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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jan 6, 2021 21:16:02 GMT
Madonna Madonna Madonna
I can’t believe we have never come up with this before. She’s perfect for it.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2021 22:22:16 GMT
Madonna's new face will never be ready for a close up.
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Post by danb on Jan 6, 2021 22:23:34 GMT
Madonna's new face will never be ready for a close up. It would have changed again by the time they finished zooming.
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Post by carmella1 on Jan 7, 2021 1:59:11 GMT
Glen brought Michael Xavier with her all over and he has done tv he could be Joe. Otherwise who would you have Harry Styles, Justin Beiber, Josh Groban. Actually they way the age differnce would be John Barrowman would be an excellent choice as Joe. His "Sunset Blvd". is awesome.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2021 9:34:47 GMT
Worst case scenario Norma: Barbra Streisand Joe: Hugh Jackman Max: James Corden
If they try 'Greatest Showman' this movie, I will go looting.
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Post by musicalmarge on Jan 8, 2021 8:01:30 GMT
Worst case scenario Norma: Barbra Streisand Joe: Hugh Jackman Max: James Corden If they try 'Greatest Showman' this movie, I will go looting. Omg no!!!
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Post by distantcousin on Jan 10, 2021 16:46:08 GMT
Madonna Madonna Madonna I can’t believe we have never come up with this before. She’s perfect for it. Of course she is. ALW said 7 years ago he would love her to play it.
If she actually took singing lessons again, she could totally bring authenticity, gravitas and star megawattage to the project.
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Post by distantcousin on Jan 10, 2021 16:47:44 GMT
I agree. An older Norma totally works for me. Having someone washed-up and forgotten about and crazy in their 40s or 50s doesn't have the same weight. Actresses like Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman etc who are in that age bracket haven't been forgotten and are still considered relevant and popular, so why would the same not apply for Norma? I think 60s at the youngest, which Glenn can pass for. And I know her voice is very divisive but her performance completely blew me away. I'd rather have a layered performance from a skilled actress with rougher vocals, than a two-dimensional performance from someone who can belt brashly but has no vulnerability at all.
It SHOULD be someone in their 50's, but someone who was much loved 25 years ago but has been out of the limelight for a number of reasons (e.g. kids, bad luck with career, bad health etc)
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Post by distantcousin on Jan 10, 2021 16:48:39 GMT
Some of us were too young/not born when that happened - makes it harder to remember! [b. Youtube is great for that.
But there is virtually no broadcast quality footage that does it justice.
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Post by distantcousin on Jan 10, 2021 16:53:41 GMT
I hesitate to wade in as everyone knows my views (not just older but ridiculously too old and her singing voice is not just weak it simply cannot cope with this score). But I adore Sunset so can't resist sorry! With Glenn of course people's opinions are a matter of taste. But why is there a lack of ambition and expectation for this? I hear a lot of "she may not be the best singer but her acting is incredible so she is the one." Well, how about someone that can do both! There is literally the entire world of actresses. I refuse to believe that there isn't someone who can act the hell out of it AND sing the hell out of it and completely blow us away. This is what the aspiration should be! Not accepting someone as she's an amazing actress and a few people had a quasi religious experience at the ENO. Sadly I am not a film buff so I have no idea who. Looking back at Nunn's Normas (and I am not in a million years suggesting any of these as they are ALL too old), EP kinda had the opposite problem, she nailed every note but the acting was a bit camp. Patti for me utterly sang and acted. I mean she is so bonkers anyway she just embodies this character. I do know she is another one that people have strong reactions to though. So take Betty Buckley - her voice was phenomenal and her acting of Norma was mind blowing. Someone like that would be so so good. And it bothers me that people just accept Glenn is good enough. Sunset is one of the most epic musicals of all time and we should be WOWED. The film should be epic. There should also be singles recordings of Norma's two main songs that you can listen to when not watching the film over and over again and be blown away; these are ALW's finest and the music is the star. That isn't Glenn. One more thought - Norma IS meant to be young, That's the point. It is the new technology that cut short the careers of the silent stars, not their age, and part of the tragedy was that so many were so young. They became bonkers in early middle age. Anyway, between the endless delays, coronavirus and how badly ALW was stung by Cats (I think he's realised he can never have the artistic control he wants with movies) I can't see this being made. If it does though, Glenn seems to have cemented herself to it so strongly (is she a co-producer) I am sure it will be her. Getting modern stage musicals to successful films is hard, especially for more or less sung through ones. Really for me it is only Evita so far that has worked. And there are so many complex issues with Sunset that it may be best if it remains just a stage musical.
Bravo to everything in this post.
Indeed the greater tragedy that the audience should see is when someone who is still not old has been through on the scrapheap.
That REALLY displays the callousness of Hollywood. Glenn Close down the ENO as the eccentric frail, vulnerable pensioner was a very different take on the role. I loved her performance (more the second time I saw it), but to me, that is not who Norma Desmond is.
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Post by distantcousin on Jan 10, 2021 16:56:40 GMT
Catherine Zeta Jones may well be the next best bet if it drags on much longer. I certainly agree that we should aim high. As with the Wicked discussion isn’t thrre just a good pro-shot version of Glenn on stage that would satisfy people so that the movie can fly? In my limited film knowledge, CZJ was the one person that sprang to mind! But there must be so many people.... Agree! They must have filmed the ENO version. Am convinced a pro shot stage version is the best thing for a sung through musical (the Miss Saigon one was brilliant). The feature film just has so many problems. CZJ has the fragility (having retreated from work somewhat due to her bipolar), it feels like she has a lot more to offer and is due a "return", she is the great beauty that Norma was, has the poise and glamour and I have no doubts she could act and sing it fantastically (she would have to dig deeper than she's ever gone on the acting side though)
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Post by robertb213 on Jan 10, 2021 16:59:31 GMT
I do love the take that she wasn't old and that the world moved on due to technology etc while she was still in her prime, that's really interesting.
