I find the comradery and fun of posting helps keep me sane
I'm going to need something to keep me sane.
Right now, I'm on hold with the cable company. I waited almost an hour for a customer service rep, and now she's having trouble changing anything on the account because her computer isn't working properly.
Right now, I'm on hold with the cable company. I waited almost an hour for a customer service rep, and now she's having trouble changing anything on the account because her computer isn't working properly.
OMG don't even tell me about cable companies and being on hold I was on hold for hours with my internet provider who has a monopoly where I live and way over charge for slow DSL internet, ugh, they wasted half a day trying to get them to cancel my phone landline but they wouldn't do it. I feel your pain!
2nd rewatch for me. Like others have said the Fosse numbers are great, the first half is better than the second part which was slow for me...I wish the movie had been edited 20-30 minutes shorter. The segment with Ricardo Montalbán was my favorite. Every time I see Montalbán I'm impressed with his screen presences and calm worldly manner. I just finished watching all 7 seasons of the original Fantasy Island and seen him just a couple of months ago in the original Star Trek and in Wrath of Khan too. Before that I've seen him in some old film noirs, needless to say I'm a fan, he's always good.
Likewise I'm a fan of Shirley MacLaine and she's full of comic charm and plenty of spunk in Sweet Charity. I wasn't a big fan of the actor who played her love interest but he did work out in the end with his decision not to marry her, she wouldn't have been happy with him anyway.
I loved the 'Big Spender' number, the song arraignment is perfect for a burlesque type dance hall. Loved the staging of the taxi dancers who look robotic, like they are repeating their 'come on' lines that they've memorized but don't actually mean.
My favorite number was the 'Rich Man's Frug' aka 'Chicken Dance'...The entire scene in this upscale club where the women look like Paris runway models sporting elaborate headpieces and the men are in tuxs acting 'aloof' with a strange looking body posture. The choreography in 'Rich Man's Frug' is sublime.
I enjoyed the film overall and it's a good choice for the group watch, but not a personal favorite of mine.
Sweet Charity: Can I just copy and paste Citizen’s review? Because I think we are on the exact same wavelength with this one. About how I have felt with the other two Fossee’s I have seen so far as well. There are some great moments, but too much lull. This one is definitely too long, and the first half definitely whips the first. Although the ending is appropriate. MacLaine is very good. She continues to grow into a favorite of mine. Her number in the actor’s apartment is my favorite part of the movie. That whole sequence is great.
Glad this got nominated as I was unaware there was another Fossee musical out there for me to see. I have to assume with him directing this makes the list.
Cabaret is one of my all time favorite musicals, so to say I enjoy and admire Fosse's style is an understatement. He's a mastermind of staging, framing, and choreography. Sweet Charity, a film I hadn't seen until just now, is also wonderful. It doesn't pack the emotional wallop, have as in depth of characters, or the historical commentary and relevance of Cabaret, but it is very good. Shirley MacLaine is wonderful in the role of a quickly approaching middle age lady who works as a dance hall girl in New York and falls for nearly every man she meets, only to be taken advantage of. I can imagine this character being an extension of her elevator role in The Apartment, after she losses her job and gets tossed aside IF she didn't have Jack Lemmon's character as a soul-mate to deal her cards. The timeline would fit too, as Sweet Charity was released nearly a decade after The Apartment.
She plays the role of the tragic comedienne so well and has facial expressions buried under heavy makeup a mile wide and I imagine that she's a person who sees her fate as a single, jobless, cat lady of sorts, and all the more quickly too as father time catches up. And MacLaine does look visibly older in this film and more weather-worn. But that's part of the charm and endearing quality of this film, in that despite her setback after setback and constant disappointment she still clings to a sense of joy and amazement when she can. The best musical numbers are in the film are "Hey Big Spender," "If My Friend's Could See Me Now," and the absolutely jaw drooping perfect and mesmerizing insanely staged and costumed brilliant "Rich Man's Frug" that has Fosse written all over it and was a sign of things to come a couple years later with Cabaret.
I loved the sequence with Ricardo Montalban as it was incredibly funny, witty, and charming, and I understand why his character didn't show up again, but therein is one of the conundrums of the film as it is very episodic and unfortunately not all the sequences and episodes of the film are of the same high quality. My biggest "complaint" is John McMartin as her love interest who doesn't really even appear until half way through the film. I get that his character is meant to be a "square" neurotic and wet blanket of an insurance adjuster and the problem is that maybe, just maybe that character was captured too well. The fact is, he is boring, and yes the odd-couple style matching might work well on paper, but in execution, he's just not fun or even worse... he's just not interesting on screen, especially given all the other fascinating characters and how good Shirly MacLaine is. The Sammy Davis Jr. number is very good and I did love the ending with the flowers and the hippies and thought it to be a strong ending to this film and it fit the tone and mood perfectly... hope and joy in a world of sadness.
