Anyone seen the new Into the Woods?

[Haruna]

I'm torn. Like you, Marigold, I love Bernadette Peters as the witch, and as talented as Meryl Streep is, I don't know if she can replace her! And then I worry about how the complex stage and set I'm used to seeing translates into a movie. (I've been watching the 1991 version pretty much ever since Firefly's Adventure, so, like, since I was five! Seems awfully young to me now, thinking of some of the darker stuff in the musical).

I wonder if I can just keep in mind that it's just one interpretation of it, like you say, AmazonArabian. So they cut some songs? I heard the new version of "Agony" with Chris Pine and the other guy (the princes) and it did sound good. I didn't know Chris Pine could sing. Such a funny song.

Glad to hear you liked it, Scarletjul. Yeah, Emily Blunt does seem really good at her part when I see her in clips and trailers.

Would someone mind putting in a spoiler here any notable plot changes and whether the same people die? (kind of strange request, reading it again . . . )

[amazonarabian]

Haruna, I pm'ed you about some of the changes!

Also, NO ONE will ever be as amazing as Bernadette Peters!  But Meryl Streep does a pretty good job trying.   

[Sprinklecupcake]

My man and I saw it today!!! I really enjoyed it as 1. I LOVE Disney movies 2. I am a sucker for musicals 3. Johnny Depp 4. Fairytale theme. This was really romantic to watch with my partner, also a lot of funny scenes!! Now it is based of a Broadway play so it is a musical!! It was a lot longer than I expected, just over two hours. I'm so proud of Cole for lasting the whole movie!!! He usually can't handle musicals. Also *spoiler* the whole theater wooped, cheered, and laughed when the princes tore their shirts!!! xD I really recondmend it!

[Haruna]

Good to know, Sprinklecupcake! Maybe I'll go with my fellow Disney-loving and fairy-tale loving friend. She loves Once Upon a Time and stuff like that, and, majorly, Johnny Depp.

[octocorn]

I haven't seen it yet, but I swear if one more person comes into my work and says "ugh, I went to see Into the Woods and it was ALL SINGING!" I will scream.  Seriously don't know how anyone missed that it was a musical.

[Marigold]

I had to keep in mind it is just another interpretation.  They can make 40 Cinderella movies, and people will still see them, but only because each has its own unique perspective and differences.  This version does not make that amazing, wonderful original disappear.

There have been many musicals made into movies and almost all of them are different from their stage musical.  I only hope people don't think the movies are THE version of the musical.  I think like with things well known like Les Miserables we shouldn't have that problem.  But with semi-obscure Into the Woods I worry because Disney takes over fairytales and makes them the ideal mind's eye version.

"Little Red isn't a brunette!  She's SUPPOSED to be blonde!" "Oh ma gawd, I wouldn't have even come if I knew they were gunna *edit for language -kkat it all up.". Well, peachy, then you came stupidly unprepared.  They can't make the same exact thing, after all!

Um....Little Red isn't in any way shape or form described as needing to be a blonde in Into the Woods.  They are idiots.  I've been in the show twice.  My sister was in it once.  I've SEEN it many more times than that.  And Little Red is usually brunette, there was a blonde, one was a red head, one had really black hair.  Just because the most famous cast might have had a blonde wig on her doesn't mean she has to look like that.  The ONLY character who has to have a specific hair color is Rapunzel (and maybe at least one stepsister because the Baker's Wife tries to chase them down).  If another blonde exists the bakers wife (as a good actor) ought to quickly compare her hair to the corn she is holding and conclude it is not corn yellow.  We had a blonde Cinderella in the first show I was in and the Bakers Wife did a quick visible comparison to Cinderella without stopping the flow of the show or dialogue the first time the two met.  She was a really good actor. She could have done the same thing to little red if she was blonde.  And actually brunette works better on Red and Cinderella if you want to point out how blonde Rapunzel really is.

[Sprinklecupcake]

Same, Rapunzel is supposed to have 'hair as yellow as corn/gold etc' but Red Riding hood has never had a set color of hair. Ive seen Red with all kinds of hair colors in movies and plays! I personally like to imagine her with black hair, I think it looks cool with the red cape. To each their own!

[stopxmotion]

I had never seen an version of it before and only vaguely knew of the story. So I was extremely disappointed, not because it was a musical, but because it portrayed all the character badly. If I had known that I probably would have passed on it. Cinderella was an idiot, the prince was a bad guy, the songs were cheesy, etc. (What tale is the "baker" from anyway??) Not my cup of tea. I don't like spoofs of serious stories.

On the other hand, the new Cinderella looks really good..

[LadyMoondancer]

I finally saw it!

Spoiler

I was disappointed that Rapunzel didn't die.  Instead she was like, "WELP, I'm outta this film, see you guys! *nyooms off with Prince #2*"

I guess Disney didn't want a "recent" princess of "theirs" dying.  (Because of "Tangled.")

Also sad that they didn't do the reprise of "Agony".

At first I was surprised they cut out the song that talks about how perfect everything is (before everything goes to pot) but I'll bet a lot of people would have taken that as a cue to leave the theater thinking the movie was over, ha ha ha!

Overall, I really enjoyed it.  I was REALLY happy to see a version of it with Jack played by a young boy (something that bugged me about the 1991 taped version--Jack was taller than the Baker in that!).   Red Riding Hood also had an incredible singing voice.  I thought she was perfectly cast.

[Shenanigans]

I never watched the original or ever heard of it. I plan on seeing it cause I love fairytales

[Mkia]

I guess I'm the unpopular opinion here - i did not like the movie. It was okay, but I would never sit through it again. Definitely not what I wanted it to be.

