INTO THE WOODS - Oscar Movie Review Special
Into the Woods seems to have been virtually ignored by the Academy, as it was by the Golden Globes, and the SAG awards, save a nod to Meryl Streep for best supporting actress. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures, it was directed by Rob Marshall, no stranger to successfully directing film versions of Broadway musicals with Annie, Chicago, and Nine under his belt. Having had a career in musical theater, I am not always a fan of stage musicals being translated into a movie musical, but this one worked brilliantly. It might be difficult for someone who has not also seen the stage production to get into the movie. It may seem disjointed and somewhat convoluted, and take a bit of patience on the part of the viewer. But that patience will most certainly be rewarded.
The Stephen Sondheim/James Lapine tour-de-force Into the Woods was originally produced in 1987 at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego. It then made its way to Broadway and won several Tony Awards. I saw a marvelous production of it in Long Beach some years ago. The cast of that production included two of my favorite musical theater colleagues, the awesome Gordon Goodman as the Big Bad Wolf and uber-talented Patty Tiffany-Keller as one of Cinderella’s stepsisters. Gordon sang, “Hello, Little Girl” from the show to Andrea at our wedding reception concert at Centre Theatre. Johnny Depp took the cameo role of the Big Bad Wolf in the film, a case of perfect casting. There isn’t anything that guy can’t do, and he's always so fun to watch. Another of my favorite cameos in this movie is furnished by Broadway musical veteran Christine Baranski, playing the evil step mother. She never disappoints.
The storyline for Into the Woods is a collision of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, “Cinderella,” “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Jack and the Beanstalk,” “Rapunzel,” etc., and the interaction of characters from those tales with a baker and his wife, played flawlessly by James Corden and Emily Blunt, who have been cursed by an evil witch and left them childless.
Anyone attending this movie expecting the usual Disney-esque pixie dusting will be disappointed. While there are great moments of humor, fabulous music, and touching pathos, the story is somewhat gritty, and most definitely does not end with happily-ever-after. In fact, the main thrust of the story is that life seldom provides the happily-ever-after scenario, and our plans don’t always fit reality. It also shows us that there are usually inescapable consequences for our actions.
One of my favorite things about the movie adaptation was the fact that the roles of Jack and Little Red were not played by adults, as is usual in stage productions. I think it was a stroke of genius. Jack was portrayed by Daniel Huttlestone, whom audiences will recognize as Gavroche from the film musical version of Les Miserables (2012). His rendition of the song, “Giants in the Sky” was superb. Lilla Crawford, who starred in the 2012 revival of Annie on Broadway, is Little Red Riding Hood. I very much enjoyed her singing of “I Know Things Now."
A big surprise for me in this was Meryl Streep’s singing. I was prepared for the worst after seeing her in Mamma Mia! All in all her vocal turns in this film were spot-on excellent. I like being pleasantly surprised when I have low expectations. Frankly, I don’t think they could have gotten anyone better for the Witch. She grabbed the role with both hands, and definitely made it her own. Her singing of the emotionally charged “Stay With Me” is one of the most drop dead fabulous moments of Into the Woods. That alone is worth the price of admission. (Ms. Streep got my vote for supporting actress, but lost to Patricia Arquette for Boyhood. I am holding out hope, but doubt the Oscar winners will differ much from the SAG Awards.)
British comedienne Tracey Ullman provides some delicious comic relief as Jack’s Mother, as she deals with her son’s penchant for having his head in the clouds. Another of my favorite comedic portions of the film are when the two princes played by Chris Pine and Billy Magnusson sing the duet, “Agony."
I cannot overlook the contributions of Anna Kendrick as Cinderella. The part is written so that Cinderella won’t just be thought of as a one-dimensional victim of circumstance waiting for a handsome prince to sweep her off her feet. I think Kendrick brought all those mutli-dimensional colors to the role, as evidenced in her singing of “On the Steps of the Palace."
Into the Woods would not be complete without a Giant. This is played by Frances de la Tour. If she looks familiar, she had the role of Madame Olympe Maxime from the Harry Potter movies; Madame Maxime was also a giantess by the way! I really don’t have too much more to say about this film adaptation of Into the Woods except to encourage you to go see it. Into the Woods is well worth your time and money. Anyhow, that’s the way I see it!