Chicago 2002, Across The Universe 2007, The Phantom Of The Opera 2004, and Les Miserables 2012
Some of the themes of tonight's marathon that these musicals cover are greed, fame, orphaned children, regret, love, racism, movements in the 1960s, stealing, poverty, determinism vs free will, unfair social and political conditions, and obsessive behavior. Not only does the audience get some great musical set pieces but also get a powerful and ultimately moving experience with some of these characters. We begin the marathon with the Oscar Winning musical from 2002 titled Chicago. The film deals with murderesses Velma Kelly played by Oscar winner Catherine Zeta Jones and Roxie Hart played by Renee Zellweger finding themselves on death row together and fighting for the fame that will keep them from the gallows in 1920's Chicago. Nominated for 13 academy awards and winner of 6, the film earned a win for Catherine Zeta Jones, as well as nominations for Renee Zellweger, Queen Latifah and John C. Reilly. The next film in the lineup is Across The Universe, a visual feast that includes music from the legendary band The Beatles. Nominated for an Oscar in best achievement and costume design, the movie covers the era of music with the Beatles and the Vietnam War, coming together to form a backdrop for the romance between an upper-class American girl and a poor Liverpudlian artist. The third movie in the lineup is Joel Schumacher's 2004 musical The Phantom Of The Opera. In this film, a young soprano played by Emmy Rossum, becomes the obsession of a disfigured musical genius played by Gerard Butler, who lives beneath the Paris Opera House. The music and performances are what drives this one towards being a worthy retelling of the classic story and is a far better effort than Joel Schumacher's prior directorial effort such as Batman and Robin. The final film of the evening is the 2012 musical drama titled Les Miserables. From the Oscar winning director of The Kings Speech, this critically acclaimed retelling takes place in 19th-century France, Jean Valjean, who for decades has been hunted by the ruthless policeman Javert after breaking parole, agrees to care for a factory worker's daughter. This decision changes their lives forever. When one thinks of this movie, two great performances come to mind. That of Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway. The latter had such a scene stealing presence that earned her the golden statue. Hathaway was amazing in this movie and her performance reached a core with the audience that no one else in the film was able to touch. The worst singer in this film hands down goes to Russell Crowe, a great actor but not an exceptional singer.
With all four of these movies paired together, one gets a solid pairing of musical films that represents the genre in some of it's greatest forms.
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