Hamilton review

[Westside Steve]

Hamilton
Disney
PG-13        140 min
The theatrical buzz production of the decade HAMILTON is the film version of the 2015 Broadway play of the same name. The only way to watch it is with a subscription to Disney Plus a streaming service available on a limited number of devices. I personally have for big screen Samsung sets in the house but none of them less than 5 years Fortunately it’s available on the Xbox which is hooked up to the biggest one. 
Now of course there’s a political angle to Hamilton so let’s get that out of the way now. First of all imagine the outrage if someone produced an historic film and used white actors to play African American figures. In this production the founding fathers, Washington, Jefferson, Adams Aaron Burr Etc are all played by black actors. (Basically everybody except King George a flaming white homosexual and the comic relief for the show.) I’m sure somebody has an agenda but I didn’t waste any energy worrying about it. (also this hit the stage in 2015 before the most egregious race-baiting went into effect)
Second, and I was afraid this might be a problem, some recent bad films received effusive praise from liberal critics for adding an Afrocentric or politically correct theme to a cheesy script. Very glad to say this was certainly not the case with HAMILTON. Oh I’m sure that it drew some extra attention but seriously the story the production the music and the performances were all first-rate. To be honest the music did take a little getting used to, I freely admit I’m not a fan of hip-hop or rap at all but as a performer I can certainly respect any form of music and the skill required to present it regardless of style. And let me say that the rapid fire lyrics took a great deal of ability. Even more amazing is the incredible amount of talent needed to perform any professional Broadway show. This is a live performance assumedly without multiple takes vocal overdubs punch ins etc. The story itself is a fascinating one all I actually knew was that Alexander Hamilton was of mixed race the architect of the treasury and shot by Aaron Burr. The rest of the historical content seems like it’s up to interpretation and tailored for the storyline. But as is the case with most musicals the story is there to facilitate a series of musical and dance numbers and for me that’s the most important part of the show. A slight disappointment, while the Hip Hop influence did not offend me and the songs were melodic and accessible and interesting I didn’t hear a standout number like many one would find in PHANTOM or SUPERSTAR. You know what I mean, that one song you leave the theater singing. Still I will give HAMILTON the benefit of the doubt and perhaps after a couple of viewings one of those songs will get stuck in my head. And at the end of the day with the superb acting the incredible ability of the players and the interesting storyline Hamilton is one of the best musicals I’ve ever seen.
B+ 

(more for the quality of the production than my actual enjoyment but I did like it)
WSS

[JPPT1974]

Heard it is better on stage then it is in the theaters. Not a fan of rap or heavy metal much less hip hop either. But still wonder what could had happened if it was released in next year at the movie theaters? If it were not on V.O.D. and had a larger audience as the film was suppose to come out next year but relased it early also due to COVID. Give credit to Lin Manuel Miranda though.

[Westside Steve]

1 hour ago, JPPT1974 said:

Heard it is better on stage then it is in the theaters. Not a fan of rap or heavy metal much less hip hop either. But still wonder what could had happened if it was released in next year at the movie theaters? If it were not on V.O.D. and had a larger audience as the film was suppose to come out next year but relased it early also due to COVID. Give credit to Lin Manuel Miranda though.

No doubt watching something live is different than watching something on film. It depends a lot add how much post editing was done. Just about every live rock and roll album suspend hours and hours in a multi-track studio polishing things up. On the other hand if this production was just shot before a live audience one take just different camera angles and only edited for camera shots at Equalization of sound Im good with it.

Then again I usually prefer Studio recordings to live recordings because I think it's finished piece of art that's important in many cases. The ability to perform at live is just a plus. So I guess both of those aspects contribute. Still on the stage play that's the idea, it's a stage play and meant to be performed.

And again I can appreciate the chops it takes to perform the rap or The Hip Hop or the metal or whatever. Just not my go-to genre.

WSS

[Tour2ma]

On 8/18/2020 at 12:09 PM, Westside Steve said:

And at the end of the day with the superb acting the incredible ability of the players and the interesting storyline Hamilton is one of the best musicals I’ve ever seen.

Told ya...

... but agenda? Jeez, Dude... a person of color wrote the thing... by and large it's a hip-hop piece. You wanted Vanilla Ice? Besides cast white folks in key roles including Eliza Hamilton... and, of course, King George.

On 8/18/2020 at 1:16 PM, JPPT1974 said:

Heard it is better on stage then it is in the theaters.

I saw performance in Houston by one of the four (or so) road companies that were ultimately assembled. I would give the edge to the film because of the original cast.

Not that the road company was not good, they were very, very good. My only quibble was with the man who played Hamilton because his voice was too good. I'd listened to the Original Cast soundtrack for over a year before seeing it live. Other cast members were very nearly the original cast's equals... including the Schuyler (SKY-ler) sisters and their remarkable harmonies.

The BIG plus for the live performance experience is the ability for your eyes to wander over the entire stage... to see the choreography of the subtle set modifications (the basic set never changes)... and other wide view intricacies, e.g., the turntable. Film can't duplicate that.

Originally I'd heard that the film would be from a single, prime seat vantage point... which I thought would be  cool and come close the the live experience... but, no. More standard multi-camera production with cuts. Took me about 15 minutes to get over my disappointment. The cuts weren't overdone and the cameras included views like from behind the scenery that audiences would never see.

"The Big Screen" would be a boost to the film's impact, but even on a 50" it ain't bad.