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Click above to purchase "The Fantasticks" at amazon.com
The Fantasticks
Special Edition
review by Anthony D.
Rated PG
Studio: MGM
Running Time: 87 minutes
Starring Joel Grey, Brad Sullivan, Teller, Jean Louisa
Kelly, Joe McIntyre and Jonathon Morris
Screenplay by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt
Music by Harvey Schmidt
Lyrics by Tom Jones
Directed by Michael Ritchie
Retail Price: $24.99
Features: Commentary with Director Michael Ritchie,
Deleted Songs, Full Length Songs, Deleted Scenes, Theatrical
Trailer
Specs: 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, English Dolby
Digital 5.1, French Dolby 2.0, Spanish Dolby 2.0, English
Subtitles, French Subtitles, Spanish Subtitles, Chapter
Search
A funny thing happened on the way to the dvd. Five years
ago, United Artists, finally got around to filming the
longest running theater musical of all time - - 40+ years,
and still going strong, "The Fantasticks." The musical's
authors contributed a rethinking of their fragile tale,
which could reasonably filmed on a limited budget by
director Michael Ritchie.
Armed with a Panvasion camera, Mr. Ritchie spent a good
deal of time filming stunning "Oklahoma!"-like panoramas
inhabited by sideshow freaks, fastidious fathers, young
lovers and a "Carousel"-inspired carnival barker. Theatre
people were abuzz at the fact that this popular small
musical would finally receive big-screen musical status, and
waited patiently for the day when "The Fantasticks" would
play at a neighborhood theater. Alas, the dear world waited.
And waited. Then waited some more. Finally, because of a
clause in the authors' contract, United Artists found that
before "The Fantasticks" could become a straight-to-video
release, their small-budget musical would have to be
released as a feature film. Not knowing how to sell the
picture, and fearing a financial flop along the lines of
Disney's "Newsies," the producers called in Francis Ford
Coppola to trim the barely 118 minute film down to a mere 87
minute feature! The film then was shipped out to a few
cities, given no promotion, and after week, pulled from
theaters entirely. The Francis Ford Coppola-approved cut has
now been given a more than deluxe treatment on the dvd
released by MGM.
What was a true testament to the power of "theater," no
set, basic costumes, an eight actor cast performing to only
piano and harp, allowing audiences to fill in the blanks, in
the hands of Michael Ritchie becomes an approximation of a
1950's musical adaptation. A carnival sweeps into town, led
by the mysterious El Gallo (Jonathon Morris). The carnival
attracts the attention of the young lovers (the exquisite
Jean Louisa Kelly and the superbly miscast New Kid on the
Block, Joe (formerly Joey) McIntyre who mistakenly believe
that their widower fathers (Brad Sullivan and the always
excellent Joel Grey) have forbidden them to fall in love. It
seems that the fathers have been plotting this romance for
all time, and now is the time to make The Boy/Matt a hero in
The Girl's/Luisa's eyes by purchasing a literary rape staged
by El Gallo, during which Matt may save Luisa and carry her
off to a happy ending. All goes as planned, with several
beautiful songs thrown in for good measure, until the
morning after. What at night seemed oh so scenic has been
cynical and bitter. The boy and the girl go their separate
ways to explore the possibilities in the "real world." Their
return, bitter and disillusioned, brings the affairs to a
close with an ending more than ringing of "The Wizard of
Oz."
Pictorially speaking, this is an excellent film. Vistas
of the Arizona locations, also used for 1954's "Oklahoma!,"
are given great depth in the disc's anamorphic Panavision
presentation. Colors leap from the sideshow tents and remain
true. Accurate fleshtones, whether by day or night, or
during exterior or interior shots, are very pleasant to see.
Night scenes offer nary a trace of grain, blacks remain
solid and the contrast level is just right. Detail is
exceptional: check out the white stripes on the red sashes
during "Round and Round" (Chapter 12). The minute details
are present in every scene, making this one of the best
discs, visually, from the MGM catalogue.
The audio presentation is every bit as detailed and well
balanced as the film's transfer. Making excellent use of the
surround channels, and a strong 5.1 Dolby Digital
soundtrack. Fortunately, it is not just the music that makes
use of the rear channels, ambient sounds, occasion dialogue
as well as sound effects sweep through the listening area,
creating a multi-dimensional sound stage. Jonathan Tunick's
full orchestrations of the score, normally performed by
piano and harp, is Oscar-worthy: he won once before for
lesser work, modifying his own theatrical arrangements of
Stephen Sondheim's "A Little Night Music." Both French and
Spanish Stereo Surround (2.0) mixes are also available for
the truly metropolitan viewer. The songs themselves were
actually recorded with the filming, no pre-recording nor
lipsynching here, as well as mixed with some post-
production recording, BUT they are so well recorded, one
would be at a loss to actually hear where on-set recording
stops and post-production work begins. This is one truly
fantastic aural presentation.
