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<\/a><\/p>\nFor those unfamiliar with this now classic Broadway telling, INTO THE WOODS is the melding of the best of the Grimm Brothers fairytales and characters, just tweaked a little, as the individual tales overlap and come together, and all with more than a bit of a darker twist celebratory of the original fairytales as opposed to the centuries of sanitized \u201chappily ever afters\u201d.<\/p>\n
From the film\u2019s opening, music knows no bounds and thanks to the introductory \u201cInto the Woods\u201d, we meet all of our characters and learn their desires and desired.\u00a0 The Baker and Mrs. Baker want nothing more than to have a child, but have been unable to thanks to a curse that the Witch who lives next door placed on Baker\u2019s father when he snuck into her garden to steal not just her precious greens, but all the witch\u2019s magic beans.\u00a0 But the Witch is willing to make a deal and reverse the curse if Baker will go into the woods and, before the chime of midnight in three day\u2019s time,\u00a0 bring to her the cow as white as milk, the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn, the slipper as pure gold.\u00a0 Of course, all of these are iconic items significant to the stories of other folks in fairytale kingdom.<\/p>\n
And while the Witch is weaving her spell on Baker and Mrs. Baker, the musical montage also introduces us to Little Red Riding Hood who is heading into the woods to see her Grandmother; Jack, who has been ordered by his mother to take his beloved cow Milky-White to market in exchange for money for food; Rapunzel, who has been hidden away in a tower imprisoned by her \u201cmother\u201d, the Witch; and Cinderella, who wants to go to the festival and dance before the Prince.<\/p>\n As is trademark Sondheim, the journey INTO THE WOODS is metaphoric for the journeys and paths we each must travel in life while providing an intricate commentary on society and the world.\u00a0 Introducing complex themes that center around the ideologies of love, loss, greed, and the seven deadly sins, life changing events face each of our characters as Cinderella finds her backbone to defy her Stepmother, but at what cost, and is the grass really greener on the other side; Jack, who doesn\u2019t listen to his mother and swaps Milky-White with the Baker for some magic beans, takes the easy way out and dreams big reaching for the pie, or golden harp, in the sky; Red Riding Hood faces her own awakening thanks to a dastardly seductive Wolf; as for Prince Charming, well he might not be all that charming once you look behind his over-inflated ego; and then the poor Bakers – they keep losing the very things they find and keep running in circles in pursuit of their dream.<\/p>\n But what happens when all the fairytale worlds collide and each must face the consequences of their actions?<\/p>\n Adapted by James Lapine who wrote the book for the stage musical, and Stephen Sondheim who adapts some of his songs for the film while keeping the majority true to their original form, INTO THE WOODS is laced with innuendo (particularly in the encounter between a zoot-suited whisker twirling Wolf played by Johnny Depp and Little Red Riding Hood) but above all, as we are seeing with the recent crop of Disney releases like \u201cMaleficent\u201d, doesn\u2019t sugarcoat either the fairytale world on screen or its real world counterpart.\u00a0 Focusing on the psychological aspects and morality laced symbolism of the woods, lyrics speak volumes about life, our pursuits, our compromises, our \u201csettling of mediocrity\u201d, our curiosity, e.g., \u201cIsn\u2019t it nice to know a lot? And a little bit not.\u201d or \u201cIs it always \u2018or\u2019?\u00a0 Is it never \u2018and\u2019?\u201d\u00a0 A testament to the skill of Sondheim and Lapine is that the story and songs are accessible to multiple generations, speaking to each with the same words, but with different meaning and interpretation given a person\u2019s age and life experience.\u00a0 Notable is that according to Rob Marshall, \u201c[Lapine and Sondheim] were so flexible about the material, even more flexible in a weird way than I was. . .They understood this was a film and there are certain things you can\u2019t do.