MANILA, Philippines - About 10 years ago, the animated feature and musical film formats staged a dynamic and dramatic comeback, after decades of relative nonproductiveness. Film buffs welcomed the resurgence, because these two formats were celebrated in their more productive past, and accounted for some of the most exciting movies ever made.
A decade after their revival, how have these two formats? comeback gambits held up? The good news is that the animated feature has remained popular, with many full-length movies in distribution and production.
Less upbeat is the observation that musical films are being produced only occasionally, despite the success of movies like ?Chicago? and the current ?Mamma Mia.?
Similarly, on the local film scene, a feature-length animation film, ?Urduja,? was recently produced, but no musical is in sight.
We urge our producers to come up with new musical films, because they can be hugely entertaining, and expand the true range and depth of filmmaking.
In connection with these observations, we note that, even in India?s Bollywood, where musicals are par for the course, some industry people are worried that the regulation musical component in Indian movies has run its course.
They attribute this decline to Indian producers? efforts to make their movies appealing to the international film market, which generally frowns on musical numbers ?interrupting? movies? dramatic development.
In the past, many musical numbers would be inserted into all sorts of film types, but even Indian viewers, especially the young, are expressing a preference for state-of-the-art filmmaking technology over traditional musical ?interludes.?
Banner year
Still on musicals, they?re faring much better in the theater, where they?ve reigned supreme for years. In fact, 2007 has turned out to be a banner year for them, with more than 10 million theatergoers patronizing them on Broadway.
Musical hits include ?Billy Elliott,? ?West Side Story,? and, starting this December, the musical version of the popular film franchise ?Shrek,? ticket sales for which have gone through the roof.
Speaking of musicals adapted from hit movies, word has it that Mel Brooks? ?Young Frankenstein? has been made into a stage musical.
Even more impressively, a musical on the tempestuous life and times of Catherine, ruler of Russia, has opened in Europe. ?Catherine the Great? has a musical score that combines rock, opera and Russian Orthodox religious music.
And perhaps, the most exciting transformation of all is the musical version of ?Gone with the Wind,? which makes its debut on London?s West End Theater row this month.
The stage musical has a name director (Trevor Nunn), and casts American performer Jill Paice as Scarlett O?Hara and British singer Darius Danesh as Rhett Butler. Book, music and lyrics are by newcomer Margaret Martin.
P.S. From the field of opera comes the most unique production news of all: A new opera is now being written that?s based on the original short story of??Brokeback Mountain!?
Hellboy 2
Ron Perlman returns as the big, red BPRD agent in ?Hellboy 2: The Golden Army,? the sequel to 2004?s ?Hellboy,? again directed by Guillermo del Toro and scripted in collaboration with creator Mike Mignola.
This time around, a power-mad ruler assembles an unstoppable army of fantastic creatures that he uses to wage war on humanity. But Hellboy is determined to send the other worldly villains packing.
To help him, his pyrokinetic girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair) conjures up an inferno or two, aquatic Abe (Doug Jones) dives headlong into the conflict, and protoplastic mystic Johann is an invaluable ally in times of inter-dimensional strife.
?Megathirty?
Xywhite toothpaste and Xywhite tweens toothpaste are among the sponsors of Sharon Cuneta?s ?Megathirty? show on Aug. 8 at the Araneta Coliseum. The concert celebrates Sharon?s 30th anniversary as one of Philippine entertainment?s most durable multimedia stars.