I have seen Nights of Cabiria by Fellini in which the musical and film was partly based upon or inspired by, but it's been over 20 years since I watched it. I will say that I now have an itch to return to it as I really haven't visited Fellini films in decades.
GRADE: A-
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Shirley MacLaine is wonderful in the role of a quickly approaching middle age lady who works as a dance hall girl in New York and falls for nearly every man she meets, only to be taken advantage of. I can imagine this character being an extension of her elevator role in The Apartment, after she losses her job and gets tossed aside IF she didn't have Jack Lemmon's character as a soul-mate to deal her cards. The timeline would fit too, as Sweet Charity was released nearly a decade after The Apartment.
She plays the role of the tragic comedienne so well and has facial expressions buried under heavy makeup a mile wide and I imagine that she's a person who sees her fate as a single, jobless, cat lady of sorts, and all the more quickly too as father time catches up.
It's interesting that you compared this movie to her previous movie The Apartment because I also compared it to one of her previous movies, but I compared it to What a Way to Go! (1964). That's another movie where she plays the role of the tragic comedienne, where every time she falls in love and it looks like she'll live happily ever after, something happens that leaves her alone again. (It's not a musical, but it's worth watching if you haven't seen it.)
I just finished watching Sweet Charity, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It did have me wishing I was rewatching Nights of Cabiria at times, but it still kept me on board as I found Charity's plight decently compelling. I also felt Fellini's story was strong enough to shine through in this film. The two significant men Charity encounters are compelling characters since you don't catch on to their darker sides until it's too late and the final scene is profoundly moving.
WARNING: "SPOILERS about the ENDING of "Sweet Charity"!!!" spoilers below
I haven't seen the alternate ending, but I've read about it, and I would definitely prefer the alternate ending because the ending it has now is a let down. The whole movie has her getting her hopes up and then being let down, but when it looks like she's finally going to get her happy ending, it just gets ripped out from under her again. I thought John McMartin was a little bit dull as Oscar, but I still would have liked to see them end up together. She seemed so happy when she was with him.
I haven't seen the alternate ending, but I've read about it, and I would definitely prefer the alternate ending because the ending it has now is a let down. The whole movie has her getting her hopes up and then being let down, but when it looks like she's finally going to get her happy ending, it just gets ripped out from under her again. I thought John McMartin was a little bit dull as Oscar, but I still would have liked to see them end up together. She seemed so happy when she was with him.
I'd have to read up on the alternate ending, but from the way you describe it, I definitely prefer the original ending.
Instead of having her throw herself at every man she encounters until she finally gets lucky (in spite of only knowing Oscar for a few weeks before they were married), I much prefer her finally moving on from these desires and finding happiness in new places. It's a much more nuanced ending, imo.
Instead of having her throw herself at every man she encounters until she finally gets lucky (in spite of only knowing Oscar for a few weeks before they were married), I much prefer her finally moving on from these desires and finding happiness in new places. It's a much more nuanced ending, imo.
Instead of having her throw herself at every man she encounters until she finally gets lucky (in spite of only knowing Oscar for a few weeks before they were married), I much prefer her finally moving on from these desires and finding happiness in new places. It's a much more nuanced ending, imo.
Instead of having her throw herself at every man she encounters until she finally gets lucky (in spite of only knowing Oscar for a few weeks before they were married), I much prefer her finally moving on from these desires and finding happiness in new places. It's a much more nuanced ending, imo.
WARNING: "SPOILERS about the ENDING of "Sweet Charity"!!" spoilers below
I understand what you're saying, but I guess I just would have liked to see her finally find happiness in a relationship, rather than being left alone again.
I understand what you're saying, but I guess I just would have liked to see her finally find happiness in a relationship, rather than being left alone again.
Sweet Charity: Can I just copy and paste Citizen’s review? Because I think we are on the exact same wavelength with this one. About how I have felt with the other two Fossee’s I have seen so far as well. There are some great moments, but too much lull. This one is definitely too long, and the first half definitely whips the first. Although the ending is appropriate. MacLaine is very good. She continues to grow into a favorite of mine. Her number in the actor’s apartment is my favorite part of the movie. That whole sequence is great.
Glad this got nominated as I was unaware there was another Fossee musical out there for me to see. I have to assume with him directing this makes the list.
He also did Liza with a Z, which since I've seen the same three Fosse you have (unless the other two Fosse didn't include All That Jazz - another Fellini, well, more inspiration than adaptation), it means I don't know if it's any good or not.
I watched Damn Yankees at the end of May in preparation for the countdown. It has fun performances and some good songs. The only issue is the pacing is a little off and the film ends up feeling longer than it is. I liked it, but there isn't room on my ballot for it though.
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I was on hold for hours with my internet provider who has a monopoly where I live and way over charge for slow DSL internet, ugh, they wasted half a day trying to get them to cancel my phone landline but they wouldn't do it. I feel your pain!
I just copied GBG and Allaby. We are all on the same wavelengths.
