The Greatest Showman: Smoke, Mirrors, and Autotune
Today, I rewatched The Greatest Showman. This was my second viewing, and I found myself as enthralled and confused as ever. I've loved musicals since I was a kid and Hugh Jackman's charm needs a new word to describe its infectiousness, and yet I'm a historian who urges my students to look for the truth and to celebrate and denigrate historical figures in all of their complicated, shades of gray glory. I sincerely enjoy and am enraptured by The Greatest Showman, but I recognize its faults and failings.
In a way, The Greatest Showman is a perfect representation and both Barnum and the Gilded Age. The movie as all flash and sleight of hand, uplifting the soul in its gorgeous music and with enough of a sincere, feel-good message to melt the heart of the staunchest cynic (namely, me). However, I found myself wanting less spectacle and more nuance. PT Barnum's life story is fascinating and repulsive, full of contradictions and the kind of twists and turns that make him both a fully realized human and the kind of historical figure Pulitzer-winning books are made to be written for. In my search for a good Barnum biography, I found that the most complete ones seem to be out of print and therefore a bit out of my price range. It's enough to make me want to take up the challenge of writing one, but I feel that women's history is my true calling.
Speaking of women, I wanted so much more for Showman's female characters. Barnum's wife, Charity is in Michelle William's capable hands, but there's just not enough for Charity to do. She's there to represent the upper-class approval that Barnum would never get and only has the complexity she does because Williams is a fantastic actress. Rebecca Ferguson's Jenny Lind is equally relegated to playing a one-note Swedish songstress who exists to elevate Barnum's status and provide a tired motive for Barnum to realize he's lost his way in his endless ambition. Hamilton explores similar themes, but manages to provide the material to elevate the women's stories so that they are fully-realized characters with desires beyond being a foil for the leading man. How many times do we need to rehash the ambition vs. family debate? I did really enjoy Zendaya's character and found her duet with Zac Efron's Carlyle to be one of the highlights of the film. I think Zendaya is one to watch and I look forward to seeing what she does in the next few years.
As usual, Hugh Jackman carries the film with his energy and passion for whatever project he throws himself into. Jackman is a chameleon, and gave an equally compelling performance in last year's Logan. Like his Prisoners co-star Jake Gyllenhaal, Jackman rarely gets the credit he deserves for his work and I hope they both get their deserved Oscars one day. (Side note: if you haven't seen Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler, do it now. It's an excellent thriller anchored by his truly frightening character.) Jackman worked for nearly 10 years to get Showman made, and while his performance and the soundtrack are excellent, I can't help but think 10 years in development should've made the writing sharper and more complex. I am pleased for the film's box office success, but this film had the potential to be so much more. I don't understand why the film shied away from Barnum's racism and willingness to exploit anything to reach his goals. This is an age of anti-heroes (Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, House of Cards) and I longed to watch Barnum wrestle with all the parts of his character that made him a legend. I longed for a real examination of the poverty of Gilded-Age New York City and the class system that made Barnum's success worth less to the people who held the power that justified their wealth and existence. There's no need at all to shoehorn in a love triangle that never existed when there are so many real, historical conflicts that would have made for a richer film with real depth beneath its shiny exterior.
All in all, I really enjoyed the film in a lot of ways. I will be purchasing the Blu-Ray, something that I rarely do these days, because it's still a film I enjoy and I want to support a new age of movie musicals. Critically, Showman has plenty of faults and is exactly the kind of smoke and mirrors production that Barnum would have supported. However conflicted I am, this is still one of my favorite recent films for its beauty and sincerity in its simple, "be yourself" message. This is a film I'll keep in constant rotation for its infectious joy and promise of a good time. Even a cynic like me needs that from time to time.
In a way, The Greatest Showman is a perfect representation and both Barnum and the Gilded Age. The movie as all flash and sleight of hand, uplifting the soul in its gorgeous music and with enough of a sincere, feel-good message to melt the heart of the staunchest cynic (namely, me). However, I found myself wanting less spectacle and more nuance. PT Barnum's life story is fascinating and repulsive, full of contradictions and the kind of twists and turns that make him both a fully realized human and the kind of historical figure Pulitzer-winning books are made to be written for. In my search for a good Barnum biography, I found that the most complete ones seem to be out of print and therefore a bit out of my price range. It's enough to make me want to take up the challenge of writing one, but I feel that women's history is my true calling.
Speaking of women, I wanted so much more for Showman's female characters. Barnum's wife, Charity is in Michelle William's capable hands, but there's just not enough for Charity to do. She's there to represent the upper-class approval that Barnum would never get and only has the complexity she does because Williams is a fantastic actress. Rebecca Ferguson's Jenny Lind is equally relegated to playing a one-note Swedish songstress who exists to elevate Barnum's status and provide a tired motive for Barnum to realize he's lost his way in his endless ambition. Hamilton explores similar themes, but manages to provide the material to elevate the women's stories so that they are fully-realized characters with desires beyond being a foil for the leading man. How many times do we need to rehash the ambition vs. family debate? I did really enjoy Zendaya's character and found her duet with Zac Efron's Carlyle to be one of the highlights of the film. I think Zendaya is one to watch and I look forward to seeing what she does in the next few years.
As usual, Hugh Jackman carries the film with his energy and passion for whatever project he throws himself into. Jackman is a chameleon, and gave an equally compelling performance in last year's Logan. Like his Prisoners co-star Jake Gyllenhaal, Jackman rarely gets the credit he deserves for his work and I hope they both get their deserved Oscars one day. (Side note: if you haven't seen Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler, do it now. It's an excellent thriller anchored by his truly frightening character.) Jackman worked for nearly 10 years to get Showman made, and while his performance and the soundtrack are excellent, I can't help but think 10 years in development should've made the writing sharper and more complex. I am pleased for the film's box office success, but this film had the potential to be so much more. I don't understand why the film shied away from Barnum's racism and willingness to exploit anything to reach his goals. This is an age of anti-heroes (Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, House of Cards) and I longed to watch Barnum wrestle with all the parts of his character that made him a legend. I longed for a real examination of the poverty of Gilded-Age New York City and the class system that made Barnum's success worth less to the people who held the power that justified their wealth and existence. There's no need at all to shoehorn in a love triangle that never existed when there are so many real, historical conflicts that would have made for a richer film with real depth beneath its shiny exterior.
All in all, I really enjoyed the film in a lot of ways. I will be purchasing the Blu-Ray, something that I rarely do these days, because it's still a film I enjoy and I want to support a new age of movie musicals. Critically, Showman has plenty of faults and is exactly the kind of smoke and mirrors production that Barnum would have supported. However conflicted I am, this is still one of my favorite recent films for its beauty and sincerity in its simple, "be yourself" message. This is a film I'll keep in constant rotation for its infectious joy and promise of a good time. Even a cynic like me needs that from time to time.
Comments
Post a Comment