The original film has her at 50. Not sure if this line is in the stage version though.
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Post by distantcousin on Jan 10, 2021 17:01:50 GMT
I do love the take that she wasn't old and that the world moved on due to technology etc while she was still in her prime, that's really interesting. The original film has her at 50. Not sure if this line is in the stage version though.
It is
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Post by danb on Jan 10, 2021 19:09:08 GMT
Madonna Madonna Madonna I can’t believe we have never come up with this before. She’s perfect for it. I’m a huge Madonna fan, but no. She hasn’t acted in 20 years and wasn’t very good at it to begin with. She’s too busy working on her biopic anyway now, and has a botched bum lift to fix. She hasn’t acted since Evita! I’m not sure what the word is for what she did after that (and I saw ‘Up For Grabs’).
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Post by Being Alive on Jan 10, 2021 19:44:29 GMT
Catherine Zeta Jones is a GREAT shout
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Post by danb on Jan 10, 2021 21:00:59 GMT
She’s an excellent pop star Kevin, and was great playing a version of herself in Desperately Seeking Susan. Everything else bar the fluke of Evita has been pretty grim.
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Post by clair on Jan 10, 2021 21:09:40 GMT
I know this is off the original topic but the one really good thing Madonna did when I saw 'Up For Grabs' was the opposite of the play's title. The performance that I saw I came out glad to have seen it, not rating her acting but being impressed that when she was on stage but in the background she stayed completely still and never attempted to take attention from the other actors in the foreground. Most of the audience were there to see Madonna and all she would have had to do was move her head to get that attention - many a 'better' actor has been unable to have the grace to do that in a variety of productions that I've seen!
Do I think she can act Norma? No but then I'm not the one getting to cast it, who knows what will happen - if it ever does happen.
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Post by danb on Jan 10, 2021 21:25:34 GMT
I like to think that Alan Parker just didn’t take any crap from her so got to complete his vision his way. He would have been a great choice for Sunset too.
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Post by steve10086 on Jan 10, 2021 21:32:03 GMT
I like to think that Alan Parker just didn’t take any crap from her so got to complete his vision his way. He would have been a great choice for Sunset too. I think he would too. Wouldn’t have tried to do anything “clever” to disguise it being a musical, just would have made a damn good unashamed movie musical, as he did with Evita.
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Post by distantcousin on Jan 11, 2021 19:39:27 GMT
I like to think that Alan Parker just didn’t take any crap from her so got to complete his vision his way. He would have been a great choice for Sunset too. Indeed. I got the impression she was very reverential towards Parker and pretty much did as she was told (even if she moaned about it in her Vanity Fair diaries!)
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2021 16:42:06 GMT
Would be very happy to see Madonna in this.
But having seen Lady Gaga just belt out the national anthem at the inauguration - struck me that she is no more bonkers a suggestion to play Norma on film than many who have been mooted thus far.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2021 17:41:56 GMT
Would be very happy to see Madonna in this. But having seen Lady Gaga just belt out the national anthem at the inauguration - struck me that she is no more bonkers a suggestion to play Norma on film than many who have been mooted thus far. Haven’t you been arguing Glenn is a decade+ too old? Well Gaga is a decade+ too young. Certainly have. And I've been told repeatedly that the actual age of the actress is not important! I dunno - personally am at the stage where I'd like to leave the opinions of the best and worst Nunn's Normas behind and get someone new and fresh for the film. IMHO there is someone out there.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jan 20, 2021 18:30:49 GMT
Ability to sing it isn’t an issue for cinema. They’d make Madonna sound amazing just as they would Glen. As for the acting, Glen would kill it, Madonna could be ok if they went down the Evita route where it was effectively a long play music video. She’s not great with dialogue but how much Norma dialogue is there? It’s not like it’s full of bleedin’ speeches is it? It’s all soundbites. I think she could handle it and any overacting could be attributed to Norma’s silent movie past. I can see how both of them could be amazing given the right director.
Have we discussed Bette Midler? 🤭
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Post by danb on Jan 20, 2021 22:52:18 GMT
I still say CZJ or maybe Pfeiffer. She’s a cracking actress with an ok voice.
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Post by missbabs on Oct 6, 2021 18:43:23 GMT
ALW has announced that the film version has stalled - Paramount are not interested.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Oct 6, 2021 19:00:41 GMT
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Post by steve10086 on Oct 6, 2021 19:09:46 GMT
B*llocks
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Post by max on Oct 6, 2021 19:30:46 GMT
I wonder if a recorded/video performance (or a few pers edited), is low enough status for Paramount to allow instead. So many films fall flat, it might be better. I'd rather have the Live TV 'JCS' with John Legend than someone's high stakes movie remake, which was touted a few years before. I think Glenn Close's performance is worth capturing.
While they're about it - the Hal Prince 'Evita' should be captured forever. Lady Gaga please.
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Post by inthenose on Oct 6, 2021 19:40:49 GMT
Gutted
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Oct 6, 2021 19:43:10 GMT
Just to make the point that this is another “ALW says” situation (assuming the report is true) and we all know what a prize bullsh*tter he is. Difficult to see why he would say this if not true but …
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