The Worlds Greatest Showman
From the moment before the film starts and the producers thank the audience for coming to the theatre, to the closing credits where we are told that 15,000 jobs were created and hundreds of thousands of hours of work went into the making of this film, my partner and I were mesmerized by the magic they call Hollywood. It is certainly the feel good movie of the season and sure to win awards at the various levels. The singing, the dancing, the circus performances, and the story take us from P.T. Barnum’s sad childhood to his success as a showman and a philanthropist.
The beautiful songs that come and go throughout the film were written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul the duo that composed original songs for the film La La Land for which they won both the Golden Globe and Academy Award.
One role in particular delivered a challenge: that of Jenny Lind, aka The Swedish Songbird, a famous opera singer who captures the attention of American showman P.T. Barnum. Lind is a real historical figure who did indeed work with the real-life Barnum in 1850. In the film, she’s played by Swedish actress Rebecca Ferguson, who is perhaps best known to English-speaking audiences for her roles in Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation and The Girl on the Train. The musical highlight, in my estimation, was her performance of a gorgeous ballad “Never Enough”. Alas, the necessities of lip sync. Lind’s powerful vocals are provided by the singer Loren Allred. Allred, who is best known for getting to the final of the third season of The Voice in the USA, tweeted last week saying she was “so elated to announce my involvement in this incredible film as the voice of Jenny Lind, played by the incomparable Rebecca Ferguson.”
Koodos all around to anyone who had anything to do with the making of this film and the list of credits runs forever. Do not miss this film. Oh, and do yourself a favor. Ignore negative revues you will read elsewhere.
