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So we rented Cats. And it’s terrible, obviously, for all the reasons you’ve heard.
But also one I haven’t seen discussed: At no point does Cats seem to grasp the joke in Eliot’s poems.
But also one I haven’t seen discussed: At no point does Cats seem to grasp the joke in Eliot’s poems.
As written Jenny Anydots is a lazy cat who hassles the mice when you’re not looking. This is articulated as her being schoolmarm-ish in her organisation of the lower orders.
As performed, Jenny is a fat, clumsy cat with no personal decorum. Which is, like, 180 degrees off.
As performed, Jenny is a fat, clumsy cat with no personal decorum. Which is, like, 180 degrees off.
As written, Mr Mesopheles is ‘magical’ only in the sense that many cats are. Slip through gaps, walks on narrow ledges, steals a shit and leaves it in the garden, and one day produces an unexpected litter.
Here, he’s a literal conjurer whose magical powers solve the plot.
Here, he’s a literal conjurer whose magical powers solve the plot.
Most it reminds me of how Hooper shot The King’s Speech. Remember those eccentric framings? Like he shot the film that way regardless of the emotion of the scene?
Same thing. He shoots slapstick, dance, performances, etc. in ways wholly unrelated to the words being sung.
Same thing. He shoots slapstick, dance, performances, etc. in ways wholly unrelated to the words being sung.
Only Ian McKellan’s Gus number totally syncs up the character and the joke. (I swear he’s doing Peter O’Toole during this. But also he’s the only one acting notably cat-like, and is all the better for it.)
His grand old stage ham - a trained cat who thinks he was a star - works.
His grand old stage ham - a trained cat who thinks he was a star - works.
Meanwhile Rum Tum Tugger is a pain in the arse irritant in the song, but a super cool dude as performed and shot.
Bustopher Jones is a clumsy oaf rather than a cocky, canny scavenger. (Oh Jesus is the slapstick horribly bad. Badly conceived, badly timed.)
Bustopher Jones is a clumsy oaf rather than a cocky, canny scavenger. (Oh Jesus is the slapstick horribly bad. Badly conceived, badly timed.)
And Skimbleshanks isn’t a cat kept aboard a train to catch mice - imagining he runs the place - but rather...
...well who knows. For some reason the film stays in an abandoned theatre for the whole second half and his song is a fantasy sequence. So who knows what his deal is.
...well who knows. For some reason the film stays in an abandoned theatre for the whole second half and his song is a fantasy sequence. So who knows what his deal is.
(To be fair, the varied locations weren’t working; inconsistent relative sizes and awful design choices abound.)
Otherwise it’s all that confused anthropomorphism you’ve seen. Tits and tails and fur coats over fur and milk bars despite the world meant to be ours with cats in.
Otherwise it’s all that confused anthropomorphism you’ve seen. Tits and tails and fur coats over fur and milk bars despite the world meant to be ours with cats in.
I know you can source bits of this failing to the stage show - but there’s an escalation of errors here. From Mr Mistoffelees trying to “magic” the lights back on on stage to him *teleporting Judi Dench*.
Macavity’s all the way magic now. Just is.
Macavity’s all the way magic now. Just is.
Actually, Macavity’s weird. His song literally describes him - sunken eyes, lined brow, domed head, uncombed whiskers - but Elba doesn’t match that at all.
And again, the lyrical joke is missed: that he’s a troublesome house cat with an knack for evading the trouble he causes.
And again, the lyrical joke is missed: that he’s a troublesome house cat with an knack for evading the trouble he causes.
Oh, and what’s with the attempt to do Les Mis again by having everyone breathe heavy and struggle with the lyrics after dancing?
I sorta got it for that movie, but here...are cats known for getting out of puff after they prance about?!
I sorta got it for that movie, but here...are cats known for getting out of puff after they prance about?!
Anyway, in the end there seems to be zero correlation between “things we’re going to do with this film” and “things the lyrics are doing”. Hell of a thing.
This is very good, though I could do without it painting the female leads as egotists who demand all the solos.
And also: I don’t think the film seeks realism so much as “actualism”. As in ‘this actually happened as the cameras rolled’. https://twitter.com/drjon/status/1287323201521868801
And also: I don’t think the film seeks realism so much as “actualism”. As in ‘this actually happened as the cameras rolled’. https://twitter.com/drjon/status/1287323201521868801
That actualism is I guess what I’m talking about. Cats seems to think the cats are *actually* magicians, burglars, railway staff, etc. Rather than that they’re all happily doing cat things which - by a mix of arrogance, delusion and human perception - can be read that way.
That’s the nutshell. The Cats film is an adaptation of the delusion, rather than the musical about delusion. https://twitter.com/theCorodon/status/1287389419603984384
