UN AMISTOSO ACERCAMIENTO AL MUSICAL. IV

En los años sesenta, el musical cinematográfico perdió la importancia que había tenido en décadas anteriores. Seguían (y seguirán) haciéndose películas musicales, y algunas de estas tenían muchísimo éxito, pero las cosas habían cambiado, o los tiempos, como cantaba Bob Dylan, y los espectadores no acudían a verlas del mismo modo. 

Como una vez me comentó un amigo , " "Sonrisas y lágrimas" tuvo tanto éxito porque además de ser una buena película parecía que el público hubiera dicho: "Venga, una vez más, a modo de despedida" " , y las productoras malinterpretando eso y pensado que era el inicio de una nueva etapa del género, en lugar de su "final",  empezaron a producir musicales que no dieron los resultados esperados. Y así, del mismo modo que "Sonrisas y lágrimas" salvó a la Fox de la bancarrota después del desastre de Cleopatra, otro musical, Doctor Dolittle (que no he visto), se encargó de llevarla a la misma situación.

Pero a pesar de que el músical "había muerto", todavía quedarían (y quedarán) clásicos por venir, como Cabaret o All that Jazz de Bob Fosse.  Por cierto, esta última,  una película más o menos autobiográfica, pero que podía haber estado también inspirada en la vida de Busby Berkeley (el creador de los primeros musicales clásicos de la Metro antes de que llegaran sus clásicos musicales de la mano de Arthur Freed).  Y en estas entradas no hemos hablado ni de Berkeley, ni de los musicales de Jacques Demy, o de los musicales soviéticos . ¿Musicales soviéticos? Sí, claro. Películas al servicio de la  propaganda stalinista, como todo lo que se hacía por entonces en la URSS.  No he visto ninguna. Podéis ver algún ejemplo en este enlace.  Bueno, tampoco hemos hablado de los musicales hindús (que no he visto y dudo que vea alguna vez).

Y al igual que en las películas de este género, dejamos de hablar, y vamos con la música y las canciones.

Una,  de un gran musical, pero no una gran película musical (al menos para mí). No sé la de veces que he escuchado la banda sonora de esta película. 

Heaven on their minds

 Música: Andrew Lloyd Webber Letra: Tim Rice

Judas
My mind is clearer now
At last
All too well
I can see
Where we all
Soon will be
If you strip away
The myth
From the man
You will see
Where we all
Soon will be

Jesus!
You've started to believe
The things they say of you
You really do believe
This talk of God is true

And all the good you've done
Will soon be swept away
You've begun to matter more
Than the things you say

Listen Jesus
I don't like what I see
All I ask is that you listen to me
And remember
I've been your right hand man all along
You have set them all on fire
They think they've found the new Messiah
And they'll hurt you when they find they're wrong

I remember when this whole thing began
No talk of God then, we called you a man
And believe me
My admiration for you hasn't died
But every word you say today
Gets twisted 'round some other way
And they'll hurt you if they think you've lied

Nazareth's most famous son
Should have stayed a great unknown
Like his father carving wood
He'd have made good
Tables, chairs and oaken chests
Would have suited Jesus best
He'd have caused nobody harm
No one alarm

Listen Jesus, do you care for your race?
Don't you see we must keep in our place?
We are occupied
Have you forgotten how put down we are?
I am frightened by the crowd
For we are getting much too loud
And they'll crush us if we go too far
If we go too far

Listen Jesus to the warning I give
Please remember that I want us to live
But it's sad to see our chances weakening with ev'ry hour
All your followers are blind
Too much heaven on their minds
It was beautiful, but now it's sour
Yes it's all gone sour
Ah --- ah ah ah --- ah
God Jesus, it's all gone sour

Listen Jesus to the warning I give
Please remember that I want us to live
So come on, come on, listen to me.
Ah --- ah
Come on, listen, listen to me.
Come on and listen to me.
Ah --- ah 

Otra de otro mítico musical, pero de nuevo,  no tan buena película musical (al menos para mí; que tanto esta como la anterior tendrán sus fans)...

Eso sí,  las dos películas con momentos y temas maravillosos. 
Como el que viene ahora (que me produce escalofríos mientras lo veo).  

AVISO. ES EL FINAL DE LA PELÍCULA Y SPOILER TOTAL (para aquellos que se preocupen por estas cosas). 

The Flesh Failures (Let The Sunshine In)
Música: Galt McDermot. Letra James Rado/Gerome Ragni

We starve-look 
At one another 
Short of breath
Walking proudly in our winter coats
Wearing smells from laboratories
Facing a dying nation
Of moving paper fantasy
Listening for the new told lies
With supreme visions of lonely tunes

Somewhere
Inside something there is a rush of
Greatness
Who knows what stands in front of
Our lives
I fashion my future on films in space
Silence
Tells me secretly
Everything
Everything

Manchester England England
Manchester England England
Eyes look your last
Across the Atlantic Sea
Arms take your last
embrace
And I'm a genius genius
And lips oh you the
doors of breath 
I believe in God 
Seal with a righteous kiss
And I believe that God believes in Claude
Seal with a righteous kiss 
That's me, that's me, that's me
The rest is silence
The rest is silence
The rest is silence

Our space songs on a spider web sitar
Life is around you and in you
Answer for Timothy Leary, dearie

Let the sunshine
Let the sunshine in
The sunshine in
Let the sunshine
Let the sunshine in 
The sunshine in
Let the sunshine
Let the sunshine in
The sun shine in...

