Selah CJW

@seekjustice @valtmy If they would just take out that one line (It’s seriously only one line!) about abuse in Carousel, it would be perfectly fine, though still somewhat depressing.

Do you agree, SeekJustice?  Other than that it seems to end well, with Billy telling Julie he loves her, and the daughter finding a friend.

@valtmy 😛

Your definition of a “horrible story” consists of unlikeable characters and depressing storylines?

Uh…pretty much? 😉

Okay, so yeah, Liliom/Carousel has a pretty depressing storyline, and the characters are horrible in Liliom.  The guy who plays Billy(Liliom) in Carousel, Gordon MacRae, is acting at his finest in the role and gives…[Read more]

@valtmy

Pretty much nil.

Its certainly an…interesting story. Many of the problems are fixed in Carousel, but its still a musical that makes me a tad uncomfortable. Okay, a little more than a tad.

@seekjustice

What are the chances Hollywood writers would actually do so?

OK, I’ve read the synopsis for Carousel/Liliom and can sort of see why you and @rochellaine have issues with it.

@valtmy I know, how could you? In general though, I think they’re both pretty good book adaptions and Hollywood writers would do well to study them.

@rochellaine

I see 🙂 Well, red roses I think go with the unimaginative proposal. They’re rather boring and over done now 😀

*gallantly refrains from commenting on Carousel*

@rochellaine

My characters are acting however they want. Whether things work out for them, though, is up to me, their author. 😛

Never heard of that one. So your definition of a “horrible story” consists of unlikable characters and depressing storylines?

@seekjustice

Oh right. Forgot about Les Mis and Phantom. How could I? 😛

@valtmy Why pound it into your characters’ heads when they can act however they want, seeing as they are themselves in a fictional work? 😛

@seekjustice It’s hard to tell, because the book was written from the girl’s POV, and she said they were her favorite flowers, but I don’t think she ever told him that.  I think he just bought them because…[Read more]

@valtmy

I haven’t seen Matilda, but I think Les Mis, The Count of Monte Cristo and The Phantom of the Opera are all good book adaptions, though POTO changes a lot of the plot.

@seekjustice

That’s no way to adapt a book into a musical. Though I can’t really think of too many book-to-musical adaptations to give as examples…

Well, there’s Matilda which I watched in London. It was quite good because they actually wrote songs for the scenes instead of just blatantly ripping off the lines.

@valtmy

In my opinion, most of the musical is awkward attempts to stick passages straight from the book to music.

@rochellaine

Were the white carnations for any particular reason? Or did he just like them?

That wasn’t particularly smart of them. I mean, if you stopped singing and actually did something you wouldn’t be in this here fix.

@rochellaine

Well said. That is, in fact, the primary lesson I’ve been trying to pound into my characters’ heads.

@seekjustice

I see. Jane Eyre’s actual speech in the book was very beautiful so seeing the words butchered up like that in the lyrics was just weird so I didn’t have very high hopes that it’ll be a good song.

@valtmy

Haha, no not really. I don’t really think Jane Eyre is a prime musical example.

@valtmy Hello again!  There is so much stuff that works in fiction but wouldn’t work in real life! 🙂

@seekjustice Ha, yeah. 😛  I did read one book where there was a guy who used flowers other than roses, but it was only one kind, white carnations, and I think he gave them to the girl no more than twice or three times at extremely significant m…[Read more]

@seekjustice

Oh I’ve never watched that musical but I checked out the lyrics for that song and… does it sound better in the actual soundtrack?

@Rochellaine

Exactly right. It would be hugely annoying 😛

I feel there are extremely few guys who like flowers as much as Quillon does 🙂 in fact, when it comes to flowers guys are even more unimaginative than in their proposals. Red roses are the only thing they understand.

I actually think you would have more luck vowing vengeance on someone…[Read more]

@seekjustice @rochellaine

Hey I’m back now.

And totally agree with the flowers things by the way 😛 That’s the kind of stuff that only works in fiction where you can be sure both parties are adept in the language.

@seekjustice Oh, and about the flower thing…that’s cool in a fictional tale, but wouldn’t it be awkward in real life?  I mean, how do you tell whether the flowers are intended for speech or whether they’re intended for loveliness?  If the guy gave the girl “will you marry me” flowers, and the girl gave the guy “yes” flowers back, then the girl t…[Read more]

@seekjustice Yes, the worst thing for me in a book or movie proposal is when the guy goes on for five minutes saying things like “you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, I love you from the depths of my heart.  God has blessed me with you and I know that I will find happiness if you will grant me the right to spend the rest of my life…[Read more]