#Michael ‘I’m going to perform this like it’s Shakespeare’ Caine

[aussie-bookworm]

It’s time to watch Michael Caine put his whole Michael Cussy into performing with a bunch of Muppets

[hamletthedane]

I’m a big Hamlet fan and I am curious as to what your favorite movie/for screen rendition is? I’ve been working my way through a lot of them, gone through about 7, so far Hamlet at Elsinore with Christopher Plummer is my favorite. I was just curious what yours is !

What a great question!!

Hamlet at Elsinore is definitely my favorite filmed version of the play. I feel that Christopher Plummer does a fantastic - and frankly critically underappreciated - job of portraying the more nuanced and complicated aspects of Hamlet's character while still giving a straightforward performance that's highly accessible to any audience. Notably, he doesn't treat the performance as his ~*~epic, defining role of a lifetime~*~ or ~high artistic theater~ (*cough* Branagh and Jacobi), but instead focuses on telling a deeply compelling, very moving story about the complex nature of grief and revenge. I also like that this version embraces the more "postmodern" elements that exist in the written text of Hamlet: the complicity of the audience, the inevitability of the outcome, Hamlet's genre-awareness and genre-defiance, etc.

[Not to keep hating on Branagh, but in contrast: Branagh's Hamlet in particular seems to go out of its way to avoid including the more interesting proto-postmodern thematic elements of the play - at times not seeming to recognize that they're even there. He instead focuses his time and energy on inserting new cinematography-based visual themes that go nowhere and at times stand in OPPOSITION to the actual tone and themes of the original text. Because apparently Hamlet the play is too boring and instead of lame elements like "themes" and "compelling characterization," we need a swinging chandelier sword fight scenes and Freudian weirdness. Truly the Joel Schumacher Phantom of the Opera adaptation of Shakespeare films. But I DIGRESS-)

Plus it doesn't hurt that everybody aside from Plummer in Hamlet at Elsinore is also fabulous. Obviously, Michael Caine's Horatio is the single best and most definitive version of the character in film, but I also love Robert Shaw's Claudius and Muller's Ophelia.

If we're talking favorite filmed versions of the STORY of Hamlet though, that's Asta Nielsen's silent film from 1921. It's so beautifully filmed and wonderfully told. She's what I picture when I picture Hamlet.

Other than that....I like Tennant and Stewarts' RSC filmed version well enough. It has a number of very strange choices and I don't love the re-ordering of the scenes, but Tennant does a great job with the character and I think it's a very approachable performance. A few other filmed stage versions are also excellent, though with a few similarly weird elements - I'd put Maxine Peake's version on the same tier as the RSC version. I do NOT like Branagh's version at all (if you couldn't already tell...). Jacobi's and Gibson's are slightly better, but they're still too focused on the prestige of the performance rather than the actual story being told imo. I think they fall under the same criticism as Holden Caulfield's scathing review of Laurence Olivier: "more like a general than a sad, screwed-up type guy." (Yes I know this line is an in-text authorial critique of Holden himself but also: he's right and he should say it.)

If you haven't already, I do highly recommend listening to the BBC Radio 4 audiodrama version of Hamlet, starring Jamie Parker. Despite being a audio version of a stage play, it somehow blows every filmed version of Hamlet (except maybe HAE) out of the water. I listen to it at least once a year.

Finally, my actual favorite versions of Hamlet have ALWAYS been those I've seen live (or seen bootleg filmed stage performances of lmao). If it's ever playing live near you, definitely go and see it. The play was meant to be seen on a live stage in front of you, and many of the jokes and themes only make sense in that context. In my opinion, the medium of live theater elevates the play so far beyond what a movie could ever achieve.

...sorry this answer is so long 😅 Really, it doesn't matter what my opinions on Hamlet films are. If any version of the play really speaks to you - even if it's the accursed Branagh version - that is so awesome and makes me really happy people are engaging with the play in that way! (But since you're saying that HAE is your favorite so far, I will add that you have excellent, discerning taste ;))

[kissformuppet]

I’m thinking about muppet human co-stars and how it takes such a strong and confident actor to pull it off well. Like, when we think of top tier co-stars, Michael Caine and Tim Curry are a few of the first to come to mind, right?

Michael Caine famously said he would perform his part as if he was working with the Royal Shakespeare Corporation. His performance never sold the muppets short, and he was able to stand his own confidently around all the muppety chaos.

Tim Curry wasn’t a side act to the muppets, he became one of the muppets. He brought such character and passion to his act, that he became one of (if not the most) iconic parts of that movie.

I feel like this is what a lot of the more recent human co-stars are missing. A lot of the time, to me, they feel like they are just going along with the muppets, not really bringing their own style and flare to the show. They aren’t usually bad, but to me they often just feel flat and bland. It feels like they follow the muppets’ lead, or bring their acting down a few notches because they’re doing a “childish” show/movie. When this is the case, I’d rather just not have a human co-star at all. The muppets can carry themselves just fine.

On a tooootally unrelated note, I’m worried about Lilly Singh being the human co-star of The Muppets Mayhem

[whatmakesthemgreat]

What Makes them Great 3: Scrooge Muppet Christmas Carol

This is a bit of a change of form because today I’m talking less about a specific character and more about how a choice in the way a character is portrayed made a movie far stronger than you’d expect. The Muppets could honestly have their own post if I wanted, especially given how Jim Henson was a proponent of the characters performers deciding how to characterize them, but we’re sticking to Michael Caines version of scrooge for today with a little bit extra details peppered in to show how much this movie perfects the vibe of the original story. 