Some parts seemed to drag on and on for no reason, and some parts made absolutely NO sense. I've not seen the original, but if the plot was anything like this one, I probably wouldn't like it either.

The only saving grace was Meryl. Anything she touches is gold.  But any scene she wasn't in....couldn't keep me interested.

[Sukeile]

Yay! I knew I could count on this forum to have an Into the Woods thread! 

I watched it last night at home ( please don't report me to the authorities, I promise I'll pay for movie tickets when it comes to my country, I just couldn't wait all the way till April! )

I was pleasantly surprise because I had pretty low expectations…

I also grew up with the original ( Honestly, Bernadette was my IDOL I knew all the witches lyrics by heart! ) so I already knew nothing could top the musical.

But I very much enjoyed the movie, the actors were very good, Meryl was of course great.
I was sad/confused about the cuts and changes, I feel like it did take away a lot of the "depth" that I really love about this musical.

Spoiler warning:

Spoiler

The rapunzel death is very essential to the story, I agree. Weird choice to cut it.
The Princes and Princesses were not even married for a day before the Giantess arrived.
And even though I really liked Red, I felt like she seemed too unaffected by her own story.

I don't know if I've been reading into it too much but I always felt there was so much subtle emotions in her song after rescue.

Like, she has this new understanding of life for good and for bad she has aged because of the experience.
She feels more confident in that she survived it but carries a grief over the innocence that she has lost.

In the movie version when she sings "And a little bit not" it sounds more like she's saying "whatever.." rather than considering the life changing choices she made.

Sorry if I'm being silly about that, it's just that this musical has meant so much to me growing up and getting through life that I might take them too serious at times…

So I would say, the movie does have a different and more lighthearted tone than the original musical even though they don't have the Agony reprise ::

Also, they do keep some dark moments, but it somehow doesn't feel as impact full to me as the musical did.

But now I am just babbling…I'm sorry!

I just don't have any real life friends to talk with about this! 

[Marigold]

(What tale is the "baker" from anyway??) Not my cup of tea. I don't like spoofs of serious stories.

The original musical incorporated the story of The Baker and His Wife as its own new fairytale just for the musical.  It isn't a spoof and the whole musical is meant to be VERY serious.  This is a dark musical which makes you consider what you really want in life.  Careful the path you take, careful the wish you make. 

The first half follows the "original" fairytales very closely including the things like toes and heels being cut off for Cinderella.  The second half shows that happily ever after isn't always reality.  You see Rapunzel with twins (true to early versions of her story) but she isn't happy.  More realistically she has had a break down ("You locked me in a tower for all my life with little company, the banished me to a desert where I bore twins...").  Jack unleased a giant.  Cinderella isn't so happy with her prince.  She didn't want life as princess, she just didn't want to be a slave to her stepfamily.  Little Red loses her grandmother.  The witch realizes she got her power and beauty, but she lost her beautiful flower, Rapunzel.  The girl she loved and called her daughter.

Anyway, this was never meant to be a "spoof".  It is very dark, very serious, and there are moments if you see the musical where you WILL cry.  I cry everytime I hear Bernadette Peter's sing No One is Alone (She sings it in concert, the witch didn't sing this song in the show.  I cry in the show too but Bernadette does it best).  The message at the end is careful the things you wish for and no one is alone. 

You should really see the musical to understand what a powerful show this is.  I am sorry you thought the movie was a spoof on fairytales. 

[LadyMoondancer]

Agree, it's very true to the original fairy tales (which weren't "for kids", but for everyone struggling to survive in their dinky little villages).

Thoughts on Red Riding Hood and wolves:

Spoiler

So the original story is basically "be careful of strange men / sex". 

(Like, it's explicitly spelled out in the epilogue.  "Remember, some wolves are not furry, but wear fine clothes and have nice manners.  Many a maiden regrets trusting them"--something like that.)

Anyway, in the play the witch tells Rapunzel "Yes, there are princes in the wood, but wolves and people too."   In a way, Cinderella's prince IS a "wolf"--wandering through the woods trying to seduce any maidens he happens across and falling in love with random princesses!

Just a neat little detail.

Even though the Baker and his Wife were invented for "Into the Woods", childless parents longing for a baby is a big theme in a lot of fairy tales.  Aside from the sentimental issues, having a family was about the only way you could hope to be taken care of in your old age in the old days.

[Marigold]

 Good point about the Baker and his Wife!  Also, Sondheim did a wonderful job weaving it into the Rapunzel story.  Rapunzel is the Baker's sister in his story.  They have the same parents which explains why the family was cursed.  Really well done actually.  Their father is the one who stole from the Witch to feed their mom greens (rapunzel plant).  Their mother was pregnant with Rapunzel at the time and the witch agrees not to kill them in return for them giving her their child.  The witch longs for a child and Sondheim really shows how the Witch cared for and loved Rapunzel, and like you said she probably needed her too.  In the Rapunzel tale the parents are anguished at the loss of a child, but in a way they also gave her up so they could eat.  Although it is arguable as to if they were starving or just foolish.   Either way having children and losing children IS a very big theme and well placed with the Baker and his wife then longing for a child too, but being barren because of the curse.

So, your point was excellent.  The Baker and his Wife hold a universal fairytale theme about longing for children.  I really think Into the Woods is Sondheim's most brilliant musical.  Which is also why making it a Disney film is a bit unsavory to me (aside from the fact that Disney wants to take over all fairytales to make it "theirs").