Into The Woods [Blu-ray]

One of the hopes some of us had that "Into the Woods" would eventually become a movie was that this mash-up of fairy tales, with some of the best songs ever written, would reach a far greater audience than the stage musical (fortunately available with the original cast--it is fantastic) alone could. But judging from many of the one star reviews here, one wonders whether a large segment of the population is just too dense and dumb to ever get a Sondheim show, even one as accessible as Into the Woods. Or were they never adequately prepared for what was coming? And yes, folks, people do sing in movie musicals. That is why they are called musicals.So for the uninitiated, this is NOT a typical Disney show, nor one that ever was written with a Disney audience in mind. It is a Sondheim/Levine show, toned down a bit in its darkness, which Disney has produced and made, with Sondheim advising.Sondheim's lyrics and music are sophisticated and complex--this is higher art than the usual far of what we are fed--and it requires a few listenings to really get or understand. But once you get the songs, you realize that Sondheim's music is not unmelodic at all, though it stretches your ears a bit at first. But one day you realize it is just gets in your blood and you realize the songs really ARE beautiful musically--each a piece of art that pays huge dividends for a lifetime. And once you get to know them, the songs' unparalleled lyrics reveal new insights into life after practically every listening. Sondheim's songs usually cannot be lifted right out of the story the way they are in many other musicals--they are deeply woven into the story of the show and are part of the plot.All that said, this movie adaptation was not nearly as bad as I had feared it would be, having finally dared now to watch it. I miss some of the music from the stage show--especially the song "No More", which I thought was a cornerstone piece in the original show. And I thought this DVD was to have, as a bonus feature, some new song that Sondheim wrote for Meryl Streep, which then also got cut--but it is not on my copy. Oh well, I am not going to dock it for that.Sondheim apparently had to make some compromises to keep Disney happy--and for executives to demand that he cut lines or songs seems a little bit to me like telling Beethoven how he should edit the 9th Symphony--who would have the temerity if they had any respect for the guy at all?--but Sondheim apparently obliged them, knowing this may the only chance he would have in his lifetime to get 80-90% of the show to the big screen with some of his input. And what got to the screen is most pretty good to excellent.Generally, all of the singing is very good. Of course they are not the same as in the original Broadway show--nothing ever will be--but I really enjoyed hearing some new interpretations of the songs--like hearing the songs you already know and love, but from a slightly different angle. Meryl Streep was particularly great, as was James Corden, Anna Kendrick, and the actors playing Jack and Little Red Riding Hood. The only one I rolled my eyes a little bit over was Johnny Depp's wolf--not quite evil enough maybe? I thought he would be a bit more wolf and a little less Johnny Depp. Still, it wasn't awful. The movie preserved most of the essence of the Broadway show, though it wasn't quite as humorous--probably more due to the limitations of film and advantages of live theater than anything.So while what we have here may be wasted on a lot of the fools who have never seen a musical, or people unfamiliar with Sondheim, or people who thought they were getting something like "Frozen", and while it will never eclipse the original stage production for all of the great things it had and still has, I believe the world is far better off with this movie than without it--if this is the only movie version that was ever going to get made with Sondheim around to advise--he's in his 80s now. It is still much more Sondheim than Disney. I would give it 4 or 4.25 stars and dock it one for the cuts that Disney forced on it--except I still like most of what remains anyway--and with all the ignoramuses giving it one star, I will round it up to 5, as it really is a lot better than the average is currently showing. And for those still complaining, remember what Hollywood did to "A Funny Thing Happened", "A Little Night Music", and (not quite as bad) "Sweeney Todd", to say nothing of a lot of non Sondheim musicals. It could have been a lot worse. In time, more people will come to understand and appreciate it.

