Pas de Quatre Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Unless my eyesight is failing, it looks like standard ballet all in ones (known as catsuits) with a bit of added fur! I saw the original West End production which was mind blowing. The revival I saw a few years ago was tawdry in comparison. Looking forward to seeing this film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colman Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Among the complaints are "why do they have visible breasts" and if you have seen the original costumes … I'd guess those freaking out are people who weren't going to see it anyway, but that won't stop the studio bosses panicking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted July 19, 2019 Author Share Posted July 19, 2019 I saw the original musical many years ago, and thought it was brilliant. But I wouldn't expect a film now to bear any resemblance to that; I don't know what people were expecting, but I think it looks cleverly done (in its way). There's always going to be a compromise between people looking like cats whilst actually being people, so (again) I don't know what people were expecting. If the final result all looks very artificial and slick I imagine I won't like it much; but a lot of films nowadays are like that. Anyway, I will see the film when it comes out (though I'm not sure I would have if it hadn't been for Francesca Hayward being in it). 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 1 hour ago, BeauxArts said: I suppose it is a question of getting used to it, but I too found it disturbing/disconcerting on first viewing! disconcerting for me too - looked like miniaturised people been put through a catalytic converter! 🙂 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Well, it’s reeled me in, if only to see Frankie (Francesca Hayward). I had to google CGI fur, though. But what’s the problem? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Not sure the faces are actually any more "fully human" than in the clip Naomi posted on 17th December 2018? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Congratulations Francesca Hayward - and very good of you to give Judi Dench and Ian McKellen such a boost to their careers. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninamargaret Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 I find it disconcerting and faintly unsettling. The creatures are neither animal nor human. I saw the original, and also have it on DVD and the cats were far more catty than these weird and rather unpleasant creatures. The actual dance looks,impressive, but I find it strange that no credit is given to Stephen McRae. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colman Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 3 minutes ago, ninamargaret said: strange that no credit is given to Stephen McRae. It’s the first trailer. There will be others, I suspect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pas de Quatre Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 (edited) There is a short piece on facebook with the individuals talking about the film. You can see Steven McRae in the background, but it seems he is not a "featured" performer. I tried to put in a link but it routes via my facebook page which I do not want. Edited July 19, 2019 by Pas de Quatre Remove link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 That Francesca Hayward the trailer introduces us to looks rather good 🙂 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 9 minutes ago, ninamargaret said: . The actual dance looks,impressive, but I find it strange that no credit is given to Stephen McRae. But he isn’t a ‘main character’, is he? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 (edited) 39 minutes ago, ninamargaret said: I find it disconcerting and faintly unsettling. The creatures are neither animal nor human. I saw the original, and also have it on DVD and the cats were far more catty than these weird and rather unpleasant creatures. The actual dance looks,impressive, but I find it strange that no credit is given to Stephen McRae. Or Olivia Cowley. Edited July 19, 2019 by Fiz Double comment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 It's a trailer: it's aimed at the general public, who by and large won't have any idea who the RB dancers are, but will recognise the names of the actors/singers. "And introducing Francesca Hayward" does suggest that she will have a fairly large role in it, I think. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JNC Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 2 hours ago, zxDaveM said: disconcerting for me too - looked like miniaturised people been put through a catalytic converter! 🙂 I agree they look weird. A weird human/animal mix gone wrong. Also their sizes seem off too - the bed and the chair/table/cutlery look huge!! When it’s obvious that they are people being filmed (as opposed to animation etc) I think to be honest it would have looked better to have them seem more humans in costumes in some ways (like the broadway show?) - this is an odd hybrid. Surely they could have found some better costumes and not resorted to this distortion? Admittedly some do look better than others (Jennifer Hudson seems ok, but Judi Dench is a no). I also have to admit I didn’t recognise Frankie Hayward in the trailer (I assumed she was Taylor Swift as she’s the first ‘cat’ featured (?) and she seems to be featured in the trailer very prominently which is good for her!). Not sure if this is the fault of me watching on my tiny phone screen or the CGI/white face make up (which I am also not a fan of to be honest). It seems Frankie will have a large role in this and I’m pleased for her, and also hopefully this will raise the popularity of ballet too. I hope (rather selfishly!) this doesn’t mean we’ll see less of Frankie at ROH though due to other movies/opportunities, though appreciate this seems unlikely as she hasn’t stated an intention to act and it’s clear that she’s in this movie as a dancer rather than a actor (not to say she can’t act, I’m sure she’s fabulous at that but just she won’t be doing only acting roles I imagine in future?). Despite Frankie, McRae and Cowley, and what is excellent acting/dancing/singing talent, I don’t think this is to my taste, but I hope the actors and those involved are proud of their work and wish the movie all the best (and hope it inspires more dance movies perhaps...?). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 I’ve watched the trailer a few times and think what perturbs me slightly is that the cats are much less feline in the way they move than they are in the original stage show. If the fur can be CGId onto faces, why can’t hips and boobs be CGId off, as it were? Perhaps the new choreography doesn’t help and I’m not sure why any or all of Dame Gillian Lynne’s marvellous choreography needed replacing. The cats are supposed to be cat sized but they manage to be both cutlery-sized and only slightly smaller than the Trafalgar Square lions all at the same time, which is a bit odd. I think Jennifer Hudson’s voice is incredible but she sounds like she’s pushing too hard in “Memory” which makes her rather pitchy. I’ll go and see it but am unsure about it at present. