Hey folks, Harry here... seems that ol Quint is in a very odd place at the moment... His inescapable love for MOULIN ROUGE being challenged on all fronts by the brilliance of HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH. He is right in one thing though... they are very different films. One is a complex story about an incredibly complex character that can never be forgotten.... and the other is an incredibly simple story about that thing we all know, Love. I prefer the spectacle of MOULIN ROUGE, but I also prefer the story and characters of HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH... Where does that leave me? Quite satisfied... Here's that salty fellow and his review...
Ahoy there, squirties. Yeah, yeah, 'tis I, everybody's favorite can-can dancing seaman, Quint, here to chime in on Hedwig and the Angry Inch. As of this writing, I'm in a bit of a depression, albeit a tiny one, about this film. I loved it, thought it was amazing, but I don't like what I'm seeing in its wake.
All my buds that have seen the movie and I agree that it's a phenomenal film. That's not the problem. The problem is I found myself in the minority on one simple opinion. This film is and will be compared to Moulin Rouge if only because the lead characters sing. I haven't kept my love for Moulin Rouge a secret, nor would I want to. The movie makes me happy, makes me want to sing and just thinking of it can put sunshine in the dreariest of days for me. I've seen it thrice now and it gets better every single time I see it. It's pure joy.
Now, Hedwig is also a tremendous film, with superb acting, characters and songs. Hedwig works on many levels and is a completely different type of film than Moulin Rouge. The best, easiest and, I'd venture to say, most accurate way to categorize the movies is thus: Moulin Rouge is a musical, a grand, sweeping epic of a film that has both style and substance. Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a Rock Opera, an offshoot of the Musicals genre, that deals with many different political, social and emotional concepts and how the characters in the film react to these differing ideas. Yet it's a fun movie. You never feel like you're being lectured to, but at the same time you see these themes and ideas presented to you in a way that makes you (SHOCK! GASP!) think!
What I'm starting to see is people comparing the two films and because Moulin Rouge wasn't as gritty and/or intellectual as Hedwig was, I'm seeing it starting to get dismissed, which is really bumming me out. Seemingly all of a sudden, what was so artistic and exhilarating last week has become frantic and A.D.D. this week. What was an inventive amalgam of different songs from different generations last week is now a gag, overly dependent on pop culture references.
Now, I'm not blind. Hedwig has the better story and I'd even say it's the better film. I look at it the same way I look at The Who's Tommy and Pink Floyd's The Wall. I love both of those films. Both have a lot to say about society and the ideals of that society. Both have terrific soundtracks. BUT those movies, while I think are amazing films, aren't movies I can just throw in the DVD player or VCR whenever I feel like it. I have to be in the mood to watch those films, to deal with the questions raised, contemplate the answers to those questions, if there are any.
That's what Hedwig and the Angry Inch is to me. It's a film that borders on brilliance (a second viewing is needed for me decide if it teeters on that border or topples right over it), but not a film I can just throw in no matter what I'm feeling at that moment. Whereas Moulin Rouge is one of those films that'll undoubtedly be one of the most watched DVDs in my collection, right up there with The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Big Lebowski and Yellow Submarine.
Don't get me wrong. I've seen flicks like Pink Floyd's The Wall and The Who's Tommy a dozen times and I love them. I love that they're so fucking out there sometimes that I still get the "Sweet Fucking Christ, did I just see that?!?" reaction when I see certain scenes (see the eyebrow shaving scene or the Another Brick In The Wall pt. 2 scene in The Wall and just about every other scene in Tommy). Hedwig will be seen by me at least once more theatrically. I will buy the soundtrack and will buy the DVD when it comes out. It's a great film. It's just not a magical one. To me, at least.
I imagine there are those of you out there who thought that Moulin Rouge was a tedious A.D.D. shot film that was sick with pop culture in the first place and don't need to see Hedwig and the Angry Inch to confirm your beliefs. That's fine. I don't agree, but your opinion is right for you just as mine is right for me. I applaud you for making it this far into this review, which has sort of turned into a compare and contrast of Hedwig and Moulin Rouge... Whoops. Sorry about that. I'll do better from now on... Scout's honor.
Alright, so some of you are undoubtedly going, "Well this comparison to Moulin Rouge is great and all, but I don't even know what the fuck this movie's about! Spill the beans, dude!" I say, "No." I walked into this film having absolutely no idea what I was getting into. I hadn't seen one trailer or even read one review of the film. I'd heard Moriarty going off about it in chat, but much like what you've read from me, he didn't go into any specifics and I must thank him for that. The only thing I will say about the movie is something Moriarty told me the day before I saw it. Give it about 10 minutes. The first 10 minutes aren't bad, they just don't represent what comes in the next hour and a half. It's about the 10-15 minute mark that the movie finds its footing and takes off like a bat outta hell, in a way much like The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Actually, now that we get down to it, the movie that Hedwig and the Angry Inch most reminds me of, surprisingly, is The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Imagine Rocky Horror without the tongue in cheek aspects. Got that? OK, now you have what the general feel of the film is. Both Rocky Horror and Hedwig were stage plays adapted into a film, so both have the feeling of a play. Both films also deal with sexual identity issues and have kickass songs. The makers of Rocky Horror decided to make a balls out fun movie which was more a musical spoof of the sci-fi films of the '50s and '60s, whereas the makers of Hedwig constructed a film that is much more intellectually stimulating and has a much more serious undertone to the whole thing (and of course is not a spoof of ‘50s sci-fi films). Although they are two completely different films, you can not deny the similarities while watching Hedwig.
Now, when I said the film had a serious undertone, that doesn't mean drab or dull. It also doesn't mean it's a Merchant Ivory film, even though some of the costumes might lead you to think otherwise. The movie has its totally out there and fun moments... there's a scene where it actually turns into a sing-a-long, complete with the words on the screen and a bouncing wig... but underneath all of that is always something deeper. The fact that this movie can have a few different interpretations of the ending shows that there is a tad bit more going on in this film than meets the eye.
Was the ending exactly what we saw on the screen, nothing more? Was what we saw on the screen the real truth of the film, or were the different characters shown in the end symbols of a much deeper point made by the filmmakers? I know I'm being very vague, but I have to. There's no way in hell I'm blowing this movie for somebody (and let me say at this moment, "Fuck you," to the 4 or so people below that will take that sentence out of context).
Hedwig ultimately stands out as one of the great indies. It moves quickly, throws a billion different, but very interesting, characters at you, and is most definitely worth your time and money. And just to clarify... I don't want you folks to think this review came off as being in any way negative towards Hedwig. My unending and undying love of Moulin Rouge compelled me to speak out against the slight backlash it's getting right now. It's not Hedwig's fault that it's such a damn good film that it's making people forget about Moulin Rouge. As a matter of fact, that speaks volumes about the movie.
I do indeed love Hedwig, love its ingenuity and the characters presented in the film... But not as much as I loved both in Moulin Rouge... BUT I've already made it abundantly clear that I'm Moulin Rouge's biggest fan, it is Duke of Cinema A#1 in my eyes. But everybody I saw Hedwig with really dug Moulin Rouge and they all thought Hedwig was better. I even agree that it's a better film in terms of content, it just didn't touch me in the same place that Moulin did is all. It might very well come down to what you happen to enjoy more; the deeper Rock Operas or the grand Spectacular Spectacular type of movie musicals. I guess I'm leaning more towards the latter.
So there you have it, squirties. Keep yer eyes on the horizon my fellow seamen and lovely mermaids, for this ol' salt has a few big catches to share with you in the very near future. 'Til that day, this is Quint bidding you all a fine farewell and adieu.
-Quint