Before I start, my feeling about this movie is that it is a gift to everyone who was unable to see a live performance of the show, whether on Broadway, one of the many revivals and touring companies, or even one of the varying amateur productions. There is a film of a live performance available, if you are interested. I mention a little about it below.I've revised this review based on on a rather scathing comment I received from the initial review. While I have known people in the industry, I have not be in touch with any of them for 15 years. I do not now nor have I ever worked for a movie studio or been connected in any way with the Disney company. I was trained as a professional musician, and having done poorly at that have made my professional mark as a systems programmer.I've done something unusual for me: I watched the movie on consecutive days and the film of the original Broadway cast in a live performance in between. My feelings about the movie are unequivocal.First the quibbles:1) The baker's father's part was cut to practically nothing. In the show, the baker's father was a comic foil until almost the end.2) In the show, the narrator is a contributing performer (much to his regret). I missed this more than the baker's father. Perhaps not surprisingly, in most US productions the two roles are usually played by the same person.That's it for the quibbles. There are no other complaints.This film is a unique rarity. It is the only film of a Broadway show I know of, that is both 98% true to the show and even enhances it somewhat. As you can imagine, there's only so much that can be done in portraying a giant on stage, a sky-high vine, or a dead cow for that matter (think of a small stuffed cow on wheels). The movie also has more emotional impact.For those not familiar with Into the Woods, there is no black or white. There only a small handful of stereotypes; these consist of Cinderella's step mother and step sisters, and the wolf. Even the wolf isn't mono-dimensional, he's also charming. Outside of that, all of the characters are both good and bad, petty and grand, generous and stingy. If you're looking for a Fred Astaire musical, this ain't it. This is not a condemnation of Fred Astaire musicals. I'm pretty sure I have all of them on DVD or Blu-ray. When I'm feeling glum, there's nothing better than 'Top Hat' or 'Shall We Dance', to mention just 2 of the many. This movie musical goes much deeper: into wishes and outcomes and choices, opportunities and regrets.There are subtleties of performance here that would not have worked on the stage, most notably Streep's witch. Similarly there are certain broad gestures that work on stage that do not work in a movie. The only exception is Depp's wolf, a delicious performance that would have worked equally well on stage, but without the freedom of movement. Even there, the subtleties may have been lost on stage.There are no weak performances here and the filming has the beauty I have only seen of late in contemporary Chinese films.The bonus features are worth watching. One of them shows how the art direction was implemented and how the woods were transformed throughout the film.I had the relatively rare privilege of being able to participate in a run of the show in the mid-ish '90s. While amused at first, I came to truly love the show. This is currently my favorite show of all time.There is a wonderful filming of a live stage performance (in front of an audience) with all of the original Broadway cast. It was done by Image Entertainment and Brandman Productions, Inc. Copyright date is 1990; there is a product number shown, ID5967MBDVD. If you love the movie, do try to get a copy of the filmed show (Amazon still sells it, the last time I checked). You will find there are minor differences. Roberta Peters plays a witch of a different color. What is done with/to the cow is amazingly funny. The narrator's consternation at being fed to the giant should not be missed. Same with the baker's father's occasional nonsense interruptions of the story line. Lastly, the original orchestration is unusual (2 violins, 2 violas, cello, bass, piano/synth, percussion, 2 horns, trumpet, flute, clarinet and bassoon) and worth hearing.

Super product!!!

En général, je n’aime pas du tout les comédies musicales mais j’ai été agréablement surprise par ce film enchanteur. Je recommande son visionnement.

Non avevo avuto modo di vederlo al cinema ed ho recuperato acquistandolo. Personalmente a me è piaciuto moltissimo!

Cuando decidií comprar esta peícula, no sabía nada de ella salvo el trailer que había visto en Youtube, no había visto nada acerca de la película, no tan siquiera la sinopsis, ni había indagado nada.Recuerdo que llegó perfectamente junto con otra peli que había pedido junto con ella, sin incidentes de ninguna clase.La película, a mi me encanta, se que hay a mucha gente que no le gusta, pero a mi me recuerda mucho a los cuentos clásicos (los originales), en los que Disney se ha basado en muchos de ellos, de hecho hay muchas escenas, que hacen referencia directa a dichos cuentos...En definitiva, fue una buena compra, me gustó el producto.Quizás lo unico, que la película me parece quizás un poco larga en exceso, pero está basada en un musical y supongo que el musical ya es largo de por si,