Y termino esta serie de entradas con otro tema de un gran musical y, esta vez sí, de una gran y estupenda película musical (al menos para mí). Supongo que está por ver si terminará siendo un clásico, como apuntaron en esta más que recomendable entrada (el musical en tablas ya lo es).

We both reached for the gun

Música: John Kander Letra: Fred Ebb

[REPORTERS]
Where'd you come from?

[BILLY (as Roxie)]
Mississippi

[REPORTERS]
And your parents?

[BILLY (as Roxie)]
Very wealthy.

[REPORTERS]
Where are they now?

[BILLY (as Roxie)]
Six feet under.

[BILLY]
But she was granted one more start

[BILLY (as Roxie)]
The convent of The Sacred Heart!

[REPORTERS]
When'd you get here?

[BILLY (as Roxie)]
1920

[REPORTERS]
How old were you?

[BILLY (as Roxie)]
Don't remember

[REPORTERS]
Then what happened?

[BILLY (as Roxie)]
I met Amos
And he stole my heart away
Convinced me to elope one day

[MARY SUNSHINE (spoken)]
Oh you poor dear I cant beleive what you have been through A convent girl! A run-away marriage!
Now tell us roxie...

[MARY SUNSHINE]
Who's Fred Casely?

[BILLY (as Roxie)]
My ex-boyfriend.

[REPORTERS]
Why'd you shoot him?

[BILLY (as Roxie)]
I was leavin'.

[REPORTERS]
Was he angry?

[BILLY (as Roxie)]
Like a madman
Still I said, "Fred, move along."

[BILLY]
She knew that she was doing wrong.

[REPORTERS]
Then describe it.

[BILLY (as Roxie)]
He came toward me.

[REPORTERS]
With the pistol?

[BILLY (as Roxie)]
From my bureau.

[REPORTERS]
Did you fight him?

[BILLY (as Roxie)]
Like a tiger.

[BILLY]
He had strength and she had none.

[BILLY (as Roxie)]
And yet we both reached for the gun
Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes we both
Oh yes we both
Oh yes, we both reached for
The gun, the gun, the gun, the gun
Oh yes, we both reached for the gun
For the gun.

[REPORTERS]
Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes they both
Oh yes, they both
Oh yes, they both reached for 
The gun, the gun, the gun, the gun,
Oh yes, they both reached for the gun
for the gun.

[BILLY]
Understandable, understandable
Yes it's perfectly understandable
Comprehensible, Comprehensible
Not a bit reprehensible
It's so defensible

[REPORTERS]
How're you feeling?

[BILLY (as Roxie)]
Very frightened

[REPORTERS]
Are you sorry?

[ROXIE]
Are you kidding?

[REPORTERS]
What's your statement?

[BILLY (as Roxie)]
All I'd say is 
Though my choo-choo jumped the track
I'd give my life to bring him back

[REPORTERS]
And?

[BILLY (as Roxie)]
Stay away from...

[REPORTERS]
What?

[BILLY (as Roxie)]
Jazz and liquor...

[REPORTERS]
And?

[BILLY (as Roxie)]
And the men who... 

[REPORTERS]
What?

[BILLY (as Roxie)]
Play for fun...

[REPORTERS]
And what?

[BILLY (as Roxie)]
That's the thougt that...

[REPORTERS]
Yeah

[BILLY (as Roxie)]
Came upon me...

[REPORTERS]
When?

[BILLY]
When we both reached for the gun!

[MARY SUNSHINE]
Understandable, understandable

[BILLY AND MARY SUNSHINE]
Yes, it's perfectly understandable
Comprehensible, comprehensible
Not a bit reprehensible
It's so defensible!

[REPORTERS]
Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes, they both
Oh yes, they both 
Oh yes, they both reached for

[BILLY (spoken)]
Let me hear it!

[REPORTERS] 
The gun, the gun, the gun,
The gun
Oh yes, they both reached
For the gun

[BILLY (spoken)]
A little louder!

[REPORTERS]
For the Gun.
Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes, they both
Oh yes, they both
Oh yes, they both reached 
For the gun, the gun, 

[BILLY (spoken)]
Now you got it!

[REPORTERS]
The gun,the gun
Oh yes. They both reached
For the gun
For the gun.

[BILLY AND REPORTERS]
Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes, they both
Oh yes, they both
Oh yes, they both reached for
The gun, the gun, the gun,the gun
Oh yes, they both reached for the gun
For the gun.

Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes, they both
Oh yes, they both 
Oh yes, reached for
The gun, the gun, the gun,the gun
The gun, the gun, the gun,the gun
The gun, the gun, the gun,the gun

[BILLY]
Both reached for the...gun

[REPORTERS]
The gun, the gun, the gun,the gun
The gun, the gun, the gun,the gun
The gun, the gun, the gun,the gun
The gun, the gun, Both reached for the gun.