Hairspray” has always been a bit of an unbelievable fairy tale.The basic story line of both are about a plump, teenage girl and her big dreams of making it on the local television show for young dancers, Corney Collins Show. Link, Baltimore’s most sought-after teen hunk on the Corny Collins Show, is attracted to heavy-set high-schooler Tracy Turnblad from the moment he sees her. She gets recognized as a great dancer by Corny himself and becomes the newest member on the show. Amber, everyone's favorite stuck up snot, is the major protagonist in both films. the is against integration and against Tracy.
However, the new Hairspray is extra special because it’s such a life-affirming musical. By show’s end, black and white and young and old have all come together. All illustrate just how wonderful the world could be if we all pulled together. That’s terrifically expressed in one of musical theater’s best-ever eleven o’clock numbers, “You Can’t Stop the Beat.” I feel that this is one of the major differences between the old version and the new version. Although they still have the same ideals for integration, the old movie focuses more deeply on the importance of fame, fortune, and glamour. This ideology is reaffirmed in the last scene when Tracy gets crowned as queen and she comes out in new, stylish clothes. The focus is set on her famous and glamorous self rather than the importance of integration. In contrast, the new version of Hairspray shows Seaweeds little sister (a young black girl) winning the crown. This diffuses the ideology in the first movie of fame, fortune, and glamour, and redirects it to integration and how wonderful the world is with it.
Both of these films express a large amount of camp because of their outrageous and overdone plot lines that never cease to amuse. However, I believe that because of the way in which the old version interacts with ideology gives it more motive for a camp like movie. It's idea of fame, fortune and glamour is so outrageous and overdone, this movie could be nothing else but camp. On the other hand, the new version of Hairspray interacts with ideology in a different way that reduces its form of camp. Even though it still has the same overdone storyline, its major focus on integration shines through and gives a less camp like feel to the movie.
But either way, "the overall mood of “Hairspray” is so joyful, so full of unforced enthusiasm, that only the most ferocious cynic could resist it. It imagines a world where no one is an outsider and no one is a square, and invites everyone in. How can you refuse? "a review from the New York Times states. Its true. In both movies, although there are minor differences, is so full of smiles that you just cant turn it down. If you tried, ts campy amusement would rope you back in.
The film definitely did change in the way that it portrays the ending. I really liked that Little Inez, instead of Tracy or Amber, is crowned Miss Hairspray because it shows the importance of immediate integration. I also liked the way that there is a "feel good" ending, although the problem with both of these things is that they accentuate the campiness at the ending and are so unrealistic as to remove themselves almost entirely from reality.
ReplyDeleteI agree that "You Can't Stop the Beat" is a crucial moment (and one of the best) in the film. While I thought the original was more powerful, the ending of the remake made up for a lot of other areas i which the film lacked. Little Inez winning, Velma getting fired, and Amber appearing to spark an interest in an African American boy were all crucial and symbolic moments.
ReplyDeleteI think it is interesting what you bring up about the ideology of both films. I agree that the newer film addresses certain ideologies in a different fashion and would almost argue that it does it in a better and perhaps stronger way.
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