For the most part, these two films are quite similar. The beginning of the movies are very similar but it is in the end where the differences show. One big difference is the conflict which addresses race and integration. In the 1988 version a fight breaks out at the carnival which was completely unplanned. In the 2007 version it was a planned protest that people organized. Along with that, in the original film Tracy goes to jail and in the 2007 version she is a runaway the police are searching for. There was no need to go to the government in the second movie but in order to get Tracy out of jail they had to. I think these differences put a different spin on how race is portrayed in the film. The first film reveals an unorganized type of riot to bring peoples attention to the matter but in the 2007 version they organize a walk through the streets. These are two different ways to handle a situation like this and I think it is an interesting difference to look at.
Since other aspects of this film are so similar, I would argue that this is a part of the camp genre. Maybe things are as "campy" as in the first one but there are still a lot of things that are exaggerated. One thing which makes everything seem exaggerated is the fact that this is a musical. People look at musicals as already being pretty cheesy and to add the camp attributes of the first film make it that much more unnatural. Also, the characters in the first film are pretty similar to the ones in the 2007 version which makes the campy traits carry over to the newest version. The male characters in the new version are still take a backseat to the female characters and are still pretty effeminate.
In Tom Charity's review, he sums up the movie pretty well when he says "Bright, campy and wonderfully light, "Hairspray" reminds us that fun comes in all shapes and sizes. It's also one of the few "event" movies this summer that doesn't outstay its welcome. That's worth singing about, no matter what your name is". Both Hairspray films are light-hearted and perhaps a little out there but if the viewer does not take them too seriously, they are pretty entertaining.
Despite its many downfalls, the newer version of Hairspray certainly maintains its ability to entertain. I believe that it is extremely important, however, to also note the fact that it portrays racism in a different light because it is an issue, but is not quite so overt or offensive in the newer film.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the second one is very entertaining and can reel in the audience with its light-heartedness, in fact I think it is even more light-hearted than the original. We talked in class about how the original was more edgy and bold by adding elements of racial panic and mental retardation among other things, which are not seen in a bold light in the new film. Initially, I had thought they took less risks to try not to be so controversial, but maybe they wanted to play up the light-heartedness to show people these topics can be talked about.
ReplyDeleteWatch Hairspray Online a few too many songs but awesome film :P
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