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Average customer rating:

Bad editing
The Fantastics
A Fantastic Transition from Stage to Film
Fantasticks
The Unkindest Cut(s) Of All.

The Fantasticks
Starring: Joel Grey , Barnard Hughes , Jean Louisa Kelly , Joseph McIntyre , and Jonathon Morris
Director: Michael Ritchie
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

The Fantasticks (Original 1960 Off-Off Broadway Cast)
Try to Remember - The Fantasticks
The Fantasticks: The Complete Illustrated Text Plus the Official Fantasticks Scrapbook and History of the Musical
Guys and Dolls
A Chorus Line

ASIN: B000056KE9
Release Date: 2001-02-27

Amazon.com

Having opened off-Broadway in 1960 and still going strong, The Fantasticks would seem a natural for the movies. Or would it? The musical's charm hangs on a particular kind of intimate magic incubated exclusively in live theater. This didn't stop the chiefs of rudderless United Artists from bankrolling a film version in 1995, closely scripted from the play by original authors Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt. With the movie finished, the studio deduced there was no mass audience for the old-fashioned, stage-struck musical, and promptly set it on the shelf for five years.

A slimmer version of the film was briefly released to theaters in 2000, after being cut by Francis Coppola (with the approval of director Michael Ritchie). The cutting, sometimes within songs, seems capricious--if the movie was destined to be a flop either way, why not let it play out at full length? All of this ought to set off alarm bells... and yet, it turns out there's a bit of theatrical pixie dust left in the old thing after all. Ritchie and topnotch cinematographer Fred Murphy shoot many of the songs beautifully, setting them in the film's postcard-Midwest magic hour (best seen on the widescreen DVD). The genial tone, though admittedly precious, makes for a pleasant ride. It's a movie preadolescent girls can watch with their grandmothers without embarrassment on either side. Playing the archetypal boy and girl are former New Kid on the Block Joe McIntyre and Mr. Holland's Opus songbird Jean Louisa Kelly; he fits the part of an amiable doofus very well, while Kelly has the breathless dreaminess of youth and an intriguing undercurrent of restlessness. Their feuding fathers are the able Joel Grey and Brad Sullivan, and Jonathan Morris looks every inch the carnival maestro who gives these simple folk a glimpse at their dreams. Curiously, the show's signature song ("Try to Remember") is given only an abbreviated airing at the end. And how dare they cut "Plant a Radish"? --Robert Horton

Description

Set in America's heartland, this timeless musical tells the story of two young teens who find true love with the help of their fathers, a traveling carnival road show... and, of course, a little magic. This 1995 film was directed by Michael Ritchie and stars Joel Grey, Barnard Hughes, Jean Louisa Kelly, and Joe McIntyre. Based on the long-running off-off-Broadway musical by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt.

Customer Reviews:

Bad editing.......2007-04-11

Release the movie the way the director originally filmed it in 1995, instead of the chopped up version finally released on dvd.

The Fantastics.......2007-03-08

I think the movie lost some of the essential intemacy so critical to the plot - but still it is a good place holder for people who did not have the chance to see the show

A Fantastic Transition from Stage to Film.......2007-01-26

The film version of this Broadway chestnut was a long time coming, and even when it did come it sat on a shelf for several years after being filmed. It took Francis Ford Coppola's interest in it to help usher it in to theatres after some strategic editing. But it was all worth it, because this version of "Fantasticks" doesn't disappoint in the least.

As one who is very familiar with the off-Broadway show (and saw the original production at the Sullivan Street Playhouse in Greenwich Village...of course, who didn't...it ran for over 40 years and because the longest running musical in the world), this version pushes all the right buttons present in the stage version while adding some new surprises as well. Thanks to the watchful eyes of Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt (the original creators of the show) who wrote the screenplay, this filmed version is spared the fate so many Broadway musicals suffer in the transition from stage to celluloid, often losing their original magic in favor of adding marketable box office stars (who don't always fit, let alone sing), new songs that don't quite work, etc.

Former Backstreet Boy Joey McIntyre turns in a fine performance as The Boy; Jean Louisa Kelly is delightful at The Girl and the late Barnard Hughes couldn't be more wonderfully befuddled as The Old Actor. Joel Grey adds some Broadway star power to the proceedings as one of the fathers. And they all sing with their own voices (quite successfully, too).

