Unfortunately, with the exception of Jennifer Rae Beck's Dainty June and Linda Hart's Mazeppa, the supporting cast is average at best. And however skilled Ardolino is at directing the musical sequences, he completely fails to mine the humor and tension of Arthur Laurents's brilliant dialogue. The production values are first rate across the boards. Personally, I think June's acts are a little over produced; a certain vaudeville seediness would have made more sense. But the producers and Ardolino obviously adore the material -- who doesn't? -- and they've approached it with tremendous love and attention, so it's hard to fault their decisions.
Is this a better version than the 1962 film? Yes and no. It's a far more faithful adaptation, with Laurents and Sondheim's bawdier material intact, but I think the earlier cast is far superior. I know I'm not supposed to like Rosiland Russell because she wasn't Ethel Merman, but I love the performance; for me, Russell finds the perfect balance between Rose's fierce passion and her crushing vulnerability. And Karl Malden and Natalie Wood are superb, the latter fragile and extremely touching. So as a record of the show as originally written, this version is a must for all musical theatre fans. But if you're looking for the definitive "Gypsy" on film -- it ain't been made yet.
Movie Review: FAITHFUL TO ORIGINAL, BUT MIDLER MISSES THE MARK
Summary: 3 Stars
I LOVE the musical GYPSY. I knew that the creators of the original Broadway musical, Jule Styne, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents were extremely disappointed with the earlier 1962 film version with Rosalind Russell and Natalie Wood. Fair enough. So this TV adaptation is scene for scene, word for word exactly like the stage play script. That is excellent. The score is also one of the most outstanding in all of Broadway history. So, we get the original script and score; but unfortunately, that's all we get.
I watched this TV movie with great anticipation. My enthusiam deflated as soon as the less than divine Miss M started singing "Some People." I realized, with horror, that she was not portraying Mama Rose. Instead, she was portraying her idea of Ethel Merman portraying Mama Rose!! To make matters worse, her voice sounds extremely hoarse and coarse. Midler never makes the role her own. Surely, Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, and even Rosalind
Russell did their own individual interpretations of Mama Rose. If Midler had only thought for a moment about Mama Rose, as the other actresses did, instead of Ethel Merman, she might have had a major triumph. I give Midler credit for giving her all to "Everything's Coming Up Roses" and "Rose's Turn", but the overalll production goes straight downhill because Midler simply doesn't "got the stuff." Curiously, Midler did this TV version just after Tyne Daly won a Tony Award for her performance in a Broadway revival. So, any TV version around that time period should have gone by rights to Daly. I wonder if somebody in Midler's camp pulled strings to make this a Midler Vanity production? I know Russell stole the original film from Merman because her husband was a powerful agent. Even I did not mind Russell over Merman. But Midler seriously misses the mark!
I know a thing or two about Mama Rose. I saw Judy Kaye play the role in a brief run in Seattle in 2001. Kaye just blew the roof off the theatre. Patti Lupone is doing a limited three week run in NYC as I write this. Now, that's a Mama I'd love to see. If you want a real powerhouse Mama Rose, skip Midler and go with the CD recordings made by Angela Lansbury (1973 London Cast) or Tyne Daly (1989 Broadway revival) instead.