54 of 67 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Dream Continues..., May 2, 2007
For those of you who aren't familiar with DREAMGIRLS it was a hit Broadway musical, created in 1981, based "loosely" on the real monster girl group The Supremes, Berry Gordy and Motown. And although it took almost 25 years to make, the movie version is spectacular.
Following the meteoric rise of the fictitious "Dreams," the story takes place in Detroit in 1962 and ends in Los Angeles in 1975. In between you witness the joy, sorrow and bitterness--as some dreams die, while others live. And being a period movie, DREAMGIRLS doesn't feel dated or unrealistic. It captures the excitement and turbulence of the 60s or at least the romanticized ideal of it...perfectly.
Anyway enough about the movie and on to the DVD.
This dvd set contains two dvds:
***DVD #1 FEATURE FILM; 12 EXTENDED/ADDITIONAL MUSICAL NUMBERS
I won't list the 12 songs but the title track "Dreamgirls" and the show stopper "And I Am Telling You..." are not part of this 12. With the exception of the song "Effie, Sing My Song," at least from what I could tell, most of these musical numbers are just different edits/film cuts than those that made it into the film. For instance, you'll see more of the performance rather than the cutaways to other scenes, which you see in the movie...so they're not sung differently.
What's good about this is that you get to see the entire performance of the opening acts(The Stepp Sisters, L'il Albert and The Tru-Tones, Tiny Joe Dixon) without the cutaway shots that show what's going on behind the stage. No additional lyrics: the songs are exactly as they are on the deluxe edition music cd of
Dreamgirls: Music From The Motion Picture [2-CD Deluxe Edition].
One alternative musical number that's very different is the song "Effie, Sing My Song." In the movie, the lines are spoken. However they did film the song version where C.C. and Effie share a duet. And that's included here.
***DVD #2 DOCUMENTARY ON THE MAKING OF DREAMGIRLS; ORIGINAL AUDITION AND SCREEN TEST VIDEOS; FEATURETTES ABOUT THE FASHION, FILM EDITING, THEATRICAL LIGHTING; PRE-VISUALIZATION SEQUENCES; IMAGE GALLERY
In all fairness, I haven't seen the entire second dvd. The reason being is that the documentary on the making of DREAMGIRLS is nearly TWO-HOURS long! Running at one-hour and fifty-five minutes, the documentary called "Building the Dream" chronicles the journey that started as an idea from Broadway creators Tom Eyen, Henry Krieger, and Michael Bennett to finally becoming the most hyped and anticipated film of 2006. But don't worry, that's not the beef of the documentary. Most of it takes you behind the scenes of what it took to put this huge movie together from the set design to the casting; from the choreography to staying true to the original score.
It's a fascinating look at the challenges director Bill Condon faced when deciding to take on this project. I always thought that "Dreamgirls" would've been easy to make into a film because you already started with everything in place. How wrong I was! Not only are you competing in a genre not too popular today, but you have to compete with the beloved original. Well, I must pay homage to Condon. He pulled it off.
Anyway, the documentary is told through home video of the recording sessions, casting calls, set design, rehearsals etc., as well as principal cast member interviews and of course the main people working behind the scenes like director Condon, executive producers, choreographers, music producers etc.
If nothing else, this documentary alone is worth the extra price for the two-set dvd of DREAMGIRLS.
And for those of you die hard fans of the original Broadway show or soundtrack, who liked this movie version, will be happy to know that the song "A'int No Party" is supposed to be included in the "audition tapes" section of the special features. There is a snippet of it in the documentary and Anika Noni Rose was working that song. So I'm sure it has to be included in the screen tests. But even if it isn't, remember I haven't seen the entire second dvd, the documentary "Building The Dream" makes up for it.
Anyway, if you enjoyed the movie, you'll enjoy this dvd set. It's a dream that will give you "more and more." If you haven't seen the movie, well you're in for a treat. It's exciting and keeps you at the edge of your seat. And not being an action film, that's saying a lot!
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17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Eddie Can Sing!, May 15, 2007
Musicals aren't really my thing. Many feel forced as the cast breaks out into song at the most bizarre of times. Cheesy is perhaps the best descriptor, but occasionally I enjoy a good toe-tapping flick if it's done right. And DREAMGIRLS is definitely done right. It certainly ranks up there with MOULIN ROUGE and CHICAGO as one of the more recently successful musical films, it too being a period piece (covering the late 50s through the early 70s).
Acting in these style of films tends to lend itself more to dance moves than actual roleplaying of characters, but there are two highly mentionable performances in Dreamgirls: first time actress Jennifer Hudson of American Idol fame, and a major comeback role for Eddie Murphy. Hudson took home Best Actress trophies from The Golden Globes, The BAFTAs, The Screen Actors Guild and The Oscars for her portrayal of Effie White, the powerful and ultimately embittered lead singer for The Dreamettes. Eddie Murphy as James "Thunder" Early is surprisingly excellent, perhaps helping wash away the stains of DADDY DAYCARE and THE ADVENTURES OF PLUTO NASH from his more recent, acting, downward spiral. Murphy can sing alongside Hudson and Beyonce and hold his own, too.
The added entertaining fact about Dreamgirls is that there's an actual story behind the music, making this film much more watchable than many musicals which rely solely on their high notes rather than acting skill. This story is firmly entrenched in the early music industry as a "white-washed" form of entertainment, separating it from "black music"...until Curtis Taylor (Jamie Foxx, JARHEAD), a car salesman in search of more, jumps into the music biz and launches his own record label (Rainbow Records). Foxx's Taylor character is another smashing success for him in that he makes this man both lovable and despised as he turns from caring manager to control freak.
Likewise, Murphy's Early character is someone who's moral ground we're never quite sure of. He's a married man with womanizing tendencies, but he's also a musical purist, trying to create sounds that are true to him while at the same time dismantling what he once was (a great, yet small, singing sensation). His fall from grace hits the viewer hard as heroin, time, and his own industry begin taking their toll.
But veterans Murphy and Foxx can't hold a candle to newcomer Hudson's performance. She is the crux that holds the entire production together, and she does so with power, grace and a great emotional range. The ending is sure to choke-up many viewers.
The only complaint I can lodge against the entire film was within one small section where Effie (Hudson) breaks out into a long chorus about being wronged by Foxx and the other Dreamettes. This seemed rather awkward and I would've liked to have seen this acted out in dialogue rather than burst into song.
Still, this is a powerful musical film that deserves much praise ...and has rightfully gotten it.
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