Product Description
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Set in America's heartland, this timeless musical tells the
story of two young teens who find true love with the help of
their hers, a traveling carnival road show... and, of course,
a little magic. This 1995 film was directed by Michael Ritchie
and stars Joel Grey, Barnard Hughes, Jean Louisa Kelly, and Joe
McIntyre. Based on the long-running off-off-Broadway musical by
Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt.
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Having opened off-Broadway in 1960 and still going strong, The
Fantasticks would seem a natural for the movies. Or would it? The
musical's charm hangs on a particular kind of magic
incubated exclusively in live theater. This didn't stop the
chiefs of rudderless United Artists from bankrolling a film
version in 1995, closely scripted from the play by original
authors Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt. With the movie finished,
the studio deduced there was no mass audience for the
old-fashioned, stage-struck musical, and promptly set it on the
shelf for five years.
A slimmer version of the film was briefly released to theaters
in 2000, after being cut by Francis Cla (with the approval of
director Michael Ritchie). The cutting, sometimes within songs,
seems capricious--if the movie was destined to be a flop either
way, why not let it play out at full length? All of this ought to
set off alarm bells... and yet, it turns out there's a bit of
theatrical pixie dust left in the old thing after all. Ritchie
and topnotch cinematographer Fred Murphy shoot many of the songs
beautifully, setting them in the film's postcard-Midwest magic
hour (best seen on the widescreen DVD). The genial tone, though
admittedly precious, makes for a pleasant ride. It's a movie
preadolescent girls can watch with their grandmothers without
embarrassment on either side. Playing the archetypal boy and girl
are former New Kid on the Block Joe McIntyre and Mr. Holland's
Opus songbird Jean Louisa Kelly; he fits the part of an amiable
doofus very well, while Kelly has the breathless dreaminess of
youth and an intriguing undercurrent of restlessness. Their
feuding hers are the able Joel Grey and Brad Sullivan, and
Jonathan Morris looks every inch the carnival maestro who gives
these simple folk a glimpse at their dreams. Curiously, the
show's signature song ("Try to Remember") is given only an
abbreviated airing at the end. And how dare they cut " a
Radish"? --Robert Horton
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Set Contains:
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The widescreen DVD includes a plethora of deleted scenes and
songs. Most of these are charming (with a much longer version of
the most famous song from the show, "Try to Remember"), which
makes the cutting even more maddening. The deletions contain more
business with Barnard Hughes and the magician Teller (who speaks,
uncharacteristically) and the entire performance of the late
Charles Hallahan. Director Michael Ritchie's commentary track is
informative, with no awkward pauses from this well-spoken
Hollywood pro. --Robert Horton
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