Customer Reviews

Sweet Charity (1969 Film Soundtrack)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been waiting for this version of Sweet Charity to come out for years. My parents use to listen to the Decca LP many years ago and the tunes grew on me. From hey Big Spender, If My Friends Could See Me Now, I'm A Brass Band, etc, etc Great music all around with not one bad track. Before this version I had brought the Broadway Show versions and to me they were all kind of flat. Maybe because I grew up on the film version I couldn't appreciate the show versions as much. The vocals and the scoring are great. Shirley MacClaine doesn't have the greatest voice in the world but she's still great.
My biggest complaint about this CD release is that it is not complete. You think that Decca Records would do a complete Cd release as previous musical soundtracks have done. This is a direct copy of the Lp released so many years ago. There is so much more music in this film that I was disapointed when I found it it was only a Cd of the original album. With Cd's fitting up the 80 minutes of music it is very surprising that this truncated version was released. Maybe because it's not considered a classic. This is am underrated film as far as I am concerned and in my opinion a far better score than Chicago (with all due respect to Bob Fosse who directed this film) This would be a great CD if only it wasn't abbreviated.

SWEET CHARITY was turned into a not-so-successful film in 1969, starring Shirley MacLaine. Originally appearing on Broadway in 1966 starring Gwen Verdon, the musical is based on the classic Fellini film "Nights of Cabiria".

The score was heavily revised for the move to celluloid. "You Should See Yourself" was replaced by "My Personal Property", "I'm the Bravest Individual" was replaced by "It's a Nice Face". The melody for "Sweet Charity" was re-jigged for a more uptempo feel. Songs cut from the score altogether included "Baby Dream Your Dream", "Too Many Tomorrows" and "Charity's Soliloquy".

Shirley MacLaine was joined by a cast including veteran Broadway talents Paula Kelly and Chita Rivera, John McMartin (recreating the role he originated on Broadway opposite Gwen Verdon) as Oscar Linquist, Sammy Davis Jr. as Daddy Brubeck, Stubby Kaye as Herman and Ricardo Montalban.

Shirley MacLaine sings her numbers with her sweet pixie-esque voice, gliding through showstoppers like "I'm a Brass Band" and "If My Friends Could See Me Now" with great ease.

Another fantastic package from Decca Broadway. Peter Filichia, as always, offers comprehensive liner notes, and sound quality is quite good. In addition to this CD I also recommend the still-superb 1966 original Broadway cast album with Gwen Verdon.

I saw the movie version for the first time a couple of years ago and continue with fond memories. I saw the 2005 Broadway Revival in June. Trust me, stick with the movie cast recording. Paula Kelly, Chita Rivera, and even Shirley MacLaine have a magic and zeal that is lost in the current revival. My main disappointment is that the movie soundtrack's version of The Rich Man's Frug is too short and doesn't have the best parts of the full number from the movie. That aside, who could ever top Sammy Davis' performance in Rythm of Life. Chita and Paula are beyond comparison in Something Better Than This.

This cast recording makes me wish I was old enough to have seen them during the original Broadway run.

Consider buying the DVD to the movie to accompany this DVD. That way, you'll also get to see Ben Vereen at his best. I will warn you that the movie was a bit indulgent with extended scenes whose length is not justified by their contribution to the overall film. It's about 20-30 minutes too long. But the musical and dance numbers are really great. Who doesn't love Fosse?

You say to yourself, why did this musical fail so badly at the box office?
And if you're bit of a movie buff like I am, you remember that in the 1960's, just about every musical after THE SOUND OF MUSIC bombed. DR. DOOLITTLE, STAR, HELLO DOLLY and thats just from Fox. DARLING LILI, PAINT YOUR WAGON from Paramount. FINIANS RAINBOW from Warners, GOODBYE MR.CHIPS from MGM. And then came Universal's turn...

It was to be the studio's grandest picture of 1969. Topping off a period that saw talent agency MCA's take over Universal. The building of the "black tower", the creation of the "Universal Studios tour", the construction of the Sheraton Universal hotel and the beginning development and expansion of Universal City itself. Studio boss Lew Wasserman, Hollywood's reigning supreme power monarch, had personally fought for SWEET CHARITY to be made. But when the premiere party screening was held for all his friends, the elite, the political establishment and even MCA's founder Jules Stein, this tale of of a common taxi dancer Shirley MacLaine falling in love. And the psychodelic Sammy Davis Jr's musical number offended the likes of Nancy Reagan and many others in the audience. Well, it was taken as somewhat obscene, despite all the political assasinations of the decade and the really obscene death and destruction of the Vietnam war. Bad timing I guess, specially for veteran choreographer and first time director Bob Fosse.

SWEET CHARITY had what all good musicals must have -good music. It was well cast too. I thought Fosse did a great job, unfortunately the public passed on it as did all those who were so deeply "offended" at the big screening. How dare all those girls sing "Hey big spender" to boot. Today, SWEET CHARITY would be considered oh so tame and innocent. Maybe PRETTY WOMAN should be remade as a musical, with today's political crowd it would be a real hit!

This Movie made a real impression on me as a youth. However all I could ever remember were the songs and dance numbers. As i got older, I found out that there was a very good reason for this. The Movie was just OK,
but the song and dance numbers were amazing. This score for the film has not been available on CD for quite some time, but the new mastering and packaging are really terrific. Highlight are "Hey Big Spender" and "The
Rhythm of Life". Very very late 60'ies. Worth every cent.

The music is great especially if you have seen the DVD however even if not, Shirley MacLaine would have to have the "happiest" sound to her voice and you can't help but smile as you listen to her singing If They Could See Me Now.

I love to find these soundtracts and DVDs of the older plays and movies. Thanks for being there mand making these available.

Listening to this Soundtrack brought back so many sweet memories of a fun time in my life - college. Hearing "Rhythm of Life" done by Sammy Davis Jr. was most memorable. This is such a fun soundtrack to play. I look forward to many years of enjoyment and recommend it to anyone who was in college in the late 60's.

I have been converting my old LP's into CD's then putting them on my Ipod. I am picky about what I put on my Ipod, selecting only certain tracks from each CD. This CD, however, I put all tracks onto my Ipod except the overture. While I find Shirley MacLaine's voice a bit weak, the songs overcome any such problems with their energy. And one of the main reasons I wanted the movie rather than broadway CD was because of Sammy Davis Jr. His contributions to this album are worth every penny.