I haven’t seen it yet but want to; I’ve heard mixed reviews from friends who have, most of whom are big fans of the stage musical.
Have you seen it? If so, how’d you like it?
I loved it! Yes, some changes were made. Some songs were cut and they removed one character’s death (which was a somewhat pivotal one and makes the whole 2nd Act a little bit off-balance), and toned down the creepy sexual predator vibe of the Wolf and Red. Marshall did a bit of time-compression, which also makes the 2nd Act a bit off-kilter. Despite all of that, it was definitely a better film adaptation than I ever expected anyone to make. I would definitely recommend seeing it.
ETA: It’s significantly more faithful to the source work than Jackson’s Hobbit films were, if that’s any help. Of course, the film was made in consultation with Sondheim, so it was bound to.
Saw it last night. Liked it more than I thought I would. I had seen the show once (as a college production a few years back) and thought it okay but not great. I hadn’t remembered very much about it, other than a few specific moments and the overall arc of the story, so could not tell you where or whether there were important differences between the movie and the show. Also, I’m not by any means a movie fan, so know little or nothing about the actors beyond what I saw in this movie.
Pluses:
The “AGONY!” duet with the two princes, which takes place as they gambol around a waterfall–very funny and well-sung too.
The acting is generally strong, and the voices are good. The baker and baker’s wife are both very good (I don’t know the first thing about either of them) and the witch (Meryl Streep–I do know about her) is excellent. The two kids are fun.
I am not a big Sondheim fan but found myself enjoying and appreciating some of the music more than I had expected. Wished he was a little more into vocal harmonies sometimes.
Minuses:
The two parts of the show don’t really mesh well…a lot of time setting up the happily-ever-after stuff which changes abruptly and not (IMHO) very believably into OMG THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END
The first section, in particular, has some rather repetitive stretches with more exposition than is perhaps strictly necessary. I was bored at times during that part.
The messages are not very subtle, which strikes me as a little un-Sondheim-like. Could’ve done with a little more subtlety. (And I hadn’t noticed this before, but what’s with all the characters who die being women? And the baker’s wife dying right after her dalliance with the prince–who doesn’t himself die?)
Anyway, enjoyed it!
I also saw it, and very much enjoyed it. I was surprised at how much of the Act Two darkness did remain in, although the events of Act Two are rather squeezed into the last half-hour or so, and probably felt a bit tacked-on to people who weren’t familiar with the stage version. I would also point out that the screenplay was written by James Lapine, so again the fidelity to the original is understandable.
I would disagree with jayjay’s comment on the Wolf’s “sexual predator vibe.” Because Red Riding Hood is so much younger in the film than she generally is on stage, it struck me as vastly more creepy. On the other hand, Johnny Depp did not wear a rubber phallus, so there’s that. :eek:
Comparing the film to the videotaped stage performance, with Bernadette Peters and Joanna Gleason, I would say overall that the comedy in the film is a bit less broadly played. It’s still there, and there are still laughs, but probably because they’re not playing to a live audience, the film performers are more subtle in their readings.
Meryl Streep must have taken voice lessons since Mamma Mia, as I thought she handled the songs pretty well. I was surprised at how good a singer James Corden (The Baker) was, since I know him primarily as a comedian.
“Agony” is absolutely hilarious–easily the comic highlight of the movie.
Which character was that?
They toned it down? Good Lord, what is it like in the stage version? I found it really, seriously, uncomfortably creepy, especially as the kid is a, you know, kid. (In the stage version I saw, the scene wasn’t memorable.)
My point really was that if they HADN’T toned it down a bit, with Red being…what? 10?..it would have seriously pegged the squick meter and probably really ruined the movie. I kind of wish they’d cast the kids the same age as they were onstage, really. The younger age makes Jack’s lyric about the giantess (before she became a raging, grieving widow) a bit squicky, too.
Rapunzel. In the stage version she is also crushed by the giant.
As I said, I found it pretty creepy too. In fairness, it’s supposed to be.
Rapunzel. Onstage, she’s exiled to the desert by the witch, has the prince’s twin babies alone, is then found by the still-blind prince, heals him with her tears, and goes batshit looneytoons. While running like a crazy through the woods, she’s stepped on by the giantess right in front of the Witch.
This adds a lot of depth to both the Witch’s Act II songs (and one verse of Witch’s Lament had to be cut because it referenced her death) and better explains why she basically commits suicide.
Do you see the giant in this or do you just hear her?
Either way, is it a law that she-giants must be cast by Frances de la Tour? 
You see her, but only rarely CLEARLY. She’s usually obscured by treetops and such. They seemed to try to only show Frances’ full face once or twice.
It should be noted that NOBODY actually dies by being stepped on by the giantess in the movie. The Baker’s Wife dies from a fall caused by the ground shaking as the giantess walks by and Rapunzel doesn’t die at all.
Does Children Will Listen work if Rapunzel isn’t dead?
I saw a community theater production last year in which The Witch was played by a local drag queen, and far from being gimmicky he was fantastic- best member of the cast in fact.
Not as well. Rapunzel running off with her prince (who never attempts to cheat on her (there is no Agony Reprise)) kind of robs it of a lot of its resonance. Like I said, Rapunzel living throws the whole second act off-kilter. It doesn’t ruin the movie, though.
I saw it on Broadway, and again in Cain Park (Cleveland), and I’m eager to see how Meryl Streep’s witch compares with Bernadette Peters’.
I had bought a ticket from Fandango, for the 12:30 show on Christmas Day. I got to the theater a bit early, but didn’t see “Into the Woods” on the marquee. I showed my printed receipt to the young lady at the window, and she never heard of the movie.
So I’m waiting for a reply from Fandango, and will probably see it on New Year’s Day at another theater.
Okay, thanks. She kind of disappeared from the movie altogether–afterwards we were wondering why they didn’t show what had become of her. That just deepens the puzzle–why not have her killed as in the stage show, if “her” plotline is never really addressed?
And again, another female character who dies. If my addition is correct, that’s five women and no men (I guess maybe we should count the original giant, which would make it 5 to 1–even so.)
I was pretty pleased. I’ve never seen a live production, but the old PBS special was always a favorite of mine.
It certainly changes a lot, but most of the core was there. The pacing was a little difficult – by compressing the second act, they made it feel more like a really protracted ending. Overall, though, I think it worked fine without “replacing” the original.
As far as stage-to-film musical adaptations go, I’d say it wasn’t as good as Les Mis but was better than the humorless Sweeney Todd from a few years back
IIRC, in the play the narrator is killed, and while the role doesn’t have to be played by a man it usually is. (A similar thing was done with the narrator from the less successful Assassins, who is similarly driven off by the other characters, though I think this was later tweaked.)
Oh, that’s another change. There is no Narrator, not as a separate character, anyway. James Corden does the narration voiceover when it appears.
Saw Into the Woods, Unbroken and Night at the Museum III all over the Xmas break. Loved Into the Woods but I love the stage production as well. Took my 12 and 6 year olds and they both really enjoyed it too. The 6 year old got a little antsy during the second act but I think it had more to do with his drinking a giant drink than not enjoying the show.
I’m so saddened by Rapunzel!
How can you accurately portray “Everyone Dies: The Musical” and remove one of the deaths?