In 1987, composer Stephen Sondheim and writer James Lapine collaborated to fashion a rather warped but darkly entertaining musical called INTO THE WOODS. It's a sort of "crossover" fairy tale which answers the question of "what if Cinderella, Jack from the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel all crossed paths?" Linking this eccentric collage together is an original story thread about a baker and his wife who are cursed by a vengeful witch to never have any children. The witch is willing to reverse their predicament if the couple can retrieve the necessary ingredients to provide a potion. Although the first act deceptively seems to end the show on a "happily ever after" note, along comes Act II which twists the conventions of fairy tales upside down. Things begin to fall apart. Characters betray one another. Some even die. Bittersweet though its final resolution may be, INTO THE WOODS nonetheless proves to be a work rich with cautionary messages, flawed characters, and a surprisingly deep amount of intelligence.
It is extremely ironic that the long-awaited movie adaptation is a Disney production of all things, especially since the overall tenor of the musical clashes with the Mouse House's usual reputation of toning down much of the darker, violent aspects of the Grimm Fairy Tales. As it turned out, though, the marriage of Disney and Sondheim couldn't have been more ideal. (Amusingly, the lively title tune for "Into the Woods" recalls a classic era of Disney long since forgotten.) Considering that the Mouse House has recently been turning its own fairy tale conventions on its head with their recent and massively successful FROZEN, INTO THE WOODS turns out to be a perfect fit just like Cinderella's glass slipper to its rightful owner. Rob Marshall has done an outstanding job of translating the musical to the screen; from the first frame of the film, where we hear a disembodied narration intone the words "once upon a time" followed by the two-note clang of Sondheim's overture and a cross-cutting opening between the primary characters, the show exuberantly comes to life. Marshall clearly understands the tone of the story and laudably remains faithful to the mood of the musical.
Even having said all this, there are some elements of the show which unfortunately didn't make it into the translation. In the musical there is a narrator who serves as a character to the story; later on in the second act he is bumped off (No, seriously!), which causes the characters and the story to go completely off-rails! (Naturally, this wouldn't work for the medium, so instead it's the baker who does the narrating, which is fitting considering how the show ends.) As mentioned, there is also a high body count, with one of the victims being Rapunzel. In this version, Rapunzel survives instead and rides off with her prince, but even then it is still presented in the film rather ambiguously.
Loyalists to the show will probably still find some things to carp about aside from those; two songs are cut (but as a compromise, we hear the melodies as background music instead). These include the jubilant "Ever After", which concludes Act I and the somber, reflective "No More" from Act II. Frankly, though, even with such "changes", there is very little else that INTO THE WOODS loses in its new dress.
Helping matters along is the very fine cast of actors, all of which provide fantastic performances, both on an acting and vocal level. (The latter is especially crucial, because Sondheim's songs can be very difficult to sing.) As the witch, Meryl Streep turns in a performance that could easily garner her another Oscar. She is simply marvelous in the part; her bombastic turn in the witch's climactic number "Last Midnight" in particular a wickedly glorious highlight. Anna Kendrick has the perfect fairy tale heroine voice for Cinderella, while James Corden and Emily Blunt excel as the Baker and his wife. Johnny Depp growls and snarls in his brief cameo as the Wolf (and his second bigscreen Sondheim musical to date). Both Daniel Huttlestone and Lilla Crawford are outstanding as Jack and Little Red Riding Hood; it is refreshing to see both parts portrayed by actual children for a change. Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen contribute to the film's funniest scene, "Agony", in which both lament their seemingly impossible quests for finding their wives, and suit their princely roles quite charmingly. Seriously, I could not find fault with anyone in this cast.
Visually, too, INTO THE WOODS looks quite pleasing; rather than adopting a lavish, big, over- the-top style, Marshall and cinematographer Dion Beebe use computer enhanced effects rather sparsely, opting instead for a richly dark and gritty color palette. Nothing about the sets or effects looks fake; even some of the more potentially implausible moments, like birds "communicating" with Cinderella, are handled with a simplicity that works well, and the witch's transformation scenes are effectively done without being overly "showy." Only a brief, trippy interlude where we see Little Red Riding Hood toppling through an abyss of billowing blankets as she recounts being swallowed by the wolf in her amusing "I Know Things Now" may strike some as a bit artificial, but even then it is done quite artfully and in a way that does not come across as distracting.
