The Producers (2005 Movie Soundtrack)
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Free Music Notes for The Producers (2005 Movie Soundtrack)
Free Music Review: He's Done It Again . . .
Hit: 4 Stars
Everything about this album is wonderful. While some songs have been cut from the film (King of Broadway, Where Did We Go Right?, In Old Bavaria), it's still a superb album to listen to. Of course, I would always suggest listening to the original Broadway cast album first, since we miss hearing the voices of the great Cady Huffman as Ulla and Brad Oscar as Franz (replaced respectively by Uma Thurman and Will Ferrell).
My only complaint is the casting of Uma Thurman as Ulla. Uma can hum a tune, but she's no singer. They lowered the key tremendously on her song. "Ven You Got It, Flaunt It" is one of my favorite songs in the show, and Uma has ruined it (in my opinion). There's no excitement at all, especially when she supposedly "belts" - she doesn't change any dynamics from where she has been the whole song! At least she's only in two numbers. I still think they should have put a blonde wig on Catherine Zeta-Jones and have her play Ulla.
Nathan, Matthew, Gary, and Roger (all from the original Broadway cast, reprising their original roles) are a joy to listen to as always, and as much as I was worried about Will Ferrell as Franz, I started to forget that it wasn't Brad Oscar! Will's renditions of the songs are not too far off from Mr. Oscar.
4 stars out of 5
Free Music Review: Not perfect, but great fun nonetheless...
Hit: 4 Stars
The orchestrations for the film version of "The Producers" are simply fantastic! They are full of energy and life and remind me of the type of arrangments MGM gave their classic musical films in the '40s and '50s. Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick throw themselves into their performances with an infectious energy and excitement. Will Ferrell is hysterically funny as Franz -- should be perfect in the role on film. Uma Thurman certainly LOOKS the part of Ulla, but vocally she is the weakest link on this CD. Not bad, it just could've been better. Some parts are missing from this disc that can be found on the OBC recording, such as the "Showboat" style introduction to "I Wanna Be a Producer" -- however it is possible that a lot of these omissions will be present in the movie (not room for them on the CD). I think Lane's vocal on "Betrayed" is better here than the OBC disc. FYI -- Borders is selling this CD with an extra bonus track -- "In Old Bavaria."Free Music Review: Great soundtrack but where was the best track?
Hit: 4 Stars
The Producer's movie soundtrack and the film for that matter would have got 5 stars and not 4 from me if it had included The King of Old Broadway (the bonus track on the CD doesn't really count as it isn't from the film). How could this have been dropped? It was like Fiddler without 'Tradition' , Phantom without "Music of the Night' and Les Mis without 'One More Day' It defined the show and Max Bialistock. Having thought about it perhaps the producers of the film thought the number was 'too jewish' and not PC with the yiddish and the eastern european dance which might not appeal to the wider audience. The number in the show was a masterpiece. Can't believe Mel dropped it. Avid Producer followers will be disappointedFree Music Review: Strike Up the Bland
Hit: 3 Stars
In the beginning, which is to say 1968, "The Producers" was an irreverent film about a down-on-his-luck Broadway producer who teams up with an accountant in a get-rich-quick scheme which
involves staging a musical tribute to Adolph Hitler.
The film was a critical success, but a box-office flop.
Nonetheless, it won screeenwriter Mel Brooks an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
Several decades later, "The Producers" rose again--ths time as a Broadway musical even more irreverent than its Hollywood incarnation. It was both a critical and popular smash, and went on to win more Tony awards than any other musical in Broadway history.
Now the saga has come full circle with a film version of the Broadway musical. If the soundtrack is any indication, "The Producers" has lost a great deal of the irreverence that has powered it since 1968.
The "King of Broadway" number is gone, as well as the "Showboat"-style introduction to "I Wanna Be a Producer"
and the Judy Garland-like monologue at the center of "Heil Myself".
Broadway veterans Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick and Gary Beach are all in fine voice, but Uma Thurman, though a great beauty and fine actress, simply doesn't have the vocal power needed for the role of Ulla. Her attempts at "belting" and
sporadic Swedish accent are unintentionally funny.
For most audiences, these things might well go unnoticed.
But for those of us who had the great fortune to see the Broadway version in all of its edginess, the 2005 version
should be called "Producers-lite."
Free Music Review: Get the Broadway Soundtrack
Hit: 3 Stars
I was fortunate enough to be able to see this on Broadway during Lane and Borderick's last show. It was amazing, fantastic, and I ran out at intermission to buy the soundtrack.
Naturally I was incredibly excited to hear about the movie. Listening to the soundtrack, I now have my reservations.
The problem mostly stems from Ulla. Uma Thurman, who certainly looks the part, simply doesn't have the voice to take the lead. Lowering the pitch didn't add anything to the role (as it arguably did in Evita) and she simply doesn't have the power to belt it out like Cady Huffman.
Will Ferrell does fine as Franz and everyone else sounds fabulous as usual, but Thurman's voice makes this soundtrack inferior tothe Broadway recording. Buy that first (you'll be getting several original songs that were cut from the movie as well) and make your own comparison.