The production team are working overtime this morning trying to get all the finishing touches completed with the set and lights. I never quite know what to do with myself on a morning off this close to opening, so I am working a bit on my next project but mainly enjoying Fred Astaire in The Broadway Melody of 1940. Thought I'd blog it for two reasons:
1. They have a fantastic bit about a comic opera singer giving a deliberately bad audition. At the end she rollerskates into the wings and we hear a horrendous crash. Not to tip our hand too much, but we have a similar joke in The Mikado. Made me wonder when certain gags become classics. A person careening offstage to the sound of a crashbox has been with us for decades if not centuries, but when did it become classic? When did the sound of a cat yowling get added to the end of the crashing sound? I've known this gag (fancy folk call it a trope or meme) for as long as I can remember, but where and when did it start?
2. Dance sequences in movies today are so hopelessly edited that any sense of movement, grace, or energy comes form the simulated motion of the editing, not from the performers themselves. The shots for these dance sequences hit the 2 minute range easily. They are much more of a performer's medium. While I love movies from all times and genres, I certainly miss the focus these older movies put on the dance. Of course these days Fred Astaire would never make it on Broadway or the movies--not with ears like those.
Tonight we continue our stage piano rehearsals--getting the show settled into the space, working out technical issues, and playing with the lights. I've been too busy running around the theatre checking sightlines to remember to take pictures--I'll try to be better today...
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2 comments:
Fred Astaire - one of my idols! And one of the things that made Fred a radical was his insistence that he be filmed full-length at all times - no close-ups of just his feet or his left hand or whatever. Wish someone would go back to that - I am SO weary of close-ups that don't give you the full picture (literally & figuratively) of the movement.
That said, I will make exceptions for certain dance forms. For example, I have no complaint with a BRIEF close-up of a bellydancer's hips during her drum solo, or a flamenco dancer's feet, but I want those to be brief. Give me the larger context, or those fine points lose their meaning.
I am SO with you on this editing issue. The excessive editing and flash shots are just a cheat--and I know there are stage dancers out there with the stamina and style to keep you entertained for more than two minutes without stopping. Let's see what they can do.
As for Fred Astaire, some of us find him extremely attractive, ears and all!
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