Performing as the one human in a muppets movie is undeniably a gig that seems incredibly hard. I can't imagine many actors are cut out to be overshadowed by a frog made from fabric, and it's due to this challenge that there are so many different performances done by the sole humans in these stories, some go over the top with the silly attempting to become a muppet themselves, some blend into the background knowing its not their show, but what Michael Caine does as Scrooge is the exact opposite, He acts as if he’s performing shakespeare for the Queen.  This sounds inherently a bit goofy, why bring out such acting chops when one of your co-stars is a literal attention hog? But this choice is what made his performance so deeply memorable. In acting dead serious as the miserly scrooge, Caines performance gives it its own personal sense of comedy. It's hard to not laugh seeing the man play the role so seriously as a group of talking vegetables claim that “even WE don't like him.” 

The muppets hold such a personal space in my heart, and for that reason so does this movie, but I can assure you this is far more than just nostalgia, this is one of the strongest adaptations of the story to date, even with how silly Gonzo taking the role of Dickens is. This holiday season I encourage you to tell me YOUR favorite holiday specials.

[moviemunchies]

There are so many different adaptations and takes on A Christmas Carol and I kind of hate it? Look, I remember growing up and finding a bajillion specials on television that were different cartoons doing their own version of the story. Whenever a studio announced a major motion picture adaptation, I just didn’t care. I’d already seen the story done a million times, and I got bored of it!

Except for this one. For whatever reason, I can’t remember ever getting tired of The Muppet Christmas Carol.

Mind you, when I was a kid I did get scared of it. I couldn’t watch the “Marley & Marley” scene because the ghosts with chains and moaning--couldn’t do it. And the Ghost of Christmas Future wasn’t great for me either. I’d just kind of… leave or skip or zone out during those segments. But other than that it’s a great film. It’s a surprisingly great adaptation too--if you ever read the play or the novel, there are several lines and narrations lifted straight from the text in this movie.

Just. Y’know. In the mouths of Muppets.

And yes it’s funny. Of course it’s funny. It’s the Muppets. But one thing that I think is always important in telling a story that’s both humorous and dramatic is that one never undermines the other. Yeah there are jokes, but the jokes in the movie aren’t there to mock the drama of the original story. The main story is played fairly seriously. And when we get to the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Gonzo and Rizzo leave the story because they think it’s too creepy for them.

[Probably to make sure they don’t undo the heavy material of the ending.]

Supposedly Michael Caine (yes THAT Michael Caine) found playing Scrooge to be one of his favorite roles and had a lot of fun on this movie. Word on the ‘net is that he just treated his Muppet co-stars like they were all members of the Royal Shakespeare Company instead of, well, puppets. And I think it kind of shows?

I guess what I’m saying is: this very easily could have been a very stupid, annoying movie which just constantly jokes at audience about how silly it is that the Muppets are trying to reenact a piece of classical literature. 

The casting is pretty great? Michael Caine is my favorite Ebeneezer Scrooge, in part because he’s not just crotchety and rude, he’s outright cruel in a way that works for the character. But he’s also someone who can turn around and convincingly portray a person who has learned from the lessons of the story to become a generous and kind person.

Gonzo as Charles Dickens is an odd choice. I don’t know if it makes much sense, or it was just that they wanted Gonzo in the movie and put him in what was left. But it’s not that he did a bad job at all--he does fine. He’s a fun narrator, one that puts a surprising amount of seriousness into the role. And he gets to bounce off of Rizzo (who plays himself) in a way that keeps the story fresh.

Kermit is a fantastic Bob Cratchit in that he’s a nice guy that everyone pushes around. Of course Miss Piggy plays his wife, and although I don’t recall if Mrs. Cratchit is as...willful as Miss Piggy, I think it works for the story. After all, it’s good to see someone stick up for Bob Cratchit when he’s been so put upon.

I think that the man who plays young adult Scrooge is Raymond Coulthard--IMDB has like four performers listed as “Young Scrooge.” They all do fine, but the one who does him as a young adult does the longest. I don’t know if he’s as talented as Michael Caine in portraying a sympathetic Scrooge, but he doesn’t have as much time to do so either, and in his first scene you could easily see how he’s charming.

The Ghost of Christmas Past still holds up remarkably well as far as effects go. Some of the flying doesn’t, but even then it’s like something you’d see now on a cheap TV budget rather than truly bad. But again, for the most part she still looks great. She’s a bit unworldly and uncanny to look at, but that’s the point.

The Ghost of Christmas Present in this film is my favorite rendition of the character, and not just because he’s got a fantastic musical number. To be clear, a lot of his sharper rebukes from the source material are toned down or removed to build him into a warmer character. One who is still just as effective, I think.

[Also, he and Future are Muppets designed specifically for this film.]

Ghost of Christmas Future gave me the willies growing up. Less so now. I don’t know if his weird proportions (his arms are way too long and his legs are too short) adds to the creep factor. But regardless, the huge silent cloaked figure is incredibly creepy and is played masterfully. 

Other highlights:

-Statler and Waldorf as the Marley Brothers (also their names are on a shop front in the set).

-Sam the Eagle as Scrooge’s teacher

-Fozzie as Scrooge’s first boss

-That cat that chases Rizzo

-Fred. Poor Fred, putting up with his uncle’s nonsense.

There is a contingent of fans who believe this is one of the best Muppet movies ever made. Honestly, I couldn’t tell you--I really haven’t seen that many Muppet movies, and the ones I have seen other than this one, I haven’t viewed in years. This film, however, I try to view once a year around Christmas time. If you need another Christmas special to add to your list, I don’t think you’ll regret this one. I don’t know if it will appeal to people who didn’t grow up with it, or the Muppets, but I had fun with it so I can’t help but recommend it.