Gypsy (1993)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Lack of good storyline.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

For many La Merm was the definitive Rose but for me Roz Russell is the one they all have to beat. I never saw Merman, not that I would have cared to (though I would, had I lived in New York in 1959, have gone in spite of my aversion to Merm, just for the score) so that the first version I saw was Roz Russell in the movie. To me - and this is just one man's opinion - Merm was all brash and belt with no warmth so it's easy for me to believe she brought out the monster in Rose and just belted it across the footlights with about as much finesse as Sly Stallone would bring to figure skating, whereas Russell tempered the brashness with warmth and humanity. As a great admirer of Tyne Daly I would have loved to have seen her take, she can do warmth standing on her head but much as I admire her it's hard for me to visualize her as the ruthless monster that is Rose. Luckily I only paid 50p in a Charity shop for the Midler version and even then I feel robbed because all I got out of it was the score and as I already own the Broadway Cast CD (albeit with Merm) and the Russell movie I'm not exactly short in that department. Midler came across as simply a freak, bloated face, shapeless figure, nothing in evidence to account for all the husbands she'd managed to snare or explain what Herbie found lovable.She even managed to make Jule Styne's melodies appear tuneless which is quite a trick. Today, in England, we're not allowed to call gypsies gypsies, we have to refer to them as travellers; that's jake with me in Midler's case, the father she travels the better.

Bette Midler is the best thing about this movie. It is a POOR second to the original from 1962 with Natalie Wood as Gypsy. The songs were done much better in the original and the costumes were better. Bette's voice was great and she looked better in most of the costumes compared to Cynthia Gibb. Only someone who has not seen the original would think this a good movie.There was not enough of a change between ugly duckling to beautiful girl. When Natalie Wood was Gypsy she only was seen as beautiful when she got into the dress with her gloves for the first time to perform in the burlesque show. When she has her hair down and then magically it is all done up beautifully and she looks so elegant, it is an important aspect to the movie because it is also the first time Gypsy sees herself as something special and that she might actually be a star, not just a poor substitute to her sister. And the scenes where she slowly becomes more famous were rushed through. It was an important part of the movie and they butchered it. It is critical to show her becoming more comfortable with her future as a stripper and the costumes are amazing in these scenes in the original. It was a huge let down to watch it unfold in this movie. I was completely disappointed and had it not been for Bette Midler I would have shut the movie off.

After seeing both the 1962 version and this one, I'd say each has its own strengths. It's too hard to compare any two Mama Rose's. Each one is working with a different director with a different vision. (To tell the truth, I liked them both.) Actually, the casting issues I had a problem with involved Tessy Tura and Dainty June. While Dainty June was played by a talented actress, she looked more like late thirties than thirteen. Also, Tessy Tura looked way too fresh-faced for a blasé stripper stuck in Wichita. My advice--switch 'em. Truth is, I thought the actresses that played both Louise and June were too old for their roles) Other than that, the 1993 version is better from a technological standpoint (Miss Electra doesn't look like she's wearing Christmas lights) and features all the songs from the original. I liked Bette Midler as Rose. Well-done, but not great.

I loved this production of "Gypsy" so much that when my audiocassette of the Ethel Merman production got ruined I replaced it with a CD of the Midler "Gypsy." Bette Midler has the fire to do justice to this demanding role, and her supporting cast seemed agreeable to let her shine. But the highlight of the film for me was "You Gotta Have a Gimmick." The three strip women as a group are a comic delight.