Well the good news is that the Hamilton movie will be coming, but according to Catherine Shoard of The Guardian it’s not going to be here until 2020. Before you get too excited however it sounds more as though the stage production that was filmed will be what studios are bidding over, not a live movie adaptation. That might have taken the wind out of a few sails since the buzz about this show has been ongoing now since it came to the stage in 2015. So many have taken to social media to chat about it and praise the stage performances of those involved in the production that it’s been a nationwide phenomenon that many upon many people have heard about at this point. That could be why some people are now raising their voices to be heard when it comes to adapting the play to the big screen so that even more people can enjoy it and find some joy within the story.
Cinema Blend’s Cory Chichizola makes a good point when he states that bringing Hamilton to film could present a wide array of challenges that many people aren’t taking into account. The difference between a Broadway play as one should recognize is that it takes a tremendous amount of energy and talent to keep something so lively going at a certain pace for so long, and in film this isn’t always possible. While editing and enduring one take after another can in fact solve a lot of continuity issues and even help make things seem as smooth and as professional as they need to be, the magic is still kind of lost since those that have already seen Hamilton in the theater could probably attest to the fact that the dynamics are far different on stage than they would be in film. The whole idea of having to dissect the play in order to make the film conform to its ideals and create something that has the same flow is, to some folks, a travesty of an idea, while to others it could work if the right director was found and allowed the creative license it would take to really make Hamilton come alive on the big screen. But as we’ve seen in the past big plays don’t often translate well to the big screen since something gets lost in translation or in performance no matter how careful a person is. Unless of course the lot of us have forgotten the two different attempts at Les Miserables.
Jenny Rae from The Massachusetts Daily Collegian had a very interesting and kind of humorous take on this since she decided to liken the actors in the most recent version of Les Mis to their more popular counterparts when it came to describing why the movie didn’t work. There are some that can’t help but fear that the same thing would happen to Hamilton. It’s not so much the casting that goes wrong, but the overall feel of the movie when it becomes a finished work and the comparisons between the film and the play are finally made. Some people, those that risk being called uncultured and boorish due to their ‘simple’ tastes and inability to criticize every little tic and movement within a production, might say that things are fine and pay more attention to the overall story than the problems that arise from translation, but there are many upon many critics that are not so kind and will gladly eviscerate a movie if it doesn’t hold up to the same standards as the source from which it comes. This fate could unfortunately befall Hamilton though it’s a hope of many that it will if such a project is ever taken on by anyone willing and brave enough.
To be blunt I’m not a fan of Hamilton, I know hold your shock and disgust, but I do, like many people, recognize the effect it has had on others and how it has given them something to really hold onto in terms of entertainment. That is why it would be of the utmost importance to find a director and a cast that could not only bring this play to life on the big screen but could do so in manner that might enable people to enjoy the movie every bit as much as they enjoyed the play. How this would be accomplished is hard to say since the track record for such a thing happening is not entirely positive, but there is a way to do and it simply needs to be found. The one thing that any and all directors come into the business knowing is that their works will eventually be ripped apart either by fans or critics, and as a result their talent for entertaining others will be brought into question. But if the story of Hamilton is truly and successful transferred to the big screen then those that love the story will tend to forgive a lot and accept the fact that such a transition is never going to perfect.
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