Edward Scissorhands and Sabu, DFC
Feb. 9th, 2006 11:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ewein2412We all went to see Edward Scissorhands in Edinburgh two nights ago. It is a BALLET based on the 1990 Tim Burton movie, and choreographed by Matthew Bourne. It previewed 14 November 2005 in Plymouth, England, for a week and was on in London from 22 November to 4 February--"Eleven weeks only!" It seems to be a secret that now it's touring Scotland--I heard them warning on the radio last month that "this weekend is your last chance to see it."
It was absolutely fantastic. I saw the movie when it came out in 1990 and I haven't seen it since. I didn't remember a thing about it except 1) I ADORED the concept of Edward Scissorhands, and 2) I was vaguely disappointed, somehow. I didn't know why, then, but I do now--IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A BALLET! Honest to God, it works SO much better as a ballet than it did as a film, partly because the "suburbia" thing is meant to be so stylized--and this stylization works incredibly well as a stage set, much more so than it did in a movie--and of course there is no script, as it's a ballet. It works. It's astoundingly beautiful. There are video clips here. The TOPIARY DANCE! The orchestra! The goofy costumes! The fake streetlights! The snow falling over the audience at the end! It was fabulous. If it ever comes anywhere near any of you, GO SEE IT.
Even Mark sat through it mesmerized, literally "on the edge of his seat," and Sara and I were both weeping abundantly at the end.
Can I also plug House of Flying Daggers, which I liked exponentially more than Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. If I breathe one word about the plot it will give away twists, so I won't, but it is a gorgeous movie (if low-budget--except for the costumes!), breathtaking and heartbreaking and full of people running along the tops of bamboo trees (how do they DO that?!).
And finally: let me also plug SABU. You may have seen him in his supporting role in Black Narcissus. My father was the ultimate fan of The Thief of Baghdad, and although I did not get to see this film until I was 40 and had access to The Land of the Lost, I grew up singing Sabu's "I want to be a sailor" song. After we got hold of The Jungle Book--(it is LIVE ACTION. It is fabulous.)--I wondered, "What ever happened to Sabu?" The answer is: He became a rear gunner in 1944 and was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross. I adore him, possibly for some of the same reasons my father did (I will leave you to wonder).
wow, that was hard work. I can't believe I got all the links right. I am never going to talk about movies again.
It was absolutely fantastic. I saw the movie when it came out in 1990 and I haven't seen it since. I didn't remember a thing about it except 1) I ADORED the concept of Edward Scissorhands, and 2) I was vaguely disappointed, somehow. I didn't know why, then, but I do now--IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A BALLET! Honest to God, it works SO much better as a ballet than it did as a film, partly because the "suburbia" thing is meant to be so stylized--and this stylization works incredibly well as a stage set, much more so than it did in a movie--and of course there is no script, as it's a ballet. It works. It's astoundingly beautiful. There are video clips here. The TOPIARY DANCE! The orchestra! The goofy costumes! The fake streetlights! The snow falling over the audience at the end! It was fabulous. If it ever comes anywhere near any of you, GO SEE IT.
Even Mark sat through it mesmerized, literally "on the edge of his seat," and Sara and I were both weeping abundantly at the end.
Can I also plug House of Flying Daggers, which I liked exponentially more than Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. If I breathe one word about the plot it will give away twists, so I won't, but it is a gorgeous movie (if low-budget--except for the costumes!), breathtaking and heartbreaking and full of people running along the tops of bamboo trees (how do they DO that?!).
And finally: let me also plug SABU. You may have seen him in his supporting role in Black Narcissus. My father was the ultimate fan of The Thief of Baghdad, and although I did not get to see this film until I was 40 and had access to The Land of the Lost, I grew up singing Sabu's "I want to be a sailor" song. After we got hold of The Jungle Book--(it is LIVE ACTION. It is fabulous.)--I wondered, "What ever happened to Sabu?" The answer is: He became a rear gunner in 1944 and was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross. I adore him, possibly for some of the same reasons my father did (I will leave you to wonder).
wow, that was hard work. I can't believe I got all the links right. I am never going to talk about movies again.
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no subject
Date: 2006-02-09 03:44 am (UTC)I haven't seen the movie yet, for some reason; I own the DVD, and the Depp+Burton combination is always good, but I just haven't gotten around to it.
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Date: 2006-02-09 03:58 am (UTC)If you see the movie ahead of time it will help you a little with the plot... there is a sort of "snow" theme that's not all that obvious in the ballet, and helps with the closure if you're aware of it. (And it features a VERY young Johnny Depp!)
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Date: 2007-03-15 06:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-15 07:02 pm (UTC)