The Greatest Show (#BOTB)

“The noblest art is that of making others happy”

― P.T. Barnum

P T Barnum (Wiki)

The Greatest Showman

          When I was a kid Oscar night was almost like a holiday type event.  Kind of like Halloween or Christmas for other people that you watched on television.  The night was a night for dreams and entertainment.  I probably didn't see most of the films nominated for awards, but it didn't matter.  That was a night where you saw stars and enjoyed a show.

          Then it all became over-commercialized and politicized.  Every year it seems to get worse.  Now not only have I not seen most if any of the films celebrated on Oscar night, but I don't care to see many of them.  The Academy usually gets it all wrong as far as I'm concerned.  Last year was a travesty that seems to support my opinion about getting it wrong.

          This especially came to my attention this past September when I first saw the film The Greatest Showman.  At some I had heard about this film then forgotten about it which seems somewhat surprising to me.  Then again, I don't keep up with new movies or entertainment news in general.  I was oblivious to the film's release in December of 2017.  Then last summer when I was visiting relatives I noticed the teens in the group watching the film on DVD.  Realizing that the film was about the circus and specifically one of my childhood heroes--P.T.Barnum, I made a mental note to watch the film when I returned from vacation.

         The film blew me away.  I was captivated from the first foot-stomping scene until the good-feeling ending.  Soon after that first viewing, I bought a copy of the film for my personal library--something I don't do much anymore.  Since that purchase I've watched the film in it's entirety at least ten times not to mention the extras on the DVD and song covers on YouTube.  The Greatest Showman has easily taken a top spot as my favorite film of all time.  This is due to a great extent to the soundtrack.  Every song is a winner with each contributing to the flow and theme of the story and still being highly listenable when taken out of context of the film.

         This is where my biggest beef with the Oscars comes so far:  How could the Academy have snubbed this film as it did?   I look at the dubious line-up of Best Picture candidates last year and have to shake my head that The Greatest Showman was not on the list.  I feel sad that a film of questionable value like Shape of Water was named Best Picture--it's a film that I will likely never see because I have no desire to do so.

         Equally abominable, but so predictable, was the chorus of critics slamming the film for an array of absurd reasons.  Reading some of the reviews (by the pros as well as the users on sites like Amazon or IMDb) I have some suspicions about some of the reasoning behind not liking the film.  Some are cliched while others strike me as ignorant.  In other cases I think the reviewers are almost talking in code to express an indirectly referenced agenda.  What's going on in those cases?

         From the public--the ones who really matter for the film's success--the reactions have been overwhelmingly positive.  Considering that the film is now one of the highest grossing most successful movie musicals of all time and the soundtrack has sold millions worldwide, we unwashed masses who love the film appear to be in the majority.  This summer Barnum portrayer Hugh Jackman will be embarking on a touring production that will feature music from Showman. They are playing very large venues so there must be substantial fan base the show producers are marketing to.

         Of course it's all a matter of taste and subjective view.  I think The Greatest Showman is one of the best musical films of all time with some of the best songs I've heard.  Every time I've watched this film I feel uplifted and inspired.  Just thinking about it can move me deeply.  I can actually say that having seen this film has been a life altering experience for me. 

        Seeing all the outstanding YouTube cover versions of songs from The Greatest Showman I knew that I'd have to compile at least one Battle using one of the songs.  Rather than go with a more obvious choice like the Oscar nominated "This Is Me" (the amazing anthem of acceptance that should have been an Oscar shoo-in, but was instead snubbed with the sweet if not a bit cloying sentimental ballad "Remember Me" from the Disney film Coco), I decided to go with the big  theme song that introduces the film as well as ties everything up at the end.

          So on with the show--The Greatest Show--The Battle of the Bands...



Battle of the Bands

Battle of the Bands is the blogging event started by Far Away Series and now hosted by StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands.   This event happens each month on the 15th and on some blogs there is also a Battle on the 1st of the month.  My blog is one of those with a second Battle on the 1st of the month.   The premise is simple:  Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it.  Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.



The Greatest Show

       As the film The Greatest Showman first appears on the screen we hear the foot-stomping and the chants of "Woah" and then the magic takes hold.   To me every song in the film is an absolute winner, but "The Greatest Show" is definitely one of my favorites.  Since it's so difficult to pick just one song from the show I was tempted to use two of some of the great medleys to be found on YouTube, but instead why not just start with that iconic first song?   This is "The Greatest Show"!



HousePuzzle   "The Greatest Show"   (2018)

          This video is a collaboration by a group of artists and others from near Mexico City.   There's a lot of talent in this group as is evident in the video.  They use many of the characters and themes from the film production though they switch up the gender roles of the vocalists.  I think it works just fine and if you've never seen the film you wouldn't know the difference...






Second Floor Stereo  "The Greatest Show"  (2018)

        Here's the same song with a rock group giving it a heavy metal treatment.  In this setting the song works fine as far as I am concerned.  But you can judge for yourself...

       






Time to Vote!

     This ain't no disco, this is the circus!  It's the Greatest Show on Earth!  So come on and have some fun with us.   What's your favorite between these two choices?   Which song version do you like best? You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.

         Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours.

Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:

 StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands

  'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS'

'Curious as a Cathy'

Sound of One Hand Typing

Angel's Bark  

Debbie Doglady's Den

Jingle, Jangle, Jungle 

Cherdo on the Flipside

A I Love Music


Winner of this Battle Announced on Friday February 22nd
          
             Any rumors of me making some special announcement are hereby revoked.  I had some wild-eyed scheme under consideration, but wisely stopped myself from proceeding.  Besides, somebody else already put my ideas out there and hearing it all made me realize how nutty my plan was. 

             And with that I'll close this post with encouragement to return next Friday to see if your favorite song version won the Battle.  And if you haven't seen The Greatest Showman yet, you must rent it, buy it, or whatever--see it!  Then let me know what you think.

          If you saw The Greatest Showman, did you like it?  If not, why not?  Do you think the film got snubbed by the Oscars and if so, why do you think that was?   Why do you think a certain segment of people disliked the film so intensely?