\u00a0 The stage conventions of speaking directly to an audience or singing directly to an audience you can\u2019t do on film.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t work.\u00a0 So you have to reimagine those kind of things and that\u2019s what we did throughout.\u201d<\/p>\n Story structure is well defined with the first half of the film setting the stage for \u201chappily ever after\u201d and were this 1939 or Broadway, after a brief intermezzo, the second half addressing the consequences of the perceived happiness.\u00a0 Tonal shift is beautifully executed not only due to Lapine\u2019s script, but the work of cinematographer Dion Beebe and editor Wyatt Smith who seamlessly transition lighting and lensing, sometimes even within a specific song sequence, complete with fast camera movement and fast cuts.\u00a0 Beebe makes great use of a two or wide shot to open up the frame while allowing our gaze to focus not only on the performances, but on the peripheral intricacies of the production design.\u00a0 Adding great texture and depth of field to the proceedings is the use of midnight blues and its variant hues in the color wash of the woods.\u00a0 As opposed to the oft over-used brown and greys, here, production designer Dennis Gassner and Beebe combine their visual talents to deliver a beauteous pallette with a more fairytale feel.<\/p>\n One of Rob Marshall\u2019s strong suits in his direction of INTO THE WOODS is his decision to use practical sets, and in the case of Jack\u2019s Giant (wonderfully played by \u201cHarry Potter\u201d veteran Frances de la Tour), miniatures.\u00a0 Steeping the actors in the physical moment, especially with something that has to have the flow, the lyrical flow and melodic flow that compliments the music, adds texture and emotional resonance to the performances and the film as a whole.\u00a0 As Marshall told me, \u201cEven though it is a fairy tale and we live in a heightened reality in this movie, I wanted it to feel real.\u00a0 I wanted the people to be \u2018real\u2019 because you\u2019re asked to care for them, you\u2019re asked to really follow their journeys.\u00a0 So when it gets to the end of the piece, you\u2019re really asked to be with them and feel for them. . .I like to give the actors the best chance to do that and for me, it\u2019s being in a real space, not like in a green room somewhere trying to pretend they\u2019re doing something.\u00a0 I feel like if they can be in a real woods – Granny\u2019s tree, for instance, is a real tree.\u00a0 And Windsor Great Park or the tree that Jack is climbing in \u2018Giants in the Sky\u2019 is a real tree, a real castle.\u00a0 We went to Dover Castle.\u00a0 Somehow I just feel that it brings it all to life in a much more true way because it\u2019s tangible.\u201d\u00a0 Among the locations selected for filming are Ashridge Estate outside Berkhamsted, England.\u00a0 An ancient forest, Ashridge became home to Jack and Milky-White complete with the beanstalk tree and a turn-of-the-century barn, while the Baker\u2019s village was Hambleden Village.\u00a0 Breathtaking are the Cascade Waterfalls which serve as the backdrop to the single most outstanding and hilarious scene of the film – \u201cAgony\u201d performed by Handsome Prince Charming Chris Pine and Other-Handsome Prince Billy Magnussen.\u00a0\u00a0 No stone of reality was left unturned.<\/p>\n The authenticity of the locations and practical sets also afford Marshall the ability to create an emotional intimacy (especially in the woods themselves) that has an expansive, non-claustrophobic feel.\u00a0 However, while I find the film more restrained or tempered than I had hoped it would be given the visual possibilities of adapting for film, and all the tools available to Marshall in the cinematic toolbox, Marshall addressed my concerns, supporting the more theatrical staging as opposed to over-the-top effects.\u00a0 \u201cThe most important thing is to serve the actor for me, and serve the piece, and serve the story.\u00a0 So I only use the tools that you\u2019re describing when that enhances that. . .[I]t should feel like it\u2019s unfolding naturally, organically flowing, fluidly.\u00a0 Same with the editing, same with all of it.\u00a0 It should look like it\u2019s all happening and we\u2019re just involved in that. . .I want you to go into this piece and feel like you\u2019re inside it and it\u2019s happening organically.