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Movie musical: Hitting the right notes

In recent years, we’ve been overwhelmed by Nine, bombarded by Rock Of Ages, left at the mercy of Mamma Mia! and engulfed by Les Miserables. Later this year, we can look forward to Annie, starring Quvenzhane Wallis, Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz; and Into the Woods, starring Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp.

In recent years, we’ve been overwhelmed by Nine, bombarded by Rock Of Ages, left at the mercy of Mamma Mia! and engulfed by Les Miserables. Later this year, we can look forward to Annie, starring Quvenzhane Wallis, Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz; and Into the Woods, starring Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp.

Whether you’re excited or exasperated, the movie musical — specifically, a film adapted from a stage musical — will always be a Tinseltown staple. Even if it has sadly moved past its heyday.

All that said, the continuing resurgence of the movie musical is still a good thing — even if we have had to put up with some that were all polish but with misguided intentions (how on earth did Chicago win Best Picture at the 2003 Oscars?). The truth is they never go out of style in Hollywood and, through the years, moviegoers all over the world seem to enjoy watching their favourite dramatic actor and actress break into song instead of prose and toe tap their way through synchronised dance numbers.

Which is why we’re not surprised when Oscar winner Clint Eastwood jumped on the bandwagon with his film adaptation of Jersey Boys. It’s based on the phenomenally successful stage musical about the formation, success and eventual break-up of the 1960s rock ‘n’ roll group The Four Seasons. And who better than Dirty Harry himself to bring Jersey Boys from stage to screen? It’s even touted as a “manly musical” — a musical that even guys can watch without shame, partly because it’s David Beckham’s favourite show. Plus, it’s got all those awesome, oh-so-familiar jukebox tunes by Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito, Bob Gaudio and Nick Massi.

“I was never a fan of music of that particular era; I came along before all that,” confessed Eastwood. “But I did like The Four Seasons a lot. I thought their music was far superior. Can’t Take My Eyes Off You is one of the real classic songs of that era, and would have been a classic song in the ’40s, ’50s or any time in history.”

Still, stage-to-screen musicals have a history of flopping, even with great songs. Let’s be honest. For every Grease, there’s A Chorus Line; for every My Fair Lady, there’s a Phantom of The Opera; and for every The Sound Of Music, there’s a Sweeney Todd. Even Meryl Streep couldn’t save the painful Mamma Mia!.

But the 84-year-old actor-producer-director is anything but deterred. “I didn’t think it was too much of a challenge (to bring it from stage to screen),” said Eastwood. “It’s a wonderful play and it has a lot of excitement, but I could approach it more from a realistic angle. There are a lot of things that you can do in a movie that you can’t do on stage because they have to keep things moving and be very practical.

“So I just tried to give it a certain realism and to work with the actors that had a great influence on the play, on its run throughout the country. It was great to be using the original people.”

So will this confidence translate to the silver screen? Here’s hoping Jersey Boys follows in the footsteps of these pitch-perfect stage-to-screen musicals.

West Side Story (1961)

Sure, Natalie Wood isn’t the most believable Puerto Rican Juliet opposite Richard Beymer’s All-American-boy Romeo, but choreographer and co-director Jerome Robbins injects the opening finger-snapping gang war ballet and other big numbers with so much energy. The original Broadway version may have been well received but it was the film that really blew everyone away, taking home 10 Oscars (including Best Picture) and making it the most Academy-decorated musical film of all time. Not too shabby.

My Fair Lady (1964)

Audrey Hepburn did not do her own singing on this (Julie Andrews was passed over for the lead and she later won an Oscar for Mary Poppins that same year). But if you can get past the fact that it’s Marni Nixon singing, Hepburn’s performance is entirely beguiling and Rex Harrison is, of course, utterly iconic as Henry Higgins. It’s hard not to be swayed by the Old Hollywood glamour of George Cukor’s film-making, particularly the veteran director’s work with cinematographer Harry Stradling Sr. And, of course,there’s those timeless songs. So “loverly”!

The Sound Of Music (1965)

The hills will always and forever be alive, what with sing-along versions of this classic being played in cinemas to this very day. The film was faithfully adapted from the original 1959 musical, with Mary Martin’s role expertly taken up by the wonderful Julie Andrews. The 1965 film won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and supplanted Gone With The Wind as the then-highest grossing film of all time. The Rodgers and Hammerstein score, Julie Andrews as Maria, Christopher Plummer as Captain Von Trapp — these will always be a few of our favourite things.

Funny Girl (1968)

Barbra Streisand in her movie debut, singing People, I’m The Greatest Star, and Don’t Rain On My Parade. Babs and her powerhouse spine-tingling vocals in full glory? ’Nuff said.

Cabaret (1972)

A truly adult movie musical — yet rated PG! — charting the “divine decadence” of 1930s Berlin as the Nazis come to power. A kinky emcee (Joel Grey) is your host, along with delusional fag-hag chanteuse Sally Bowles (winningly played by future tabloid staple Liza Minnelli). Bob Fosse’s direction copped him an Oscar and the smash-and-grab editing helped usher in the modern music videos we know today.

The Rock Horror Picture Show (1975)

It’s hard to argue over the importance of this film. After all, it has pretty much gained cult status with midnight screenings since 1975. It’s kitsch, it’s camp and it’s got Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon and Meatloaf. Who could ask for anything more?

Grease (1978)

Who cares if the students at Rydell High look like they’re already past graduate school? This movie musical is an example of all the right pieces coming together to bake something so entertaining that it’ll be sampled for generations to come. It’s all thanks to charismatic performances by John Travolta, Aussie pop star Olivia Newton-John and a young, nubile Stockard Channing, bound together by the catchiest pastiche of songs: Grease, You’re The One That I Want, Sandy and Hopelessly Devoted To You. This is the stuff of repeat-playback heaven.

Hedwig And The Angry Inch ( 2001)

John Cameron Mitchell’s blisteringly funny and sexually frank musical first opened off Broadway in 1998. It’s about a transsexual rock star with a botched gender-reassignment surgery and is a showcase for a remarkable performance and some great songwriting. It is one of those films that seems as fresh now as it did when it was made in 2001.

Jersey Boys opens in cinemas tomorrow

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