Rich with moral ambiguity and with a twisted, macabre edge, INTO THE WOODS is treated with the respect it deserves for its big screen treatment. With a terrific ensemble cast, fitting cinematography and skillful direction on the part of Marshall, any omissions or changes are more than compensated for by the efforts of everyone involved. Admittingly, your mileage may vary when it comes to enjoying this movie, but for anyone dreading any sort of "Disneyfication"s of whatever kind can gladly put such fears to rest. Major kudos to everyone involved for doing justice to this much loved musical.
It is extremely ironic that the long-awaited movie adaptation is a Disney production of all things, especially since the overall tenor of the musical clashes with the Mouse House's usual reputation of toning down much of the darker, violent aspects of the Grimm Fairy Tales. As it turned out, though, the marriage of Disney and Sondheim couldn't have been more ideal. (Amusingly, the lively title tune for "Into the Woods" recalls a classic era of Disney long since forgotten.) Considering that the Mouse House has recently been turning its own fairy tale conventions on its head with their recent and massively successful FROZEN, INTO THE WOODS turns out to be a perfect fit just like Cinderella's glass slipper to its rightful owner. Rob Marshall has done an outstanding job of translating the musical to the screen; from the first frame of the film, where we hear a disembodied narration intone the words "once upon a time" followed by the two-note clang of Sondheim's overture and a cross-cutting opening between the primary characters, the show exuberantly comes to life. Marshall clearly understands the tone of the story and laudably remains faithful to the mood of the musical.
Even having said all this, there are some elements of the show which unfortunately didn't make it into the translation. In the musical there is a narrator who serves as a character to the story; later on in the second act he is bumped off (No, seriously!), which causes the characters and the story to go completely off-rails! (Naturally, this wouldn't work for the medium, so instead it's the baker who does the narrating, which is fitting considering how the show ends.) As mentioned, there is also a high body count, with one of the victims being Rapunzel. In this version, Rapunzel survives instead and rides off with her prince, but even then it is still presented in the film rather ambiguously.
Loyalists to the show will probably still find some things to carp about aside from those; two songs are cut (but as a compromise, we hear the melodies as background music instead). These include the jubilant "Ever After", which concludes Act I and the somber, reflective "No More" from Act II. Frankly, though, even with such "changes", there is very little else that INTO THE WOODS loses in its new dress.
Helping matters along is the very fine cast of actors, all of which provide fantastic performances, both on an acting and vocal level. (The latter is especially crucial, because Sondheim's songs can be very difficult to sing.) As the witch, Meryl Streep turns in a performance that could easily garner her another Oscar. She is simply marvelous in the part; her bombastic turn in the witch's climactic number "Last Midnight" in particular a wickedly glorious highlight. Anna Kendrick has the perfect fairy tale heroine voice for Cinderella, while James Corden and Emily Blunt excel as the Baker and his wife. Johnny Depp growls and snarls in his brief cameo as the Wolf (and his second bigscreen Sondheim musical to date). Both Daniel Huttlestone and Lilla Crawford are outstanding as Jack and Little Red Riding Hood; it is refreshing to see both parts portrayed by actual children for a change. Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen contribute to the film's funniest scene, "Agony", in which both lament their seemingly impossible quests for finding their wives, and suit their princely roles quite charmingly. Seriously, I could not find fault with anyone in this cast.
Visually, too, INTO THE WOODS looks quite pleasing; rather than adopting a lavish, big, over- the-top style, Marshall and cinematographer Dion Beebe use computer enhanced effects rather sparsely, opting instead for a richly dark and gritty color palette. Nothing about the sets or effects looks fake; even some of the more potentially implausible moments, like birds "communicating" with Cinderella, are handled with a simplicity that works well, and the witch's transformation scenes are effectively done without being overly "showy." Only a brief, trippy interlude where we see Little Red Riding Hood toppling through an abyss of billowing blankets as she recounts being swallowed by the wolf in her amusing "I Know Things Now" may strike some as a bit artificial, but even then it is done quite artfully and in a way that does not come across as distracting.
Rich with moral ambiguity and with a twisted, macabre edge, INTO THE WOODS is treated with the respect it deserves for its big screen treatment. With a terrific ensemble cast, fitting cinematography and skillful direction on the part of Marshall, any omissions or changes are more than compensated for by the efforts of everyone involved. Admittingly, your mileage may vary when it comes to enjoying this movie, but for anyone dreading any sort of "Disneyfication"s of whatever kind can gladly put such fears to rest. Major kudos to everyone involved for doing justice to this much loved musical.