The word verification on here isn't working so I'm going to respond to comments here until goggle fixes the problem. So if you send me an e-mail look for a respone here! thanks!
David brought up a good point... Spencer Tracy was 20+ years younger than Lucile Watson...would audiences back then have accepted a couple with such a large age difference?
My response is that I didn't consider that at all and that is a valid question. Today we would just put age makeup on Tracy to make him look older and on Watson to make her look younger and they'd meet somewhere in the middle. I think maybe that age still would've been an issue back then but if aging was done than audiences would accept it especially since they didn't show a romantic relationship between them.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
The Wizard of Oz: Rewound and Recast
Re-Cast List
Deanna Durbin- Dorothy
Edward G. Robinson- Wizard/ Professor Marvel
Fred Astaire- Scarecrow
Gene Kelly- Tin Man
Stubby Kaye-Lion
Spencer Tracy- Uncle Henry
Lucile Watson- Auntie Em
Greta Garbo- Elmira Gulch/Wicked Witch of the West
Myrna Loy- Glenda
After researching for hours and watching lots of clips on youtube this is the cast list I’ve decided on. In no way do I think it is better than the original cast, as David said the cast is so closely identified with the movie that it is hard to imagine anyone else in these roles. But, I think it makes a decent alternative. I tried not to make the cast too star studded but found that the number of actors in the 30s were few. Also I know that certain actors were contracted with certain studios, but I didn’t consider those limitations, so this makes for a more idealized cast. There were several parts that were very difficult to cast. The scarecrow was probably the hardest because it was hard to find an actor that I thought was body conscious enough to move like the scarecrow, one that could sing, and act well enough for you to really connect with. I considered Jimmy Stewart because he could’ve acted the part beautifully, but he couldn’t sing. I also considered Frank Sinatra, but decided he was too “cool” to play such a goofy role. Glenda was also very hard to cast and I’m still not completely happy with my choice, no one embodies that role quite right. Stubby Kaye was the most obvious choice for the lion, he would’ve only been 21 at the time but I think he would’ve been able to pull it off. I considered Anne Shirley for the part of Dorothy because I thought she could act the lost farm girl part very well but chose Deanna Durbin instead because she sang better and “Over the Rainbow” is such an important song in musical history that it wouldn’t have been sang as well by Anne Shirley. I also considered Doris Day and would put her over Deanna Durbin, but she didn’t start her career in film until 1948 even though she would’ve been 17 the same age as Judy Garland at the time The Wizard of Oz was made. However, I didn’t think it was right to put a then undiscovered actress in the part. The Wicked Witch was also difficult to cast and I considered Joan Crawford but thought she was too elegant, Greta Garbo seemed more cynical in the films she was in so I thought she’d play Elmira Gulch better.
Thank you for reading Rewind and Recast. Please feel free to comment and agree/disagree/offer alternatives and please tell me what films you’d like recast by commenting here or by e-mailing recastthisplease@gmail.com.
Thanks for reading,
Lyndsay
Deanna Durbin- Dorothy
Edward G. Robinson- Wizard/ Professor Marvel
Fred Astaire- Scarecrow
Gene Kelly- Tin Man
Stubby Kaye-Lion
Spencer Tracy- Uncle Henry
Lucile Watson- Auntie Em
Greta Garbo- Elmira Gulch/Wicked Witch of the West
Myrna Loy- Glenda
After researching for hours and watching lots of clips on youtube this is the cast list I’ve decided on. In no way do I think it is better than the original cast, as David said the cast is so closely identified with the movie that it is hard to imagine anyone else in these roles. But, I think it makes a decent alternative. I tried not to make the cast too star studded but found that the number of actors in the 30s were few. Also I know that certain actors were contracted with certain studios, but I didn’t consider those limitations, so this makes for a more idealized cast. There were several parts that were very difficult to cast. The scarecrow was probably the hardest because it was hard to find an actor that I thought was body conscious enough to move like the scarecrow, one that could sing, and act well enough for you to really connect with. I considered Jimmy Stewart because he could’ve acted the part beautifully, but he couldn’t sing. I also considered Frank Sinatra, but decided he was too “cool” to play such a goofy role. Glenda was also very hard to cast and I’m still not completely happy with my choice, no one embodies that role quite right. Stubby Kaye was the most obvious choice for the lion, he would’ve only been 21 at the time but I think he would’ve been able to pull it off. I considered Anne Shirley for the part of Dorothy because I thought she could act the lost farm girl part very well but chose Deanna Durbin instead because she sang better and “Over the Rainbow” is such an important song in musical history that it wouldn’t have been sang as well by Anne Shirley. I also considered Doris Day and would put her over Deanna Durbin, but she didn’t start her career in film until 1948 even though she would’ve been 17 the same age as Judy Garland at the time The Wizard of Oz was made. However, I didn’t think it was right to put a then undiscovered actress in the part. The Wicked Witch was also difficult to cast and I considered Joan Crawford but thought she was too elegant, Greta Garbo seemed more cynical in the films she was in so I thought she’d play Elmira Gulch better.
Thank you for reading Rewind and Recast. Please feel free to comment and agree/disagree/offer alternatives and please tell me what films you’d like recast by commenting here or by e-mailing recastthisplease@gmail.com.
Thanks for reading,
Lyndsay
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Welcome To Rewind and Recast
Welcome Movie Fans!
Have you ever thought a movie would be better with a totally different cast? Or have you wondered what a classic movie like The Godfather would have been like with anyone other than Marlon Brando or Al Pacino as the Don Vito and Michael Corleone? If so, you've come to the right place! Welcome to Rewind and Recast where I explore how movie history would've been unwritten, changed, and rewritten with another cast. Some movies that were terrible could've been great and some that were great could've been terrible. This is the answer to all of your "what ifs?"
Finally, please feel free to comment, agree, disagree, debate, and tell me what movies you would like for me to rewind and recast.
Thanks for tuning in,
Lyndsay
Have you ever thought a movie would be better with a totally different cast? Or have you wondered what a classic movie like The Godfather would have been like with anyone other than Marlon Brando or Al Pacino as the Don Vito and Michael Corleone? If so, you've come to the right place! Welcome to Rewind and Recast where I explore how movie history would've been unwritten, changed, and rewritten with another cast. Some movies that were terrible could've been great and some that were great could've been terrible. This is the answer to all of your "what ifs?"
Finally, please feel free to comment, agree, disagree, debate, and tell me what movies you would like for me to rewind and recast.
Thanks for tuning in,
Lyndsay
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)