Fairy tales as they were meant to be told – dangerous, dark and utterly delightful – the songs of Stephen Sondheim, Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick, and a very outspoken Red Riding Hood; you can’t really go wrong with Into the Woods.
Fairy tales were buffed and smoothed and tweaked for years, with children of the Disney generation (Walt) for the most part growing up with rose-hued visions of wishes come true and happily ever after. Yet anyone with more than a passing interest in the genre knows that these tales were not necessarily intended to lull little children to dreamland, and the versions of these stories (such as those collected by the Brothers Grimm) are often harsh, bloody and frightening. Stephen Sondheim drew on these stories to create Into the Woods (1987), a fairy tale musical in which wishes coming true don’t always turn out as one would wish.
Several stories merge, as their characters are drawn into the woods, each for a different reason. The baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) go in search of the Witch Next Door’s (Meryl Streep) must-have list, so that she will remove the curse that has rendered them childless. Jack is off to sell his cow Milky White, Little (and yet somehow very confident) Red Riding Hood is off to visit Granny, and Cinderella (Anna Kendrick) is running to the Prince… and away from the Prince…
The journey from stage to screen has been a long one, but the Sondheim magic prevails in this film, directed by Rob Marshall. The songs are wonderful, signature Sondheim – with that kiss of sweet soaring melody and bite of humor. The delivery and staging of numbers is terrific – there is great flow.
Is it for children? I suppose that would depend somewhat on the child. In our culture, it is customary to consider violence acceptable viewing for children, while sexual themes are strictly forbidden. In that sense, Into the Woods, takes some risks, and takes them head-on.
The encounter between Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford) and the Wolf (Johnny Depp) has very threatening sexual overtones, sexual molestation is implied, yet there is none. One might well argue that the “original” story with its “Red Cap” was always intended as a cautionary sexual tale. Lilla Crawford is very striking in her portrayal of the endlessly curious, outspoken and generally confident Red Riding Hood, making this one of my favorite characters. Johnny Depp is Johnny Depp, his Wolf in equal parts elegant and sleazy. Yes, this interlude may well raise questions and even frighten younger children, but as a parent my approach would be to see the film (not with very young children) and make sure to talk about it afterward.
Into the Woods has quite a bit of violence, as the older versions of these tales did not flinch from the tough stuff.
Into the Woods also has a terrific cast. Anna Kendrick makes a perfect Cinderella, she does quietly resentful very well, conveying a nice tension between a young girl’s dreams and an intelligent girl’s desire for and inquiry into what makes a good life. James Corden brings a cuddly warmth to the rather inept Baker, while Tracey Ullman is in grand slattern mode as Jack’s mother, and I’ve always suspected that Meryl Streep possesses supernatural powers.
There is a bit of a disconnect between the first part of the film and the second, that will be familiar to those who saw the stage version. Act I comes to a close at ‘happily ever after,’ while Act II takes a look at what happens next. There is a very good reason that fairy tales end with “happily ever after.” However, while Act II is a bloody (literally) bit of anti-climax, it does have enough redeeming qualities to make it pleasurable viewing. Best of all is the denouement of Cinderella’s story, and the show-stopping (I really just wanted to get up and cheer, but settled for laughing out loud in my seat) Agony duet of the two Princes.
Into the Woods will show in Israeli theatres beginning Thursday, February 19, 2015. Enjoy!
Into the Woods
Directed by Rob Marshall;Screenplay: James Lapine, based on the musical by Stephen Sondheim, Lapine; Cinematography: Arri Alexa HD, Fotokem prints), Dion Beebe; Editor: Wyatt Smith; Music and lyrics: Sondheim; Orchestrations, Jonathan Tunick; Score adaptation: David Krane; Music producer: Mike Higham; Music supervisors: Paul Gemignani, Mike Higham; Musical staging: John DeLuca, Rob Marshall; Production designer: Dennis Gassner; Supervising art director: Chris Lowe; Art directors: Andrew Bennett, Ben Collins, Mary Mackenzie; Set decorator: Anna Pinnock; Costume designer: Colleen Atwood; Cast: Anna Kendrick, Daniel Huttlestone, James Corden, Emily Blunt, Christine Baranski, Tammy Blanchard, Lucy Punch, Tracey Ullman, Lilla Crawford, Meryl Streep, Simon Ruddell Beale, Joanna Riding, Johnny Depp, Billy Magnussen, Mackenzie Mauzy, Annette Crosbie, Chris Pine, Richard Glover, Frances de la Tour.
