[Confused girl's perspective] [Spoilers beware]
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After 2016, Lin Manuel Miranda, who has become famous, has been making movies and TV dramas, and he is also engaged in charity and taking over bookstores. I thought to myself, why don't you spend a lot of time in the theater, on creation? I haven't seen a new work for five years, I'm going to be a fan and a passerby, right?
Turning his head, he saw him with a beard and a shaved ice stall walking over with a smile and said, "Dare you?"
I watched the movie version of "In the Heights" on the IMAX screen last night. I really think it's the best musical adaptation I've ever seen. The production is respectful and ingenious to the original intention of the stage version. The plot The improvement revealed by the changes may be Lin's growth and leap from a fledgling graduate to a North American entertainment producer/actor/big guy/comedian (crossed out).
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"Paciencia y fe"
The film version of In the Heights took ten years from initial planning to actual production. Lin signed a film with Universal Studio after winning the musical in 2008, but dropped the project in 2011 when Universal feared it wouldn't be able to attract enough Hispanic star casts (and thus not make money). After the 2016 Hamilton musical fire, Harvey Weinstein immediately got the ITH copyright and began to promote the filming; in 2017, the Weinstein scandal broke out, and the copyright changed owner Warner Bro. Filming finally started in 2019, and it is planned to be released in the summer of 2020 (also with Spielberg's "West Side Story" hit the period, miserable). In addition, it was delayed by another year due to the epidemic. This summer finally entered the theater, and it had to be broadcast on the streaming media HBO Max at the same time. Really twists and turns.
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I still remember seeing the entanglement between In the Heights and Weinstein from the news. At that time, I just thought that it was another drama to make money while the iron was hot, and it would be worth noting it (expelled from the fan membership). The main reason is that I was slightly disappointed after I went to the West End of London to watch the so-called restoration production of In The Heights at the end of 2017. The western version is placed in small and medium-sized theaters, and the stage is simple and the sense of immersion is weak. The actors are too bloody, the sound effects are not well designed, and the songs are noisy and layered, resulting in the unclear delivery of the lyrics. It's embarrassing for Londoners to have a New York/Latin American accent. The male protagonist is still a tall and handsome guy, which doesn't fit Usnavi's passer-by temperament. The transitional rendering of the lottery winning plot and the perfect finale make me think this show is nothing more than that. Neighbors' fairy tales. . I didn't really feel the heart of the song.
The movie version is different. Let you understand from the beginning, this is a man with a story. puff.
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"'Cause the only room with a view is a room with you in it"
First praise the arrangement. This is almost an adaptation of the masterpiece "Chicago".
The careful thought at the beginning and end adds a touch of tenderness to the rampant tropical style.
The original version of the stage opens in the dark night, when Graffiti Pete sneaks graffiti on the rolling door and is chased away by the owner, Usnavi. It's very New York, and it's in a second. In the absence of a sense of presence, the classic opening was changed to a memory narrative, with the shadows of coconut trees, clear water and sand, and a hut by the beach. When I found a proper family of three. It is also an extension of his favorite theme of Legacy. (Although Lin met his wife Vanessa after writing the play, the heroine of his first work is called Vanessa, if God will. Now his son is about to go to elementary school, and the characters are also married.)
The choreography is completely new, with the blessing of movie scenes, and the effect is remarkable. Neighborhood square dancing and pool Bollywood aside, nightclub Latin dancing is pretty hot, and three other songs impressed me:
Grandma's solo singing joined the group dance, which suddenly became much more three-dimensional. The old story of the female worker in white, the cold steel and iron bones under the subway bridge, contrasted with the vicissitudes of grandma's life, looking back is indescribably heavy, and looking forward is light. Between life and death, the old man walked in the colorful tunnel, not sad. I can see the children and grandchildren in the house, the burdens are unloaded, and I can sleep with peace of mind. This song ranks third in the quality choreography of the film.
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The pas de deux on the walls of "When the Sun Goes Down" is nothing new, but it works great. The "pre-war" style old building's small windows and the cascading fire escapes outside the brick walls are more iconic New York scenery than skyscrapers. Romantic and homely in the sunset, Nina & Benny are connected enough to defy gravity and break resistance. The film's quality choreography ranks second.
The first place is Carnaval del Barrio. There are several group dances in the play. Although the scenes are touching, they still can't get rid of the embarrassment of the musical movie inexplicably starting to dance on the street. . and aesthetic fatigue. . Only Carneval has clear layers, and the narrative and lyricism are reasonable and in place. The backyard is scattered and messy, but it is actually the perfect stage for a strong sense of street. The proprietress of the hair salon and the sisters used the relocation and farewell as an introduction, and forced the neighbors who were lying on Ge You to arouse. They took off the tablecloths (?) hung to dry horizontally and made dance dresses, mercilessly breaking everyone's mind. The Latin dance is particularly shocking, showing the character's optimistic, enthusiastic and courageous qualities, bringing everyone together again in a friendly sense of humor.
