Above: Johnny Depp asthe (mustachioed) Wolf and Lilla Crawford as Red Riding Hood in Mr. Marshall's film
I love “Into the Woods.” Although I must reiterate—what I love is the
play by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine.
It’s truly spectacular and I assume that in adapting it for the screen,
director Rob Marshall (“Chicago”) hoped that he could somehow improve upon the
original. I can safely say that at
times, his movie does just that (or at least hits the bar). But sadly, "Into the Woods" the
motion picture also loses the emotional magic and mystery created by the play.
The film begins with some very
familiar characters—Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Jack of Beanstalk fame, and
the childless baker and his wife—all venturing into the woods (hence the film’s
title) for myriad purposes. It’s a
journey enlivened by an all-star cast that includes James Corden, Chris Pine,
Anna Kendrick, and Johnny Depp, along with Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt (who
both snagged Golden Globe nominations for their portrayals of, respectively,
the Wicked Witch and the baker’s wife).
All of these
actors are impressive here—they all bring their best performances and do a
fantastic job with the screenplay by Mr. Lapine at hand. Yet their performances are also a little more
subdued than the ones in play. That’s
understandable because in film, you don't have to emote in a manner that reads
all the way to the balcony of a theater.
Still, the more grounded acting takes away from the fairy-tale polish
that makes this story so compelling.
After all in the play, elevated, almost silly acting throughout the
first act served an important purpose—it beautifully allowed the emotions to
come down a few levels in the second act when things got serious.
I know; I’m
making it sound like this movie doesn’t live up to the play. But I will say that Mr. Marshall has improved
some aspects of the story. He shouldn’t
have allowed Rapunzel to live (on stage, her death motivated the Wicked Witch’s
actions in the final act), but his version of the duet between Cinderella's
prince and Rapunzel’s prince is a terrific success. In its original form, the number (“Agony”) wasn’t
very entertaining. Yet Mr. Marshall
makes it one of the best scenes in the entire film by turning it into a pissing
contest between the two princes about who has it harder in the love department.
There are other
moments sprinkled throughout the movie that made me very happy, even excited
that they adapted this wonderful play into a motion picture. And in purely technical terms, the film is
impressive—the detailing of the costumes (which I’m sure will be rewarded with
an Oscar nod) is spectacular; the lighting is wonderfully done; and with the
magic of a frozen moment in time, Cinderella’s song "On the Steps of the
Palace" manages to make that scene and song fresh all over again.
But do these
successes make “Into the Woods” work as a movie? Not entirely, I’m sorry to say. For all the grandeur of the film’s visuals,
it simply isn’t as moving as its theatrical predecessor. The film does offer some emotional impact,
but I still think it could have offered even more if Mr. Marshall had stayed
truer to Mr. Sondheim’s stage version.
As it is, too many of the play’s powerfully somber moments and witty
lines are lost in the film—solely because of delivery.
Ultimately,
if you have never seen the original play with the incomparable Bernadette
Peters as the Wicked Witch, you could very well enjoy this movie a heap; it is
a genuine crowd pleaser that’s primed to appeal to families (despite some
questionable areas). And while you’ll
certainly be let down if you are a huge fan of the play, I doubt that the movie
will send into a fuming, murderous rage.
All in all, I would give “Into the Woods” a solid C+. I don't believe it will go down in history of
musical cinema as one of the genre’s finest offerings, but I do think that
despite its shortcomings, it will definitely be a highlight.
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