Review of A Little Night Music (1977) by Sammy J — 10 Oct 2010
What a regrettable film. I'm always nervous viewing Sondheim adaptations, but this is the worst of the lot - a crime all the more, as it is one of the few Sondheim works where the script matches his score! It's no-one's fault, particularly.
Only a few songs are excised, and while I accept them - "Liaisons" and "The Miller's Son" probably don't work as character excursions for five minutes each on screen - the film loses much of its humour in the transition.
Elizabeth Taylor is okay in the role of Desiree, but nothing to write home about. Diana Rigg is having more fun playing Charlotte, but personally I feel like she just showed up, said her lines in the patented Diana Rigg manner, and got paid.
Hermione Gingold, meanwhile, is wheeled on for all of two minutes. A lost opportunity.
This review of A Little Night Music (1977) was written by Sammy J on 10 Oct 2010.
A Little Night Music has generally received mixed reviews.
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