The Producers (2005 Movie Soundtrack)
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Free Music Notes for The Producers (2005 Movie Soundtrack)
Free Music Review: Great------Great
Hit: 5 Stars
This CD is a fabulous driving companion. Fabulous - you have the stars right in your car. Loved it.
lca
Free Music Review: Hilarious!
Hit: 5 Stars
Hilarious lyrics and music, though I may caution against singing "Springtime for Hitler" in public....Free Music Review: Glad I bought this great CD
Hit: 5 Stars
The music is addictive, all of it top notch. The whole cast is so incredibly talented!Free Music Review: Zingy Soundtrack Captures the Brooksian Spirit of Susan Stroman's Musical Film Version
Hit: 4 Stars
Bombastic with an undeniably glossy sheen, the soundtrack to the film adaptation of the smash 2001 Broadway musical version is almost as much fun as the movie itself. With music and lyrics by Mel Brooks himself, the songs have his trademark one-liners embedded in catchy music that seems at once a tribute and a parody of Tin Pan Alley show tunes. Purists will likely scoff at the exclusion of numbers from the stage version, though the extractions are relatively minimal. They stand up surprisingly well without the visual cues of the movie, and some performers, in particular, Nathan Lane and Gary Beach, sound even better here without the distraction of their antics.
An actor who uses song as a true extension of his character, Lane as Max Bialystock dominates the vagrant immorality of "We Can Do It" and "Along Comes Bialy" with comic brio. His showpiece, "Betrayed", is especially effective here as he recaps the story in breakneck speed, even including a Bernstein-like interlude of his fictitious childhood in the Midwest impersonating his mama. The disc gratefully includes Max's big opening number from the stage version, "The King of Broadway", which Lane performs with lacerating wit (the song was inexplicably dropped from the film version). Co-star Matthew Broderick has a pleasant enough voice, though it sometimes seems at odds with the schlubby character of Leo Bloom. He handles the open yearning of "I Wanna Be a Producer" nicely and even the Gene Kelly-style duet with Uma Thurman, "That Face". However, I find his big climactic ballad, "Til Him", a bit too treacly though fortunately it is undercut by Lane's more confident vocals.
As flamboyant transvestite director Roger DeBris, Beach makes the most of the ensemble number, "Keep It Gay", and does a wonderfully hammy Judy Garland turn with "Heil Myself" in the middle of the big "Springtime for Hitler" production number, still intact from the original 1968 film version. Thurman does well vocally as Ulla, the sexy Swedish secretary, though her allure is obviously far more visual than the other characters. She handles "When You Got It, Flaunt It" with surprising panache, though her faux-accent does get in the way of her part in "That Face".
New to the film version, "There's Nothing Like a Broadway Show" has some hilariously scabrous lyrics about Broadway economics, and as delusional Nazi Franz Liebkind, Will Ferrell does a hilarious Celine Dion take-off on the syrupy, Titanic-like "The Hop-Clop Goes On". There is also a one-minute bonus track exclusive to the disc sold at Border's - Ferrell singing "In Old Bavaria" with his pigeons, cute but not a must-hear. Producer Doug Besterman has done a fine job by providing a crisp sound to the recording. I only wish the CD package included the often clever lyrics in a booklet. Regardless, thanks primarily to Brooks, Lane, Beach and Ferrell, this disc is often great fun just like the movie.
Free Music Review: Funny Musical Soundtrack
Hit: 4 Stars
If you thought movie musicals had died, you were probably mostly right. However, every once in a while someone tries another one. Some succeed, most fail. However, the quality of the music from these movies is often quite different from the movie itself. Such is the case with this soundtrack. Mel Brooks, the man who brought you the classics "Young Frankenstein," "Blazing Saddles," and "High Anxiety," gives us the music from the movie "The Producers."
The music is classic Hollywood, with a style that dates back to the 50s and 60s. I was also fascinated that Hollywood actors could pull off these songs with such class and style. There are a few hiccups along the way, such as Uma Thurman's weak vocals on "That Face," but so much of this music is original and fresh with its classic inspiration.
Many of the songs deliberately provoke smiles. "Haben Sie Gehort Das Deutsche Band?" sung by Will Ferrell makes you smile, though much of it is in German. Ignore other comments about "Springtime for Hitler." The song is funny and John Barrowman, Uma Thurman and the ensemble pull off a song that owes much inspiration to movie musicals of the 30s. Yes, the war has been over for more than half a century, but if we can still poke fun at Custer, the Pilgrims and the Inquisition, why not poke more fun at Hitler? Admittedly, he is an easy target, but so was Custer. How about "Heil Myself," with the line "...there is no greater dictator in the land..."? This stuff is a riot. Note for Naziphobes: This music pokes fun at Nazis rather than elevating them, so watch this movie with tongue-in-cheek.
Musically there are some awesome moments. "You'll Find Your Happiness in Rio" is musically inspired, even if the lyrics are cheesy.
There are a few moments where Nathan Lane pulls off a song that should have been impossible. "Betrayed" is a riot, and yet Lane manages to sing so dramatically that you believe that he is actually hurt, until he sings lyrics that make you crack up.
Perhaps the best thing about this album is its bombast. The production is explosive and hyper-dramatic, with sound alternately quiet and blasting, the instruments jumping into your face. I am always enthused about a producer who likes to make you jump into the music, particularly if the music is worth jumping into.
I rarely purchase or listen to soundtracks because they are too filled the kind of music that is interesting if you have had three or four drinks, but otherwise it is barely elevator music. This CD has music that may be short of great, but it is enjoyable and frequently funny. If you liked the movie, I suspect you'll love the CD. If you like musicals, most especially funny musicals, then I suspect you will love this CD.
Good luck!
This review is based on a copy of the CD provided to me for review.