Oscar nominated actress, Anne Hathaway is attached (as in, it's not written in ink) to star as Judy Garland in film and stage adaptations of Gerald Clarke's 2001 biography Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland. Get Happy is based on hundreds of interviews and Judy Garland's unfinished and unpublished autobiography. The biography details the highs and lows of Garland's life, including her difficult childhood and the last years of her life. The project is being produced by the Weinstein Company.
It's easy to connect the dots with this one: Oscar nominated bright young thing, portrays another Oscar nominated bright young thing, and Harvey Weinstein makes off with a new set of Oscar statuettes. Or something. I can't help wanting to be a little rational in regards to my newfound unfettered excitement. The project will be a comprehensive look at Judy Garland's life. Life With Judy Garland, a 2001 made-for-TV biopic, gave us most of Garland's life in a near three hour run time. I loved Judy Davis' portrayal of Judy Garland, but the film was overlong and full of Judy-as-iconic-tragedy for it to be anything more than a stereotypical representation of her. That version was based on Garland's daughter, Lorna Luft's memoir. I haven't read Get Happy, so I have no idea how tragic a life the book paints, but since it includes Judy Garland's own memories, this project may offer something different from previous ones.
We know Anne Hathaway can belt one out because of this year's Oscars, but her voice is certainly not easily mistaken as sounding Garland like. Despite some of my concerns, I'm most excited at the prospect of seeing just how much Hathaway can stretch herself, (and how she looks in those delicious Ruby Slippers). We shall see and we shall hear, I suppose.
No comments:
Post a Comment