Bohemia on the screen
I had the chance to watch the film version of the stage musical Rent (directed by Chris Columbus) this week. I'd seen the stage version of the show on its national tour, and I have to admit that I wasn't hugely impressed by it. However, it was good enough live for me to give the movie a look.
Based loosely on Puccini's La Bohème, Rent is a rock opera that focuses on the year in the life of a group of friends in New York's East Village who live lives full of art, music, sex, and drugs. The show particularly spotlights the AIDS crisis and how it affects the characters. For the most part, the show made the stage to screen transition well. There were a few awkward moments with characters basically looking at each other and singing - moments that didn't seem to be supported by any subtextual motivations. And the film did allow for flashbacks and other backstory devices that aren't possible on stage. I'm aware that most of the cast members were plucked from the Broadway cast, and they were all really strong. Rosario Dawson, who was new to the effort, did a wonderful job as well.
For the most part, I thought this film was a good treatment of the stage show. The director clearly has a great love for the material, and I also got the feeling that the performers really understood the thematic message of the show. The movie (and the stage play) does contain some sensitive material, but nothing that couldn't inspire productive discussion. You'll get a little weepy at the end, so have some tissues handy!
Based loosely on Puccini's La Bohème, Rent is a rock opera that focuses on the year in the life of a group of friends in New York's East Village who live lives full of art, music, sex, and drugs. The show particularly spotlights the AIDS crisis and how it affects the characters. For the most part, the show made the stage to screen transition well. There were a few awkward moments with characters basically looking at each other and singing - moments that didn't seem to be supported by any subtextual motivations. And the film did allow for flashbacks and other backstory devices that aren't possible on stage. I'm aware that most of the cast members were plucked from the Broadway cast, and they were all really strong. Rosario Dawson, who was new to the effort, did a wonderful job as well.
For the most part, I thought this film was a good treatment of the stage show. The director clearly has a great love for the material, and I also got the feeling that the performers really understood the thematic message of the show. The movie (and the stage play) does contain some sensitive material, but nothing that couldn't inspire productive discussion. You'll get a little weepy at the end, so have some tissues handy!
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