Musical theater mavens will find a massive amount of
Special Features to dazzle them for hours. Every musical
number filmed for "The Fantasticks" is here in its entirety,
including the now-infamous 1960 version of "It Depends on
What You Pay." Though seen on fuzzy videotape, the song
sings out with 1990's political incorrectness on the subject
of literary rape. I have always found this version to be the
catchier, funnier and edgier version, and was delighted to
find that Mr. Ritchie had filmed it, even though I doubt
that he had ever planned to use it in the final film. The
completely cut duet for the Fathers, "Plant a Radish," which
was cut for no apparent reason, as well as the rest of the
major musical numbers are presented in their original
Panavision glory with Dolby 2.0 stereo. The major loss, in
terms of the score, is the opening song - - and most famous
from this gem-filled score - - "Try to Remember," used in
the theater to set up the mood of the fragile tale: "Try to
remember when life was so tender, that love was an ember
about to billow...Deep in December, it's nice to remember
the fire of September that made us mellow...Our hearts
should remember, and follow." Relegating "Try to Remember"
to the end of the film robs viewers of an opportunity to
settle back and prepare their hearts and minds for the film
that is to follow.Not only does it prepare the viewer, in
the hands of El Gallo, it becomes a character song;
introducing us to the all-knowing narrator and the magic he
possesses. I urge viewers to "play editor," and access this
particular number before watching the film.
For the intrepid viewer, don't fight the urge to mix and
match the movie with its Deleted Songs, for a truer
reproduction of Schmidt and Jones' score. In all, there is
at least one-half hour's worth of deleted songs as well as
scenes. Some of the scenes cut last less than ten seconds,
while others several minutes. A superfluous character
created for the film appears in three of the deleted scenes,
while the roles of The Old Actor and The Man Who Dies are
completed through their deleted scene.
The Jump-to-A-Song feature is disappointing, in
that the movie continues to play following the song;
something that can just as easily be done through the film's
Main Menu.
There is a strange Theatrical Trailer; strange
because never once does it mention that the film is a
MUSICAL. United Artists were obviously aware of the
difficulty of marketing a musical, and strove to cluelessly
sell "The Fantasticks" as something other than what it is.
Michael Ritchie's Full-Length Audio Commentary is
a valuable addition tothe title. Never once rambling,
Ritchie details each and every element of his filmmaking
choices, including the rarely done, though feasible feat of
recording the musical numbers live. The last time someone
tried to do this, the film met with a fate similar to "The
Fantasticks:" the director was Peter Bogdonavich, who armed
with the Cole Porter catalogue of songs, attempted to create
a "new 1930's" musical film with the dubious vocal talents
of Burt Reynolds and Cybill Shephard called "At Long Last
Love." That film flopped big time, and reduced Bogdonavich's
cache as a major-league film director. Ritchie's commentary
is interesting in that in spite of what he says, the results
seen are only succeed a portion of his intended goal.
I had high hopes for this particular film, which
ultimately left me cold. The DVD, on the other hand belongs
in the library of anyone who cares for musical theater.
There is the kernel for a great film buried somewhere
beneath all the unnecessary trappings thrown into the
screenplay. "The Fantasticks" obviously belongs in a
theater, being performed live, or at the next level: a
television film preserving the title's theatricality. "The
Fantasticks" WAS actually shown on television in the early
1960's, a rare occasion when a still-running play was
presented, albeit edited, while it was still enjoying a
healthy run. With all the theater groups capable of
performing "The Fantasticks," and the Off-Broadway
production entering its fifth decade, there are more than
enough options for a viewer to explore other than the film.
Not without its merits - - Jean Louisa Kelly should be a
major film star, given the proper vehicle (or in the case of
"The Fantasticks"), the proper costar. I had fallen in love
with Miss Kelly's voice in "Mr. Holland's Opus," and was
excited by the news of her casting in this film. Kelly's
voice soars through the rigors of "Much More," "Soon it's
Gonna Rain" and "Metaphor;" she looks great, possessing an
earthy sexuality rarely utilized by the director.
Fortunately the DVD, in the supplemental section, presents a
"The Fantasticks" as a film that might have worked, and
sometimes just enough is better than much more.
Alright, faithful readers have waited long enough,
knowing that this one was coming: "The Fantasticks" just
isn't fantastic...but the DVD is.
 (3/5 - NOT included in
final score)
 (4.5/5)
(4.5/5)
(3/5)
 (4/5,
NOT an average)
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