South Pacific

I think my favorite part was the severed heads on sticks...

There's been a lot of hoo-hah about Ms. Close's superannuated Nellie Forbush, but I think this is a relatively minor issue -- really a matter of cranky foiled expectations. Nothing demands that Nellie be 22; narrow-minded provincialism was and is not unknown in people over 40. And making Nellie and Emile a more evenly mature match adds a nice counterpoint to the youthful Cable/Liat romance.

I think the real problem lies in the decision to pour on the blood and guts.

Presented just a few years after the end of World War II, the original "South Pacific" was a far cry (most would say huge step forward) from 1920's frivolities like "No, No, Nanette" and even more immediate folksy precursors like "Oklahoma." The American theatre seemed primed for a new kind of musical realism, and "South Pacific" bravely served up real people confronting life-and-death issues, with nary a tap-dancing ingenue in sight. Nevertheless, it didn't completely abandon the old, sentimental/comical musical traditions (which, after all, had been brought to their greatest glory by Richard Rodgers and his pals), and there was -- and is -- a limit to how much gritty realism the aesthetic could sustain.

I haven't read the original Michener stories on which "South Pacific" was based, and they may very well have featured severed heads. But in the context of "Some Enchanted Evening," such imagery was anathema to Rodgers & Hammerstein, and it remains alarmingly discordant today.

Seldom does one get a chance to see a musical in which EVERYONE'S VOICE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DUBBED--and most of the charm has been so diluted as to be invisible.

And that's just one of the shortcomings of this awful, uninspired remake of 'South Pacific' with some hopelessly miscast performers trying hard to look convincing in singing roles beyond their scope. Once again, the great original score of Rodgers and Hammerstein is rendered by such inept orchestrations and weak voices that it makes you wish there was a Society for the Protection and Integrity of Original Broadway Musicals.

Glen Close is not only physically miscast, her voice lacks the rich quality the song numbers deserve. Likewise for her male co-star, utterly lacking the continental charm of either Ezio Pinza or Rossano Brazzi. I have never seen a worse Bloody Mary than the actress who does her own singing (as opposed to Juanita Hall in the '58 movie) but to no avail whatsoever, throwing away the beautiful 'Bali Hai' in a shameful manner. It's hard to work up any enthusiasm for Harry Connick, Jr.'s rendition of 'Younger Than Springtime', another beautiful song that deserves to be sung in full-bodied fashion by a singer-type like Vic Damone in his prime.

Absolutely the worst movie musical remake in memory, with nobody up to the demands of either the script or the vocals. Mercifully, Rodgers & Hammerstein are not around to watch this travesty.

And I thought the 1958 movie was bad enough...

Well, those who wanted Rodgers & Hammerstein's SOUTH PACIFIC remade got their wish. If anyone thinks this horrible remake is better than the 1958 version really needs help. Rodgers & Hammerstein must be rolling in their graves. First off GLENN CLOSE is to old for the role of Nellie Forbush. GLENN CLOSE is to old for the part. The orchestrations can't compare to Alfred Newman's. The house dress that Glenn Close wore at the party is no match to the gown that was designed by the legendary Dorothy Jenkins for Mitzi Gaynor. The production numbers were terrible. I have seen better staged numbers in high school plays. As for the woman who played Bloody Mary; she was the worse. She couldn't act, and her trying to sing Bali Hi was painful. There is nothing to recommend this picture for. Long live the classic 1958 film version.

The choice to scale up the age of Nellie Forbush to allow her to be played by 50-something Glenn Close was one which could have backfired on the makers of this update; it is to her credit that she performs and sings in the role very well.

As Emile, Rade Sherbedgia is perhaps a little too high-voiced for the demands of the songs, but his portrayal of the lonely islander is touching and effective. As Bloody Mary, Lori Tan Chinn looks more like the part of the greedy trader than did Juanita Hall in the 50s film, and her singing of Bal'i Ha'i is excellent. I did miss Happy Talk, which is omitted completely from this version, but the songs that remain have been arranged with style and come across very well (particularly This Nearly Was Mine, Younger Than Springtime, and I'm In Love With A Wonderful Guy).

Harry Connick jnr. completes the main cast as young Lt. Cable, resembling and sounding like a young Sinatra. The character continues to be totally unsympathetic but he is better overall than John Kerr had been in the earlier version. I don't think this film is bad at all, despite the numerous negative comments I have heard: it is perhaps more realistic than the colour-filtered world of Joshua Logan's film, but perhaps that new slant is for the better.

While I had high hopes for this remake of South Pacific,I regret to say it fell far below My expectations.With a strong cast (including the much too old Glenn Close) I at least expected this film to be an improvement over the original Rosano Brazzi version.

The first problem was the cutting down of the supporting characters. Poor Jack Thompson,who was brilliantly cast as Capt. Brackett had all of his best moments left on the cutting room floor,Bloody Mary was unfairly deprived of "Happy Talk" and Robert Pastorelli's Billis did not get his wonderful scene in Brackett's office following the "diversionary tactics".

Secondly,the rearanging of the score blunted the emotional impact of some of Hammerstein's most heart wrenching moments. Having Cable sing "Carefully Taught" alone in his his Hospital room instead of to Emile blunts the songs impact. The same with Emile's "This Nearly Was Mine". For these songs to work they need another presence in the scene.

As for the acting. Glenn Close does her best but falls short of Mitzi Gaynor's on the money portrayal,Rade Serbedzija gives us a fine,sympathetic Emile and Equals,if not exceeds Brazzi's portrayal.Harry Connick is a great choice for Joe Cable and sings and acts his role well.Unfortunately the score was not recoreded lushly enough and some of the other vocals are a bit weak (Serbedzija's singing for example comes no where neat the immortal recording of Ezio Pinza.)The supporting cast does what it can whith their condensed roles but if would have been nice to have them fleshed out more. This film could have been a masterpiece if all the pieces were assembled properly,instead its a watchable but far from perfect screen adaptaion of a much better musical play.