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Significant too, is that the real magic of INTO THE WOODS is Sondheim\u2019s music which never requires effects to make it soar.\u00a0\u00a0 (And with the orchestrations here being the originals by Jonathan Tunick and conducted by Paul Gemignani, it\u2019s as if the heavens have opened.)<\/p>\n But with an adaptation of a Stephen Sondheim musical comes the need for actors who can act and sing.\u00a0 A virtually flawless casting of talent, performance surprises abound, most notably Chris Pine who steals the entire film not only with his egomaniacal self-deprecating comedic delivery and perfect timing as Prince Charming, but with his showstopping performance of \u201cAgony\u201d!\u00a0\u00a0 (Is it Chris Pine or is this William Shatner? The performance stylings of the two Star Trek captains is becoming eerily similar – and welcome!)<\/p>\n Another surprise is Emily Blunt.\u00a0 We know she can act, but we didn\u2019t know she can sing.\u00a0 And boy can she.\u00a0 But beyond the voice, it\u2019s Blunt\u2019s performance that is the heart and soul of INTO THE WOODS.\u00a0 She is the most emotionally resonant of the characters and the actors, tapping into a multiplicity of emotions dependent upon character interaction, with each as engaging and believable as the next.\u00a0 Where Blunt really hits the nail on the head, however, is going toe-to-toe with Meryl Streep.\u00a0 As we have seen time and again with Streep and Blunt, they are a force to be reckoned with and here is no different.\u00a0 Their emotional one-two dance is both exciting and heartwarming to watch.<\/p>\n And what of Meryl Streep?\u00a0 Proving her vocal mettle in \u201cMamma Mia!\u201d, we know Streep can sing, but what of the verbal gymnastics and intricate musicality of a Sondheim song?\u00a0 Streep nails it.\u00a0 And surprisingly, while all the musical performances were pre-recorded, on each day of shooting the actors were given the option of singing live for the film.\u00a0 According to co-star Christine Baranski, for Streep\u2019s opening prologue number singing about greens and the Witch\u2019s curse, Streep \u201cripped out her earwig and sang live.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 But it\u2019s Streep\u2019s riveting performance of \u201cChildren Will Listen\u201d that will bring a tear to your eye and have you begging for more.\u00a0 The emotion she brings to this piece is beyond palpable.<\/p>\n No stranger to Sondheim or Rob Marshall is Christine Baranski who is a haughty delight as the Stepmother, giving her an almost Sharon Osborne flair.\u00a0 Baranski is divine both in performance and musicality.\u00a0 As stepdaughters Lucinda and Florinda are Lucy Punch and Tammy Blanchard, respectively, with each adding fuel to the fire of fun.<\/p>\n While I am ambivalent as to her casting as Cinderella, there is no doubt about Anna Kendrick\u2019s vocal skills. Theatre trained and learning musical chops on stage early on, her musicality here is flawless.\u00a0 Unfortunately, I find her performance a bit uncomfortable and perhaps even miscast.<\/p>\n And speaking of uncomfortable, how about uncomfortable perfection, in which case look no further than Johnny Depp as the salacious Wolf.\u00a0 Looking every bit the part of a wolf and attired in one of costume designer Colleen Atwood\u2019s most stunning pieces in INTO THE WOODS, Depp\u2019s seductive performance with the young Lilla Crawford as Little Red Riding Hood may prove unsettling for some parents, although I doubt children will understand the underpinnings of Depp\u2019s performance and the character.<\/p>\n Not to be overlooked are Tracey Ullman as Jack\u2019s downtrodden, strict, yet loving Mother, Billy Magnussen as the Not-So-Charming Prince who pines for Rapunzel, an adorable Daniel Huttlestone as Jack, and of course, James Corden as The Baker.\u00a0 Corden is just a teddy bear whose mere presence will make anyone feel safe in the woods, even if Baker is shaking in his boots. And if you haven\u2019t heard Corden sing in any of his other films out this year (\u201cBegin Again\u201d and \u201cOnce\u201d, you are in for a real treat here.)<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n