[lit-ideas] Re: Rent
- From: Andy <min.erva@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2008 19:12:47 -0800 (PST)
Lawrence probably meant to send this to the list. Thanks for your reply,
Lawrence. Now that you mention it I have this vague idea that I played some of
the songs on the piano way back when, and they are in fact beautiful, very,
what's the word, round, singable. The music in this thing has among other
things rock as well as singing but it was just not well done. Maybe I couldn't
relate to the characters or to the story line? Ordinarily I side with the
victim ("victims create victims") and I understand the problems that go into
drug addiction but there was no indication of that. I just couldn't feel sorry
or much of anything for these people. They were flat. I also didn't like them
usurping the word "bohemia" to mean do anything you want any time you want and
let someone else pay for it. I'm really curious as to your reaction to it.
Regarding ratings, I do look at the ratings that Netflix viewers give. I
generally will ignore bad ratings because I know my tastes are not mainstream,
and where possible I go with critics (unless it's the NYT, especially on
documentaries). I did notice that this had high ratings from viewers but I
figured it was a hit on Broadway, based on a classic, so how bad could it be,
right?
Actually, far superior to this if you haven't seen it is the movie Chicago.
The music and dance is in a different universe. Rent, uh, Rent, has two
musical sequences, one a tango which is good, and the other is Maureen's effort
to save tent city which struck me as almost Andy Warhol-ish or something I
can't quite put my finger on. But those two scenes, in my opinion didn't
redeem this movie.
It just popped into my head that, so long ago that I don't remember it and so
young that I wouldn't have appreciated it, I read a play by Maxim Gorky called
The Lower Depths, 1902 about basically the dregs of society. I'm tempted now
to dig it up except I don't think I have it anymore. Contrasting that might be
the work of F. Scott Fitzgerald who wrote of the completely opposite, if no
happier, end of the spectrum. Sex, drugs and unhappiness with and without
rent. The Renters did strive for community though, which I think Fitzgerald
lacks. I can't wait now to hear what you think.
Lawrence Helm <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
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Irene:
I am a long time aficionado of Bel Canto opera --- through recordings
primarily. La Boheme is one of the best known of that tradition.
I hadn?t heard of Rent and so ordered it through Netflix. I expect to be
disappointed -- unless they use Puccini?s music. From your description I
expected the Netflix watchers to have given it a low rating. Had they done so,
I would not have ordered the movie, but they gave it about a 4.3 out of 5 which
is pretty high. Maybe being familiar with the opera helps. I?ll let you know.
Lawrence
From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Andy
Sent: Sunday, March 02, 2008 7:08 AM
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [lit-ideas] Rent
I saw the movie Rent last night. I'm assuming that something got lost in
the translation between the Broadway hit and the movie. The movie was awful.
Apparently it's based on LaBoheme, which I know nothing about.
It's even worse than Titanic for taking tragedy and turning it into
melodrama, and more boring than Heartbreak Kid. Heartbreak Kid at least had
some pretty interesting psychological profiles in it looking back on it, and I
was curious how they would end it. Rent was a mishmash of drug addicts and
sexually confused people who think their rights are infringed upon because they
can't, collectively no less, pay the rent. The prostitute with a heart of gold
becomes the homosexual with the heart of gold.
On top of which, the music and lyrics were abysmal. I've heard Steven
Sondheim criticized as all his stuff sounding the same, but now I know why his
shows are so popular. I kept hoping that one of the characters would break out
into the song Memory. I saw the movie version of Sondheim's Joseph and the
Multicolored Coat not too long ago, and it was okay, but it was downright art
compared to this. I really hope the show Rent is better than the movie.
Either that or people will pay a lot of money for the opportunity to indulge in
some vicarious slumming. Morbid curiosity accompanied by really bad music, a
universe away from the Bohemia of John Reed and Louise Bryant or the Beats.
If the medium is the message, then this message found its perfect medium in
a really bad movie. Midnight Cowboy it wasn't. Eric, do you know anything
about this show?
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