Coen Brothers to make a musical (1 Viewer)

[Vickie_M]

Coen Bros. Tune Up for Musical
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The duo have reportedly agreed to produce and direct Romance and Cigarettes, a new musical being written by one of their favorite actors, John Turturro. (Aside from O Brother, Turturro starred in the Coens' Barton Fink, The Big Lebowski and Miller's Crossing.)
According to Variety, the story is a cross between the stylized 1981 Steve Martin musical Pennies from Heaven and The Honeymooners (remember, this is the Coen brothers) and takes place in Turturro's hometown of Bensonhurst, New York.
Unlike O Brother--in which most of the cast, including star George Clooney, lip-synched to professional musicians--Romance and Cigarettes will follow the lead of Moulin Rouge and have all the actors doing their own singing and dancing.
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I'll be first in line to see ANYTHING the Coen Brothers do, but it seems as if the remake of Gambit has been put on hold or chucked by the wayside, and that's really disappointing to me.

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

This sounds intriguing, to say the least. Thanks for the head's-up.

I'll be first in line to see ANYTHING the Coen Brothers do,

Ditto!

 

[Ruth_F]

ummm a "soprano" musical uh?

 

[Kevin M]

Personally I consider O'Brother, Where art thou? to be a musical but not in the traditional sense of the word.

 

[Paul_D]

And The Big Lebowski has a few musical sequences. This could be fun.

 

[David Hill]

Kevin,

I too love O Brother, but I can't see how it can be described as a musical. Do you mind explaining why you do?
Sure, they play in a band, but that's all pretty incidental to the story (IMHO).

Cheers!

David

 

[Scott Leopold]

I also conside O, Brother to be a musical. The music plays an integral part of the movie. From the scene with the sirens, to the baptism, to the hanging, the music flows throughout the movie, carries the story, and sets the mood. It may not have the flashy sets and dance numbers of traditional Hollywood musicals, but the music is just as important in this as it is in any of the classics.

 

[Marc Colella]

Well I look forward to anything the Coens do.
These guys can't seem to do anything wrong.
In the meantime, I'm anxious to see Intolerable Cruelty.
Although I'm not really a fan of Catherine Zeta-Jones, the Coens have put together a decent cast with George Clooney, Billy Bob Thornton and Geoffrey Rush.
At $60M, Intolerable Cruelty is by far the highest budgeted Coen Brothers film.
Should be interesting.

 

[David Hill]

But by that criteria even 2001 A Space Odyssy is also a musical. Many films have "music that flows throughout the movie", or "sets the mood" which couldn't possibly be called musicals - think of the spaghetti westerns!

For me, a musical is a flim where the songs themselves move the plot on. Obvious example; Moulin Rouge uses songs for the characters to express their feelings towards each other.

But O Brother? Do the lyrics of I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow really describe Ulyssys feelings, position?

Regards

David

 

[Kevin M]

As Scott stated, the music in OBWAT IMO is not only a "mood setting" device but an integral part of the film-story itself. The musical culture of the south started, surrounded & ended O'Brother, in the exact same way as R&R did in American Graffiti & the music in that film was the very air that those teens breathed, not merely a set piece but almost a character in itself.
In 2001:A Space Odyssey the music set the mood, in OBWAT & AG the music was the mood.
That's how I see O'Brother anyway but (as they say) your mileage may vary.
(edited for clarification, my 2001 mention seemed like a year not a film :b )

 

[Brent Bridgeman]

Does anyone else here want to hear John Goodman sing in a falsetto? How about "Raising Arizona: The Country Western Musical". Songs include "In Dutch Again", "Bringin' a Baby Back Home", "Flight of the Hayseeds", and "Keep Your Damn Hands Off My Wife".

 

[SteveGon]

Sounds pretty.....interesting...