"Great Performances" Cats (1998)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

David Mallet

Writer:

T.S. Eliot (book)

TV Series:

"Great Performances" (1972)

Original Air Date:

5 October 1998

Genre:

Comedy | Music | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

The World's Best-loved Musical - The Memory will Live Forever

Plot:

"Jellicle" cats join for a Jellicle ball where they rejoice with their leader, Old Deuteronomy. One cat will be chosen to go to the "Heavyside Layer" and be reborn. The cats introduce themselves. |

Plot Keywords:

Cat | Broadway | Based On Musical | Lifting Person In Air | Independent Film

Cast

Elaine Paige	...	Grizabella the Glamour Cat
John Mills	...	Gus the Theatre Cat
Ken Page	...	Old Deuteronomy
Rosemarie Ford	...	Bombalurina
Michael Gruber	...	Munkustrap
John Partridge	...	Rum Tum Tugger
Aeva May	...	Demeter
Geoffrey Garratt	...	Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat
James Barron	...	Bustopher Jones
Jo Gibb	...	Rumpleteazer
Drew Varley	...	Mungojerrie
Susie McKenna	...	Jennyanydots the Gumbie Cat
Jacob Brent	...	Mr. Mistoffelees
Susan Jane Tanner	...	Jellylorum
Phyllida Crowley Smith	...	Victoria

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Germany:o.Al.

Filming Locations:

Adelphi Theatre, Strand, London, England, UK

Company:

Really Useful Films

Trivia:

The words "Jellicle cat" came from when T.S. Eliot's niece tried to say "dear little cat" and the words "Pollicle dog" came from when she tried to say "poor little dog."

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: The poem/song "The Naming of Cats" states that a cat's "second name," such as those used by the characters in this show, is unique and not shared by any other cat. However, the song introducing Old Gus the Theatre Cat says that his full name is Asparagus, which is also the name of another cat in the show. This is because John Mills, who played Gus, was unable to do the rest of the singing and dancing the role required, so the character was split into two identically-named characters.

Quotes:

Grizabella: Touch me! It's so easy to leave me all alone with the memory of my days in the sun. If you touch me, you'll understand what happiness is. Look! A new day has begun.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Tropic Thunder (2008)

Soundtrack:

Gus: The Theatre Cat

Perhaps the most entertaining of all stage musicals, now in its filmed version.

I have long enjoyed the musical 'Cats', both in several attendances at live productions and simply listening to the music on CD. 'Cats', the movie, was created in 1997, a full 16 years after its debut on stage. This isn't simply the taping of a stage performance. For the movie they assembled the best cast they could from among 'Cats' stage veterans. The set was designed especially for the movie, the makeup was toned down to look better in the closer perspective of the movie, especially the close-ups, a full orchestra was used, songs were recorded in a studio, and conventional movie techniques were used for the filming -- multiple angles, close-ups, cameras moving on tracks, etc. What we get is a movie that is does not have the realism of a stage production, and it is fairly obvious most times that singers are lip-syncing their own recordings, but a movie nonetheless that is a superb supplement to the live performances. The DVD has a very nice 'making-of' special, we see Andrew Lloyd Weber personally supervising the musical numbers, we see some of the makeup artistry at work, and a few before/after shots of actors and their characters.

Overall a fine DVD of a superb movie of perhaps the most entertaining stage musical of all.