Located on a small expansion shelf about midway between the Third and Fourth Circles, Musical Hell is presided over by Diva, a minor demon charged with passing judgement on the worst musicals ever committed to film. (She still hasn't figured out if this is their punishment or hers.) Take a seat on the bench and have your earplugs ready, because court is now in session.

New videos posted on the first Monday of the month. Other viewpoints, news, and general ramblings posted when they crop up.

Monday, April 1, 2013

Musical Hell Review: The King and I (ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL)

No foolin', this month marks one year of me doing this review show thing!  And to celebrate, I'm taking a look at one of the worst things to happen to a good musical: the animated adaptation of The King and I!



Special thanks to all the swell folks who contributed cameos to this momentous occasion.  And thank you, yes you, for watching and supporting this strange little project of mine.  It's been a lot of fun, and there's more planned for the future!

8 comments:

  1. I had never even heard of such a thing and now I am informed and entertained. I think I'll skip watching it just the same.
    I wonder if it would even be possible to mount a production of The King and I today without causing offense. The whole thing is built on one Unfortunate Implication after another.

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    1. I'm sure they could--Carousel has been done fairly recently, and that has even more uncomfortable implications with the whole domestic abuse thing.

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  2. I've never had the misfortune of seeing this--I've only gotten my opinions from various online video reviews.

    But another sin that this movie commits is: they never let any of these wonderful songs stand by themselves. These are some of the finest songs in musical theater history, and they throw a whole bunch of distracting (and incongruous) business into each one! "Whistle A Happy Tune" had that ridiculous dragon, "Hello Young Lovers" focused on the Prince showing off his kickboxing (KICKBOXING. During a ROMANTIC BALLAD.), "A Puzzlement" had the crappy CGI statues and the mugging panther, and so on.

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    1. That's a very good point--the visual element detracts from the score rather than complementing it. It's especially sad because the vocals in this film are actually quite good--I rather like Christianne Noll's voice for Anna. (Fun Fact: Anna's speaking voice is none other than Miranda Richardson, last seen in this court as the outRAEgeously akzented Mme. Giry in Phantom of the Opera. At least they had the good sense not to let her sing in this one.)

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  3. You can at least put in a disclaimer for those are “sensitive” or “easily offended” before the video starts.

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  4. I understand you'd removed this over some of your comments. I'd love it if you posted an updated and revised review--the material's too good not to have as part of Musical Hell.

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  5. I'd be interested in re-watching this too. It's her review is what got me to watch her channel, and she had an interesting take on criticizing the film.

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