If you've never seen this classic tale of lost innocence and true love, you owe it to yourself to see this movie (or stop in at the Snapple Theatre in Times Square/NYC where a well-received revival of the show is currently playing).

Fantasticks.......2007-01-04

I think I might have enjoyed this movie, but the DVD was defective and quit playing halfway through. I can't find a way to contact you and get it replaced.

The Unkindest Cut(s) Of All........2006-07-27

Over the course of my 20 year theatrical "career" I appeared in three different productions of THE FANTASTICKS. First in high school, then in community theatre, and finally in a professional theatre. Each time I played the same role of Mortimer, the man who dies (that's because I couldn't sing but I did die rather well). Imagine my indignation when I discovered that he was all but eliminated in this film version of the long running musical along with Henry, the old actor. As played by Teller (of Penn & Teller) and Barnard Hughes this constitutes a criminal offense on the part of Francis Ford Coppola who was responsible for re-editing the original film five years after it was finished. But that's only the beginning. He also shortened or removed several of the play's signature tunes (TRY TO REMEMBER, PLANT A RADISH) as well as key scenes including the one with the cardboard moon which states the central point of the play which is "to see it not with your eyes for they are wise but with your ears". Why this was done is hard to fathom as it not only minimizes the storyline but reduces the musical moments as well. Fortunately the DVD has all this missing material (as bonus features) which allows you to reconstruct the film as it was and should have been released. Despite the hatchet job in the editing room there is still a lot to recommend. The play had to be opened up from its humble stage origins and this was done by giving it an OKLAHOMA like setting (it was shot in the same location) and by making El Gallo the head of a mysterious traveling carnival. The performances by the entire cast are not overpowering but they are not meant to be and they fit the characters just fine. Remember THE FANTASTICKS was created as a sort of anti-musical in reaction to the large scale Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals of the day and with an eye to amateur performances. The cinematography is lovely, the updated script by original creators Tom Jones & Harvey Schmidt works well and despite the misguided efforts of Coppola there is still the simple, memorable music that retains the power to grab you if you "see it with your ears". So in the end I was pleased with the film overall with the 5 star musical getting a 4 star treatment minus a star for the horrendous editing. If you love THE FANTASTICKS (or old fashioned musicals in general) then this DVD is certainly worth having and maybe one day the film will be released as originally shot so that we don't have to play the King's men and try and put Humpty Dumpty together again. The commentary by director Michael Ritchie is entertaining and informative regarding how and why certain things were done.

Average customer rating:

Great memento of a great show...
For the true fan
Lovely reminiscence
Quite a disappointment
Marvelous film/documentary filled with heart & creativity

Try to Remember - The Fantasticks
Starring: Bill Weeden , Rita Gardner , William Tost , Tom Jones (II) , and F. Murray Abraham
Director: Eli Kabillio
Manufacturer: Zeitgeist Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

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Similar Items:

The Fantasticks
The Fantasticks (Original 1960 Off-Off Broadway Cast)
The Fantasticks: The Complete Illustrated Text Plus the Official Fantasticks Scrapbook and History of the Musical
The Amazing Story of The Fantasticks: America's Longest-Running Play
The Fantasticks

ASIN: B0006SSREC
Release Date: 2005-01-25

Description

From 1960 to 2002, eight times a week, the Sullivan Street Playhouse in New York City's Greenwich Village played midwife to a musical theater ritual that attracted theatergoers from across the globe. That show was the legendary and beloved FANTASTICKS, and for 42 years and 17,162 performances, a legion of casts—including such esteemed actors as F. Murray Abraham, Ricardo Montalban, Elliott Gould, Liza Minnelli, Glenn Close, Richard Chamberlain and John Carradine—played out its sweetly timeless boy-meets-girl tale. On the eve of THE FANTASTICKS' final Off-Broadway performance, documentary filmmaker Eli Kabillio takes a wistful look back at the show's genesis, its creators and its continued worldwide popularity through regional and school theater. Features interviews with composer Harvey Schmidt, author Tom Jones, original cast member Jerry Orbach, columnist Liz Smith, talk show host Joe Franklin, and many others.

