Beautiful post. :D I've never seen the former movie, though I'd always wondered at the (deliberate) misspelling of "happiness." For some reason, that alone made it sound bleak in nature.
I've always loved Will Smith's affable everyman quality -- which served him well in blockbusters like...well..."Independence Day" -- but it's nice to see it applied to more serious fare as well. If Will Smith is struggling to make ends meet...that must be some powerful stuff. :(
But I do love me some "Music Man." :D
Ya Got Trouble and Pick-a-Little, Talk-a-Little are probably the best examples of The Music Man's ability to tap into the deep-seated fears of our collective psyche (including xenophobic tendecies which still persist in many communities today)"Ya Got Trouble" is one of my favorite "modern (ish)" patter songs in musical theater. Recently, I saw it invoked comically (for the show "Once Upon a Time," where the previously sweet character Belle undergoes a radical personality shift to a bar room floozy-type due to some strange magic.
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Aww, I'm glad you liked it. I did have a moment of "is my tone too Dan-Stevens-esque?" here (:shudders:), but hopefully I managed to stay this side of palatable (and comprehensible).
You should see the Pursuit of Happyness. The performances elevate the film, but there are moments of excellence in the script (and lines I quoted never fail to give me chills).
Of course, if The Music Man happened today, the major difference would be that the kids would all get trophies for their horrible playing.
I laughed so hard at that. It's funny, when I wrote that line, I remember thinking, "I hope I'm not conveying an over-indulgent 'everyone's a winner' sentiment here." I guess you could say Harold Hill was a con man who sold a lot of fluff with a kernel of truth in there somewhere instead of a con man who just sold a bill of goods ... But then again, to be a really great grifter, you have to be pretty astute about human behavior.
Nooooo -- both movies were pretty popular. If it was Dan Stevens-esque, it would be "This obscure arthouse film that nobody knows of but me is just better than all the pop culture nonsense out there." There's no snobbery in "these movies made a while ago are still really good today."
(And as if DS would EVER stoop to admitting to enjoying something so common and commercial as a classic Broadway musical. It might be American, but he's got standards. ;)
I guess you could say Harold Hill was a con man who sold a lot of fluff with a kernel of truth in there somewhere instead of a con man who just sold a bill of goods ... But then again, to be a really great grifter, you have to be pretty astute about human behavior.I think that's why I like the idea that he's ignorant about it. Isn't he also just going to abscond with the money, but then changes his mind and sticks around (as a gesture for Marian
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If it was Dan Stevens-esque, it would be "This obscure arthouse film that nobody knows of but me is just better than all the pop culture nonsense out there.
LOL, so true. Though I was speaking mainly about the confessional tone, and the urban hike thing. But thanks! :)
I do think, however, that greed has become a much worse "sin" in modern society than at the time of the Music Man. Look at Ali Hakim in "Oklahoma!" He was just out to make a buck, and engaged in some dishonest behavior to do it. But he's treated as comical, not evil (like, say, Jud).That's true, partially because wealth was something to aspire to, not something to be ashamed of in the era of the big Broadway musical. There was a sense (not really borne out in reality) that there was unlimited opportunity for upward mobility and many people today have lost that sense (or are losing it). The last decade or so has given them reason to feel that way, granted, but I'm not sure it's any less true than it was ... I just think different folks are feeling the squeeze now
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I've always loved Will Smith's affable everyman quality -- which served him well in blockbusters like...well..."Independence Day" -- but it's nice to see it applied to more serious fare as well. If Will Smith is struggling to make ends meet...that must be some powerful stuff. :(
But I do love me some "Music Man." :D
Ya Got Trouble and Pick-a-Little, Talk-a-Little are probably the best examples of The Music Man's ability to tap into the deep-seated fears of our collective psyche (including xenophobic tendecies which still persist in many communities today)"Ya Got Trouble" is one of my favorite "modern (ish)" patter songs in musical theater. Recently, I saw it invoked comically (for the show "Once Upon a Time," where the previously sweet character Belle undergoes a radical personality shift to a bar room floozy-type due to some strange magic. ( ... )
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You should see the Pursuit of Happyness. The performances elevate the film, but there are moments of excellence in the script (and lines I quoted never fail to give me chills).
Of course, if The Music Man happened today, the major difference would be that the kids would all get trophies for their horrible playing.
I laughed so hard at that. It's funny, when I wrote that line, I remember thinking, "I hope I'm not conveying an over-indulgent 'everyone's a winner' sentiment here." I guess you could say Harold Hill was a con man who sold a lot of fluff with a kernel of truth in there somewhere instead of a con man who just sold a bill of goods ... But then again, to be a really great grifter, you have to be pretty astute about human behavior.
So glad you stopped by, as always. :)
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(And as if DS would EVER stoop to admitting to enjoying something so common and commercial as a classic Broadway musical. It might be American, but he's got standards. ;)
I guess you could say Harold Hill was a con man who sold a lot of fluff with a kernel of truth in there somewhere instead of a con man who just sold a bill of goods ... But then again, to be a really great grifter, you have to be pretty astute about human behavior.I think that's why I like the idea that he's ignorant about it. Isn't he also just going to abscond with the money, but then changes his mind and sticks around (as a gesture for Marian ( ... )
Reply
LOL, so true. Though I was speaking mainly about the confessional tone, and the urban hike thing. But thanks! :)
I do think, however, that greed has become a much worse "sin" in modern society than at the time of the Music Man. Look at Ali Hakim in "Oklahoma!" He was just out to make a buck, and engaged in some dishonest behavior to do it. But he's treated as comical, not evil (like, say, Jud).That's true, partially because wealth was something to aspire to, not something to be ashamed of in the era of the big Broadway musical. There was a sense (not really borne out in reality) that there was unlimited opportunity for upward mobility and many people today have lost that sense (or are losing it). The last decade or so has given them reason to feel that way, granted, but I'm not sure it's any less true than it was ... I just think different folks are feeling the squeeze now ( ... )
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