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“Everybody has a job, Everybody has a dream”
Praise the casting again.
Anthony Ramos played Usnavi for the first time in DC's Kennedy Center version of In the Heights. After watching the movie I think he is more suitable for this role than Lin (. As everyone knows, Lin Manuel Miranda is best at forcing Freestyle, and his acting skills are beautiful It's worth it, because of his precise grasp of Rap and his understanding of the role/resonance, he won two Tony Awards (performance) [nomination]. And Anthony Ramos, known as the little freckles on Broad Street (not), is serious Actor, rapper, gym-lover and cute neighbor (crossed out). Anyway, the younger brother next door's youthful feeling is written on his face, he looks younger and more cute than Lin more than ten years ago, and it fits the character. In addition, it is also in Hamilton has seen Da Zhan's son, and his appearance is mediocre but fully enough to support a movie.
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Grandma's actor Olga Merediz is directly the original 2008 Broadway card, and the style remains the same, nothing to say. I really have never seen a failed Broadstreet grandma.
The owner of the hair salon, Daniela (played by Daphne Rubin-Vega), is Mimi from RENT's original card. Surprised or not? Carnaval's song is full of aura, although I don't know who she is when I watch it, I just want to see this sister perform live.
Cousin Sonny's actor Gregory Diaz, who starred in the Broadway version of Matilda (What!)'s frail little stature, was an adult in his cousin's grocery store. Nina's actor Leslie grace is a singer/song writer, with two meters long legs, beautiful and sweet, not losing to the original card Mandy, the key is to match Benny very well. Melissa Barera, who plays Vanessa, is also more sweet and cute than Karen Olivo (. The other supporting roles are not listed one by one, the point is that none of the pop stars / movie stars are hired to attract attention, completely follow the ethnic archetype, and interact harmoniously, saying that they It's the neighbors I believe.
This may be the only musical movie that doesn't have any Stars in it, and hopefully it's the one that's about to create Star. Because, in their words, the work itself is Star.
(Lin MM: Am I not a star??)
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“Some get happy ending, some bittersweet”
Finally praise Lin Manuel
(Although probably most of it is the writer's credit)
The best change is "96,000". The lottery winning plot in the original is the suspense at the end of the first act, and it is overemphasized in the second act, interspersed with the transition of characters is also abrupt and trivial. The ending didn't go up smoothly.
This suspense is suppressed in the movie for a while, and it is revealed when Usnavi cleans up his grandmother's belongings. This deletion makes the mourning song "Alabanza" immediately after grandma's memory, and the two songs echo each other, which also highlights grandma's cohesion. Usnavi's process of discovering the lottery is like an old man's spirit in the sky, continuing to take care of the community, giving characters questions, and more tension.
Several roles have been transformed by this time, and the focus is on mutual support and mutual understanding within the group, such as how the fate of Sonny (representing the future of the ethnic group) affects Nina (achieving class ascent) and Usnavi (perception of home). None of these most beautiful things have anything to do with money. The low-key treatment of the bonus at the end also weakens the fairy tale feeling of wealth from heaven.
On the night of the power outage, Benny's emotions were not vented in the fight, but turned into a sense of community responsibility. After that, it seemed logical for him to take over the Cab company, and he also completed the role growth. The ethnic dispute between him and Father Nina has been changed to common progress, which is slightly the main theme. . . Fortunately, too many branch contradictions have been removed to reduce interference.
Also added is the real crisis of undocumented immigrants (DREAMers / DACA), and Nina's status woes. Many line details make this musical a complete movie. Everything has turned from the gossip and farce between the neighbors to the issues that life has to face.
Although it took ten more years, and despite many setbacks, Lin gained more time to review the show, to make up for imperfections, and to use new achievements to drive high-quality resources to show what the movie should look like. We also got a better finished product as a viewer. But the point is, these songs were written by him when he was 25 years old? Brought to Broadway at 28? People win, why are you still acting/directing "tick tick.. BOOM"?
Regarding the original card easter eggs, in addition to the two obvious ones, LMM and Chris Jackson, Graffiti Pete ( Seth Stewart ) played a Bar Tender in that bar, and I also saw Javier Muñoz in the crowd …
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Off topic
Even if In the heights isn't the first movie/drama I've watched since the pandemic, this story full of New York life is so contagious that it seems like everything is finally coming back. It's a pleasure to watch the show.
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