Watching ‘Wicked For Good’ At The ‘Everyman Cinema’ Crystal Palace; The Movie Review
A Fun Magical Fantasy Film That’s More Realistic Than Many May Realise… And Very Apt For Our Current Times
Despite Being Written Early Last Century. Old Issues Loom Large Letting Us Know ‘Fight or Flight’ Is A Forever Phenomenon For Each Generation
1939
1978
1925
Even If It’s Not My Usual Cup of Tea (Wizardry, Witches And Fantasy), The Film ‘Wicked For Good’ Does What It Says On The Tin And Is Indeed Good. Very Good. The soundtrack was fabulous As The Voices of Cynthia Erivo And Ariana Grande Work Notably Well Together And each Can Hold A Note On Their Own to Put It Mildy. the Use of colours Throughout the movie Also stand Out As They Are dynamic, They Shine Bright, And Outstanding Cinematography Really Brings Them To Life.
The storyline entails An Array emotions & Feelings Including Friendship, Joy, Jealousy, Envy, Rivalry, Loss, Greed, Anger, Love And Hate.
but Ultimately ‘friendship’ and ‘love’ Prove To Be The Most Magical elements of all And Win the Day. Albeit In The Most Unexpected Way.
Early Sixties, Primary School Assistant, Lay Person Care Home Consultant And Mother of Four Attending With Teenage Daughter, Twenty-One Year Old Son And Fifty- Something Sister
It was amazing to see the rekindling of Glinda and Elphaba’s friendship. This Film Has So Many Layers And Hidden or Not So Hidden Messages.
Even though one may say Elphaba stole Glinda’s man, if we’re being honest – He Actually wasn’t her man in the first place!
She may be called The Wicked Witch of the West but she really has a heart of gold, for, Amongst Other Things, saving Bok and Prince Fierro by turning them into a tin man and A scarecrow. This Was Actually An Act of Love In Very Difficult Circumstances.
There Were Also The Animals That She Freed. They Were Wrongly And Unjustly Yet Knowingly And Deliberately Condemned By The Wicked Wizard, His Henchmen, Henchwomen And A Corrupt System. Sound Familiar?
The Cowardly Lion Reflects How Elphaba’s Past Compassion Helped Him Act With Courage Later On (Even If His Insecurity Never Fully Disappears). Toto Symbolises Loyalty And The Power of Silent Presence.
Brief, Understated, Not Fully Understood, Sometimes Somehow Someway Unnoticed, Moments Or Relationships Can Effect Personal Change And Alter Lives Permenantly. For Good.
Eighteen Year Old 1st Year Psychology, Greenwich University Undergraduate (Part of TheOrator.Press (TO.P) Film Review Team) We Reviewed Both Film And Venue. Venue Review On Page 2.
The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same. So Some Say.
At The Start of The Last Century Lyman Frank Baum An Entrepreneur, Newspaper Man And Prolific Writer of Children’s Books Wrote ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ (Published In 1900). It Was Accomopanied By A Conditional Associate Theatre Production For Publicity Purposes. With Slow And Steady Publication Runs It Eventually Became A Runaway Success.
As Is So Often The Case With Successful Books It Was Surpassed By A Film Release. Albeit Thirty Nine Years Later. (The Savage Nazi Regime In Germany, A Critical Point In Which Was Hitler Becoming Chancellor In 1933 And The Start of The First World War In 1939 Such Was The International Backdrop To This 1939 Children’s Book Release). Then, Nonetheless, It Too Was A Hit.
Fastforward Virtually Forty Years Later And An All Black Cast Lead By Diana Ross And Michael Jackson Featured In The 1978 Version Called ‘The Wiz’.
Amongst Others It Gave Us The Classic Track ‘Get On Down, Get On Down The Road’ With Musical Whizz Quincy Jones In Charge of The Film’s Music Production. The Film Was Not A Great Hit At The Time With Mainstream Critics Giving It A Cinematic Bashing, But It Has Over The Years Developed Into Something of A Cult Classic. The Stella Roll Call of African American Talent At The Time May Have Something To Do With It;
Motown Glamour Queen Diana Ross As Dorothy (From Harlem, Not Kansas City), Soul Star Michael Jackson As The Scarecrow, Comedian Richard Pryor As The Wizard, And Screen Queen Lena Horne As Glinda, To Name But A Few.
Journey Down The Road Another Forty Years And Then Some And We Arrive At Wicked The Movie (Part One) 2023 And Wicked For Good (Wicked The Movie Part Two) 2025. This Is The Third (And Fourth) Most Significant Film Version of The Book And The Most Successful.
It Follows The Success of ‘Wicked’ The Musical.
‘Wicked’ The Musical Launched In London’s Theatreland 2006 At The Apollo Theatre Victoria And Is Still Running Today With A Dedicated Following Across The Pond After Launching On New York’s Broadway Too.
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