Dieser Film hat mich beeindruckt, tage lang habe ich noch über einzelne Momente nachgedacht.Wer den Film aufmerksam schaut, die Liedtexte auch mitliest bzw. die Lieder versteht und die versteckten Nachrichten zu entschlüsseln weiß, der wird von diesem Film begeistert sein.Jedes Wort scheint so durchdacht zu sein, wer den Film mehrfach sieht wird jedes mal eine zauberhafte Kleinigkeit neu für sich entdecken, gebannt vorm Fernseher sitzen und das Genie hinter der Geschichte zu würdigen wissen.Als ich ihn zum ersten mal sah, war ich noch von all dem überwältigt. Zunächst habe ich mich von den negativen Rezensionen abschrecken lassen, laut denen so gut wie alles gesungen wird.Nach dem Kommentar des Regisseurs, welchen ich auf meiner Blu-Ray gesehen habe, dienen die vielen Gesangseinlagen zu Beginn der Vorstellung der Charaktere. Wer länger als eine halbe Stunde des Filmes gesehen hat, wird wissen, dass später mehr gesprochen wird.Auch später dienen die Lieder dazu, die Gefühle und Gedanken der einzelnen Charaktere zu beschreiben. Wer aufmerksam mitliest wird merken, dass die Figuren dadurch eine charakterliche Tiefe erlangen, die man in normalen Filmen nicht darstellen kann, vor allem nicht in einem einzelnen Film ohne zig Nachfolger.Nachdem ich den Film mehrfach gesehen habe, genieße ich die Lieder immer mehr, sie unterscheiden sich grundlegen, auch wenn es am Anfang nicht so zu sein scheint.Sehr fasziniert haben mich die Charaktere. Der Film vermittelt ein Bild, nach dem es kein grundlegenes Gut und Böse gibt. Jeder Charakter hat einen Grund für seine Handlungen, die mehr oder weniger positive oder negative Folgen haben.Dies ist ein Thema, mit dem sich der Film durchgehend auseinandersetzt: Ist das, was du wünscht, auch das, was du willst? Kannst du die volle Reichweite deiner Handlungen voraussehen?Dies und viele viele Lehren sind in dem Film versteckt, es geht nicht nur um die normalen "Und die Moral von der Geschicht'" Momente der bekannten Märchen im Film, sondern auch um die eher realistischen Lehren, die wir aus Situationen ziehen.Der Film erfindet eine komplett neue Geschichte, ohne die alten Geschichten groß umzuschreiben.Ein alternatives, mehr oder weniger glückliches Ende erwartet alle, die den Film bis zum Ende genießen. Wer das Singen zu schätzen lernt und über die Neuerfindung der Geschichten hinwegsehen kann, wird einige grandiose Momente zum Mitfiebern erleben, die auch mit viel Witz in die Geschichte eingearbeitet wurden.Gerade auch älteres Publikum, welches sich zu dem Film Gedanken macht, wird dieser Film mitreißen.Disney hat es mal wieder geschafft. Grandiose Schauspieler mit wundervollen Stimmen (die Gott sei dank im Originalton geblieben sind), eine schöne und sehr aufwändig gestaltete Kulisse, als auch eine mitreißende Geschichte, die erfolgreich in ein qualitativ hochwertiges Meisterwerk eingearbeitet wurde. Wer das zu schätzen weiß, wird den Film noch mehr genießen, hoffentlich auch bis zum letzten Moment.Vorher sollte nur jedem klar sein, dass es sich um ein Musical handelt, also relativ viel gesungen wird. Die Gesangseinlagen sind im Originalton auf Englisch und besitzen Deutsche Untertitel. Der Film geht über 2 Stunden lang und bedient nicht nur Klischees, die Geschichte ist an einigen Teilen drastisch verändert worden. Wer sich dessen im Klaren ist und es akzeptiert, wird den Film genießen können.

Into the Woods est l'une des meilleures comédies musicales réalisées en matière de film. Les différents contes y sont ici mélangés pour apporter une vision différente et très rafraichissante. Tous les acteurs campent parfaitement leur rôle, doublé d'une très bonne interprétation chantée, chacun ayant une signature vocale. Dans ce blu ray, l'audio est uniquement en anglais, sous titré en français, ce qui ne me gêne pas, bien au contraire, car il faut le voir en VOST pour vraiment apprécier ce film, surtout quand c'est une comédie musicale, où c'est encore plus important.