Customer Reviews:

Great memento of a great show..........2006-12-01

This documentary commemorating the closing of this musical after 42 years in NYC is only an hour long, so it may seem pricey unless you are a Fantasticks Fanatic. However, if you have a special fondness for the work, as I have, you must at least rent this. My relationship with the show began in 1962, when my college was one of the very first to get the rights to stage a production away from New York. Joining our drama department's cast of talented students and faculty members was an actor who had just finished playing the boy, Matt, at Sullivan Street. I think his name was Jack Black (no, not the current Jack Black.) I was the drama and film critic for my college paper at the time. The show just stunned me, and I have been a sucker for it ever since. I never got to Manhattan to see it in its original setting, but I have watched half-a-dozen productions in the past 40 years in four states. This DVD is a very nice tribute, featuring the people responsible for the music, the lyrics, the script and the staging. I was sorry when it ended, and wish they had expanded the film to at least two hours...any show lasting 42 years in the same theater deserves a good historical record.

For the true fan.......2006-08-30

This is a wonderful documentary on one of the best musicals ever written. Granted that after running for 42 years there are many more stories, but the DVD would have to have a length of 42 years.

Any DVD that shows even small portions of the original staging is to be enthusiastically welcomed.

To clear up one point in a previous review, it is clearly stated that Liza Minelli appeared in another production of the show NOT the New York version. That is why she is not interviewed.

Lovely reminiscence.......2006-05-13

Very nice documentary on this legendary show
Dont know what that other reviewer is talking about; Liza Minnelli was never in The Fantasticks - is he confusing the show with Flora the Red Menace

Quite a disappointment.......2005-09-20

There was so much more to The Fantasticks, but this video didn't show it. The passing of the legendary Jerry Orbach leaves many of his inside stories untold. Liza Minnelli wasn't even interviewed. The story told by the composer and lyricist was interesting, but I still felt there was so much more to be said. It's on a par with the disappointing film version of The Fantasticks.

Marvelous film/documentary filled with heart & creativity.......2005-01-28

This is the first review I have written for anything I have purchased from Amazon...and I have purchased many items!
This is a wonderful documentary capturing the magic of The Fastasticks from the creators' early collaborations through today. Learning the story of the original producer, who stayed through the end of the all the performances AND also played one of the fathers for 16 years was one of the many things I learned from viewing this film.
I have many films I've purchased and not even watched yet. This I watched within an hour of receiving it today.
Don't miss it whether you ever saw The Fantasticks at The Sullivan Street Playhouse or not....
I'm fortunate that Hurricane Gloria did not hit New York City in the way it was predicted because that was the weekend of my first wedding anniversary and I had tickets to see The Fantasticks at The Sullivan Street Playhouse. That was September 23, 1985 the first and only time I saw The Fantasticks. I will never forget it. Because of Jerry Orbach's death I discovered the existence of this DVD and am thrilled to have it. I never saw Jerry Orbach on Broadway or The Fantasticks, but I always think of him as El Gallo and a great stage actor.

Enjoy!

Average customer rating:

Bad editing
The Fantastics
A Fantastic Transition from Stage to Film
Fantasticks
The Unkindest Cut(s) Of All.

The Fantasticks
Starring: Joel Grey , Barnard Hughes , Jean Louisa Kelly , Joseph McIntyre , and Jonathon Morris
Director: Michael Ritchie
Manufacturer: MGM/Ua Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( F ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Family Films | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Fantasticks (Original 1960 Off-Off Broadway Cast)
Try to Remember - The Fantasticks
The Fantasticks: The Complete Illustrated Text Plus the Official Fantasticks Scrapbook and History of the Musical
Guys and Dolls
A Chorus Line

ASIN: B000059MP7

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Bad editing.......2007-04-11

Release the movie the way the director originally filmed it in 1995, instead of the chopped up version finally released on dvd.

The Fantastics.......2007-03-08

I think the movie lost some of the essential intemacy so critical to the plot - but still it is a good place holder for people who did not have the chance to see the show

A Fantastic Transition from Stage to Film.......2007-01-26

Fantasticks.......2007-01-04

I think I might have enjoyed this movie, but the DVD was defective and quit playing halfway through. I can't find a way to contact you and get it replaced.

The Unkindest Cut(s) Of All........2006-07-27

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