Wince With the Wind

The audacity which propels anyone to tamper with a classic novel and movie masterpiece, and transform it into a musical version for the theater, is either a creative genius or a fugitive from the nut house. Why else would anyone reconstruct Margaret Mitchell's 1936 well loved novel Gone With the Wind, and the magnificently crafted David Selznick film of the same title in 1939 into song and dance, except to stun the audience in disbelief and suffocate them with unimaginable boredom. The sheer madness that brought this dreadful concept into actual production is perhaps surpassed only by the unembarrassed mediocrity of the music and lyrics performed on stage.

Audiences worldwide have watched the film more than once, for many, as much as a dozen times; and the visual images, characterizations, and story lines have been so profoundly engraved on the collective consciousness that seeing Rhett Butler break into a song just doesn't register well in the public imagination. And sweet and holy Melanie - weak and dying, but the tragedy of her death is trivialized when she bursts into a song on her deathbed! This is comical. It's as if the Joker came to life hypnotizing the crowd into a state of dumbness, then surrender their brains to make it into high cholesterol burgers.

Trevor Nunn's three and a half hour 4.5 million pounds Production has limitations that diminishes the majesty and intimacy that film can accomplish. The camera could depict the terror on Vivien Leigh's face when she sees the extent of wounded and dying soldiers in the streets; and as the camera pans out, the magnitude of the southern defeat is evident and irreversible. Or, depicting the awesome sight of the burning of Atlanta and close up on Scarlett's expression of determined selfishness and self-preservation. Theater has no means to project this realism. The pathetic stage scene of the burning of Atlanta resembled a backyard barbecue on New Year's Eve!

Critics have not been bowled over by the long winded yet distracting songs with forgettable melodies and hackneyed lyrics. The expected explosive chemistry between Scarlett and Rhett that could have saved the production didn't materialize. The towering drama, the physical presence, and the electrifying performances of Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh - so vividly ingrained in the minds of audiences - cannot be recaptured, much less exceeded, in a portrayal where the intensity is interrupted by the inane lyrics of a song that has to be performed just to look different from the film. This is comparable only to Guy Smiley, a character on Sesame Street belting out the song Gone With the Wind while literally being blown away.

Fans of the film and the novel would do well to avoid this musical version. It would corrupt the beautiful memories and romantic attachments that have been nurtured through many years, tucked safely and securely in the area of the mind reserved for the most wonderful experiences of their lives. Replacing it with a burlesque version that should even have difficulty being shown on Saturday Night Live is an abomination. Apparently the producers and investors don't give a damn about these memories. And tomorrow is another day for them... to be ridiculed and laughed out of business.

Haaarrrwwwwk...Twooooooph...Ting!

Ledger's Lethal Legacy

Death dealt a jarring blow in Hollywood for putting a sudden and abbreviated end to the career of rising star Heath Ledger. Today, it is firing up the publicity for this year's highly anticipated film "Dark Knight", and is at the core of the film's marketing activities. The mystery surrounding Ledger's passing has added an enigmatic dimension to the complicated character he plays in the film, which co-stars believe he poured his soul into. The role of "The Joker" was a personality whom Ledger described as "a psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with no empathy inside him whatsoever". Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker consumed him until he could figure out the motivations and processes behind the criminal's mind. The indelible performance of Jack Nicholson was another factor Heath had to contend with.

The portrayal of a deviously wicked character, who delights in subjecting his victims to painful deaths while menacingly taunting them in the process, can only be the product of a convoluted mind completely absorbed in the evil that he applies with unabashed glee. This is the essence of the Joker, a man who is totally blinded by hatred which becomes his reason for living; and where he finds an uncanny fulfillment in its full expression by way of revenge. The superb handling by Jack Nicholson of this role stands out as the benchmark performance for the characterization of the Joker. He effectively wiped out the previous actor who played the part on television, and became the quintessential villain for the 70 year old comic book classic, Batman. With the exception of Danny DeVito's Penguin role, Nicholson is regarded as the ultimate Batman archfiend.

The profound immersion of Heath Ledger in the same role has produced a chillingly demonic persona that is morbidly terrifying and disturbingly penetrating; and video clips used to promote the film never fails to elicit hair raising fears that people talk about after its short preview. The images stick to the mind as if the Joker has possession of some portions of one's mental faculties. Heath inhabits the character with such grim determination, creating a sense that one is witnessing the workings of the Joker. It goes beyond just being a great piece of acting, but a vision of a black and twisted soul that has ceased to be human.

There seems to be a unanimous agreement that Heath Ledger more than held his own against the performance of Jack Nicholson for the same part. Some have opined that Jack seemed to be having fun in the film, at times dishing out a giddy scene in the process. Ledger's creation runs into the same character vein but with a much deeper sinister intent. Co-stars have noted how he suffered sleepless nights in a role that he said seemed to be changing his own personality to match the character he plays. And it scared him. This is not Ledger's last film, but it will be his legacy as a great actor. The characterization is in the realm of the darkest recesses of man's capacity for evil, and Heath gave his soul to the role. This is his signature role, one that will be the basis of comparisons with future performances if he had lived. It's what probably killed him, but the choice was worse if being alive meant being the Joker.

Haaarrrrwwwwk...Twoooooph...Ting!