It is never a good idea to approach a film with preconceived notions of its awfulness. That is not easy when the film in question of the 1977 \u201cA Little Night Music,\u201d which has a reputation for being something of a mess.
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Having just seen \u201cA Little Night Music,\u201d I did not get the impression that the film is as horrible as its detractors insist. A main criticism against the film involves its transition from the stage to the screen \u2013 but as I never saw a stage production of the work, I can only judge the film on its own merits. Others who loathe the film compare it unfavorably to its source material, the Ingmar Bergman classic \u201cSmiles on a Summer Night.\u201d But, alas, I never experienced that work, so I cannot do a comparison on that front.<\/p>\n
From my view, \u201cA Little Night Music\u201d is a distracting but flawed work that is often at odds with itself. It strives to be bittersweet, but it often puts too much emphasis on the bitter while forgetting the sweet. Its farcical segments are steamrolled with sluggish pacing and, quite frankly, poor writing. This is baffling when one considers Harold Prince and Hugh Wheeler, who respectively directed and wrote the book for the Broadway show, adapted their work for the screen.<\/p>\n
In order to fit the commercially viable two-hour running time, Prince and Wheeler sliced away several of Stephen Sondheim\u2019s songs. But two of the deletions were done unwisely, as they threw the film out of balance. The wise and witty \u201cLiaisons\u201d offered depth to Madame Armfeldt\u2019s distinctive behavior \u2013 its removal reduces the character to a mere eccentric and, even worse, shrinks the screen time for the always delightful Hermione Gingold. The decision to drop \u201cThe Miller\u2019s Son\u201d erases the subplot romance between the spunky maid Petra and one of Madame Armfeldt\u2019s valets. Leslie Dunlop is fun as Petra and manages to shine despite the minimal time she is given.<\/p>\n
Much of the negative commentary surrounding \u201cA Little Night Music\u201d centers on Elizabeth Taylor as the aging actress at the heart of the overlapping story lines. Yes, she was not a vocalist and her rendition of the show\u2019s hit tune, \u201cSend in the Clowns,\u201d pales in comparison to classic recordings by the likes of Judy Collins or Sarah Vaughn. And when viewed as a standalone clip, the sequence doesn\u2019t inspire awe. <\/p>\n
But within the context of the film, it fits perfectly. As a self-autopsy on lost love, Taylor finds the emotional core of Sondheim\u2019s painful lyrics. The song was never meant to be a show-stopper \u2013 even Sondheim was surprised by its popularity \u2013 and Taylor effectively acts out its lyrics as it relates to her character\u2019s position. (Sondheim praised her rendition, and he wasn’t one to throw around compliments.)<\/p>\n
However, Taylor\u2019s appearance in the film is a problem. Her weight fluctuated noticeably during the production and in some scenes she looks ill and haggard. Florence Klotz\u2019s Oscar-nominated costumes made a valiant effort to camouflage Taylor\u2019s physical difficulties.<\/p>\n
Perhaps Taylor\u2019s star power pulled attention away from the film\u2019s bigger dilemma, which was Diana Rigg\u2019s bad performance as the revenge-seeking wife of Taylor\u2019s lover, an aristocratic soldier. For whatever reason, Rigg seemed to be on auto-pilot \u2013 none of her charisma or sex appeal is obvious here, and she is unflatteringly filmed during the film\u2019s second half. Arthur Ibbetson, the cinematographer, had a long and distinguished career prior to \u201cA Little Night Music,\u201d but for this work he was off his game.<\/p>\n
Still, the film had a champion in Roger Corman, who secured its American theatrical release via his New World Pictures. And \u201cA Little Night Music\u201d won an Academy Award in the awkwardly-titled category Best Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Adaptation Score. To be frank, there wasn\u2019t much competition that year \u2013 \u201cPete\u2019s Dragon\u201d and \u201cThe Slipper and the Rose\u201d were the only other nominees \u2013 but, hey, at least it can claim an Oscar pedigree. <\/p>\n