Thursday, 25 October 2007
Gotta Sing! Even Though It's Not A Musical...
posted @12:01 p.m. by Richard Kelly
Another top-ranking Top Ten from Listmania 2007: Shamini Sriskandarajah delighted us all with this witty, fond and discerning selection of magical movie moments where characters suddenly feel like a song is in order, whether or not they have a backing track...
Actors singing but not in a musical
Shamini Sriskandarajah
#10. American Beauty (Sam Mendes, 1999)
Driving home from the gun range, Annette Bening sings along to Bobby Darin's 'Don't Rain on my Parade'. I like the way she gets really carried away, as if she were in front of a mirror with a hairbrush, but then stops abruptly when she sees Kevin Spacey's new Pontiac Firebird in the drive.
9. Beautiful Thing (Hettie MacDonald, 1996)
A film my friend described as too gay for straight people and too straight for gay people; I don't get that because it wasn't that gay to me. I like the scene where Tameka Empson sings 'One Way Ticket' by her idol Mama Cass to her Thamesmead neighbours. When asked by Linda Henry why she likes Mama Cass rather than Madonna, Tameka replies, 'She's a slag.'
8. When Harry Met Sally (Rob Reiner, 1989)
Billy Crystal persuades Meg Ryan to sing along with him to 'The Surrey with a Fringe on Top' from Oklahoma! on a department store karaoke machine. What a time to meet your ex-wife and her new man.
7. Paris, Je T'aime (the section Loin du 16eme)(Walter Salles, Daniela Thomas, 2006)
Catalina Sandino Moreno smiles as she sings a Spanish lullaby Que Linda Manito to her baby, but then leaves her to go to work as a nanny, where she can't hide the sadness in her eyes as sings the same lullaby to her employer's baby.
6. Modern Times (Charlie Chaplin, 1936)
One of Charlie's many jobs in this film is as a waiter who has to sing for his supper. He looks at his arm where the words were supposed to be, but sees they've rubbed off. Paulette Goddard mouths, 'Sing! Never mind the words', so he sings a nonsense song.
5. About a Boy (Chris and Paul Weitz, 2002)
Hugh Grant reluctantly steps in to save Nicholas Hoult's cringeworthy performance of 'Killing Me Softly' at the school talent show, before getting so carried away he commits the cardinal sin of singing with his eyes closed.
4. Some Like it Hot (Billy Wilder, 1959)
Marilyn Monroe, heartbroken at the end, sings 'I'm Through with Love' with the heaviest melancholy (Kirsten Dunst sings the same song in a homage to this scene at the end of Spider-Man 3). One person asked me if this film was a musical. According to my criteria - people don't burst into song, there's no choreographed random dancing, and there aren't that many songs - it's not.
3. Before Sunset (Richard Linklater, 2004)
Julie Delpy coyly sings her 'little waltz' to Ethan Hawke about their one-night stand, while he lies back on the sofa and looks very pleased with himself.
2. Breakfast at Tiffany's (Blake Edwards, 1961)
Anyone who has seen Breakfast at Tiffany's remembers Audrey Hepburn sat on her balcony, towel wrapped round her hair, strumming and singing 'Moon River'. It's strange to think that the song was nearly removed from the film but she insisted it stayed. Apparently she said, 'Over my dead body!' but I find that hard to believe. This scene has been slightly tainted for me by my friend who said he can't watch it without thinking how terrible Audrey is at miming playing the guitar.
1. Lost in Translation
(Sofia Coppola, 2003)
Scarlett Johansson, looking sexy and chic in a pink wig, sings The Pretenders' 'Brass in Pocket' at her friends' karaoke night, to Bill Murray's delight. There was a lot of karaoke in this film, and although Bill Murray singing 'More than This' was very cool and atmospheric, he didn't blow my mind like Scarlett did.
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