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Actually, I wonder how representative this is of the finished product, or whether they will still be doing tweaking with CGI in post-processing at this stage? It does look rather oddly smooth in places, and as Anna says the scale seems a bit off. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabine0308 Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 2 hours ago, alison said: It's a trailer: it's aimed at the general public, who by and large won't have any idea who the RB dancers are, but will recognise the names of the actors/singers. "And introducing Francesca Hayward" does suggest that she will have a fairly large role in it, I think. Yes, but what about "Royal Ballet dancers" as credit, at least. It's a movie I know but still sad. Educating the general public a bit is a no go? Sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard LH Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 1 hour ago, Anna C said: I think Jennifer Hudson’s voice is incredible but she sounds like she’s pushing too hard in “Memory” which makes her rather pitchy. I thought so too...almost cat-erwauling in fact ! However, even in these brief scenes, Francesca looks wonderful, whether cutlery-sized or lion-sized! So pleased she seems to be the central character. She has a song too! If the movie needs a new star to save it, she will be the one...... Hoping for some great dancing from her and the other ballet stars, even if other elements turn out to be cat-astrophic. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizbie1 Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 For what it’s worth, I’m unlikely to watch this at the cinema (and always was), I think they’ve managed to make Francesca Hayward look less beautiful than she really is, and I agree that Jennifer Hudson sounds a bit ropey; but I find the criticism I’ve seen on Twitter silly and overblown. Twitter has many things going for it but it’s a platform which actively rewards negativity. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 25 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said: Twitter has many things going for it but it’s a platform which actively rewards negativity. Too true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legseleven Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 What role does Francesca Hayward play? I assumed that it was Victoria, the white cat, which is not as far as I remember a main role in the original production - but may of course have been adjusted for this film. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted July 19, 2019 Author Share Posted July 19, 2019 49 minutes ago, Richard LH said: I thought so too...almost cat-erwauling in fact ! However, even in these brief scenes, Francesca looks wonderful, whether cutlery-sized or lion-sized! So pleased she seems to be the central character. She has a song too! If the movie needs a new star to save it, she will be the one...... Hoping for some great dancing from her and the other ballet stars, even if other elements turn out to be cat-astrophic. Oh dear - I now foresee potential elements of the reviews, if the film turns out less than well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legseleven Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Just managed to watch the trailer and I found it disappointing. Jennifer Hudson is really straining and I agree with AnnaC’s comments about the bizarre changing size of the cats and their much less feline appearance when compared to the original production. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiona Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Well, I thought it was great! So exciting for Francesca Hayward to have a lead role, and she looks wonderful in it. I haven't seen the Twitter comments, but I couldn't care less about some people who maybe feel they must put everything down and deride it. Roll on December 20th when (I believe) "CATS" opens in the cinemas! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pas de Quatre Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Cats interviews I found it on youtube. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candleque Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 1 hour ago, Legseleven said: What role does Francesca Hayward play? I assumed that it was Victoria, the white cat, which is not as far as I remember a main role in the original production - but may of course have been adjusted for this film. Yes, she is cast as Victoria. They bigged up the role for the film. From the look of the trailer, they turned Victoria into a pivotal character. And giving Francesca Hayward the 'And Introducing' credit is huge imo in the movie business. The producers obviously fell in love with her, like the ROH audience has. Cats is a marmite show as a musical, so I expect the movie will be the same. I am just going to suspend disbelief, sing along and enjoy 'our own' Frankie stealing the show 😻 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 I enjoy your sentiments Candleque but don't think I'd better sing along .....Id probably be out on my ear!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 (edited) I think Francesca looks great in her cat guise. The size inconsistencies others have pointed out are bizarre, but the dancing looks promising. I really can't bear musicals because of the style of singing but I will happily watch this (with earplugs firmly screwed in). Edit: I see the Telegraph is now trying to spin up a 'whitewashing' controversy about her appearance Edited July 19, 2019 by Quintus 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted July 19, 2019 Author Share Posted July 19, 2019 1 hour ago, Quintus said: I think Francesca looks great in her cat guise. The size inconsistencies others have pointed out are bizarre, but the dancing looks promising. I really can't bear musicals because of the style of singing but I will happily watch this (with earplugs firmly screwed in). Edit: I see the Telegraph is now trying to spin up a 'whitewashing' controversy about her appearance It makes me so angry. She's playing a white cat, for God's sake! Is it a problem if a white performer is playing a brown or black cat?? Bizarrely ridiculous. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 2 hours ago, Quintus said: Edit: I see the Telegraph is now trying to spin up a 'whitewashing' controversy about her appearance Beyond belief. Whatever kind of mindset do such 'journalists' (and twitterers) have? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizbie1 Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 I hate singling out particular newspapers for opprobrium - I think it’s healthy to read the full spectrum of opinion - but the Telegraph has developed an unpleasant habit of trying to sow division where none exists (more so than the Mail IMO), presumably in pursuit of clicks. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 I'm afraid you may be right, Lizbie. When I think of some of the headlines I've seen on/in it recently - and I've already accused some of its front page headlines of sounding as though they've been written by a sulky teenager ... I was wondering how long it would take someone to come up with accusations of "whitewashing" this morning, when I saw the footage. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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