Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt’s The Fantasticks is one of those intimate, charming theatrical parables whose utter preciousness either works for an audience or it doesn’t. It obviously worked for New York audiences since the original production ran off-Broadway for forty-two years, a record for New York theatrical events which is likely never to be broken. But turning such a delicate piece of theater with a tiny cast and a simple story into a feature film is a project one wouldn’t wish on his worst enemy. Amazingly, director Michael Ritchie along with the show’s creators Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt completely reconceived the material for the big screen, and the result is a surprisingly tart tale of blissfully youthful romance and a rude awakening to reality that goes far afield from the tone of the original play and yet works on its own terms quite wonderfully.
Studio: MGM
Distributed By: Twilight Time
Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audio: English 2.0 DTS-HDMA, English 5.1 DTS-HDMA
Subtitles: English SDH
Rating: PG
Run Time: 1 Hr. 27 Min.
Package Includes: Blu-ray
clear keep caseDisc Type: BD50 (dual layer)
Region: All
Release Date: 04/14/2015
MSRP: $29.95
The Production Rating: 4/5
With Schmidt and Jones’ idea of turning El Gallo into a carnival owner/huckster running a traveling circus filled with illusions, the movie becomes a study in illusion versus reality, a theme that will weigh heavily on all the characters but especially for the character of Luisa. From her opening song of delirious wanting “Much More” to her big (artificial) romantic set piece with El Gallo “Round and Round,” Luisa’s journey is filled with experiences which bit by bit shake the stardust from her eyes allowing her to see the world as it really is and to begin to make decisions as a young woman and not an adolescent. While director Michael Ritchie has cast the movie with a couple of actors who are shaky in the vocal department (especially Brad Sullivan as Matt’s father), the beautiful score is given its due especially by the two singing young stars. Their duets to “Metaphor,” “Soon It’s Gonna Rain,” and “They Were You” are beautifully felt and emotionally expressed, and the sour, soul scorching “This Plum Is Too Ripe” in which the two families express disillusionment over the plan gone wrong in the cold light of day makes a great moment of conflict come alive at the halfway mark in the story. The musical’s seminal song “Try to Remember” in the final cut offered here is placed at the end of the film as a kind of reflective comment on what has gone before, not exactly ineffectual but the one jarring note to fans of the theater piece which opened with the song (and which is included in the director’s original theatrical version also on this disc). Its omission from the beginning now certainly makes the viewer aware that this is not The Fantasticks that he’s used to seeing on stage. Ritchie’s use of Panavision widescreen for such an intimate tale might also give one pause, but he uses his wide canvas expressively (a lovely dance sequence in the middle of “Round and Round” makes ultimate use of the wide frame) and throughout shows he has the imagination and wherewithal to direct a musical even though previously the closest he had come to the form was Bette Midler’s Divine Madness which was simply a record of her stage extravaganza.
With a lovely voice and expressive eyes, Jean Louisa Kelly makes an ideal Luisa handling the vocalizing and acting with abandon. Fresh from New Kids on the Block, Joe McIntyre also is a solid, appealing Matt. Even paired with the less worthy singing of Jonathon Morris’s El Gallo, his “I Can See It” offers the thrill of new adventure, and all of his duets with Kelly are special and heartfelt. Joel Grey and Brad Sullivan are wonderful fathers, Grey especially making use of his singing and dancing talents to add subtle touches of fatherly love and affection in scenes with Kelly. Jonathon Morris’ singing voice may be a tad light for the animated El Gallo, but he’s otherwise wonderful in the role offering verve and brio at all the right moments and a touch of wistfulness, too, at his more rapscallion-like maneuvers. The always terrific Barnard Hughes and amusing mime Teller do very nicely with the Old Actor Henry and his companion Mortimer who weave into and out of the narrative at important moments.
Video Rating: 4.5/5 3D Rating: NA
Audio Rating: 4.5/5
Special Features Rating: 4.5/5
Isolated Score Track: presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1.
Original Theatrical Cut of The Fantasticks (1:49:46, SD): this is Ritchie’s original cut with “Try to Remember” up front and “Plant a Radish” back in the running order.
Theatrical Trailer (2:11, SD)
MGM 90th Anniversary Trailer (2:06, HD)
Six-Page Booklet: offers a selection of color stills, original poster art on the back cover, and film historian Julie Kirgo’s enlightening essay offering information on the original stage production, the film, and its aftermath.
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Reviewed By: Matt Hough
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