Maleficent (Live-Action)

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Musical Master
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Re: Maleficent (2014): Official Discussion

Post by Musical Master »

Doing a Sleeping Beauty movie just like the new Cinderella may not be the best idea ever (especially after I watch the new Cinderella), even the original animated 1959 film is something I don't watch terribly often, only for the widescreen, Eyvind Earle's beautiful art style, the score, and the perfect animation.

I will say this: Maleficent is a bit of mess but I love it anyway.
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Re: Maleficent (2014): Official Discussion

Post by lord-of-sith »

Musical Master wrote:I will say this: Maleficent is a bit of mess but I love it anyway.
:thumb:

Agreed. Sure there's plenty of things that could have arguably been better about it, but I'm grateful for what we got. Angelina killed this role, and that alone makes it worth it for me. I will forever cherish this movie because my favorite Disney character got a tremendous amount of spotlight, and when it worked, it WORKED.

I think the critical praise (primarily from the Disney fans here and elsewhere that I notice) for Cinderella spell out to me very clearly that Disney fans don't like their beloved classics tampered with. Or at least, if they do, not in any way the changes what they expect. Cinderella, which I loved btw, was clearly going for a much more traditional and, for lack of a better word, "safe" approach than what this movie was. And, what do you know, I enjoyed them both! Cinderella primarily for Blanchett's performance, and this movie for Jolie's (insert obvious gay man jokes here). Honestly I would still rewatch this movie first (though I intend on watching both numerous times) because Jolie is the central character and she's instantly alluring and iconic.

People have valid criticisms of this movie, but I will love it for all that it got right. And the fact that it didn't give a flying f*ck about religiously retelling Sleeping Beauty. For better or for worse, at LEAST we got something interesting.
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Re: Maleficent (Live-Action)

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Disney Japan is releasing a box set that includes both films on September 05, 2018.

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Re: Maleficent (Live-Action)

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Oooh, can I just get Sleeping Beauty with that gorgeous cover?!
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Re: Maleficent (Live-Action)

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I’m sorry, but how dare they package such a mediocre film with such a world-renowned classic.
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Re: Maleficent (Live-Action)

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All I can think about is how they'll have to make it a three-pack after Maleficent II comes out. Yuck.
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Re: Maleficent (Live-Action)

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Maleficent originally had an entirely different opening and I don't just mean in Woolverton’s Screenplay. This opening was actually shoot, two major actors were cast and filmed a larger number of scenes one under very heavy makeup and a teenage actress filmed 20 minutes scenes as Maleficent as 15 year old teenager

This was all revealed by Sam Reily who plays the raven as human in the movie

To go more Into the details originally the movie had 20 minutes scenes of the main character living in the Royal faerie court under the guardianship of her Aunt and Uncle the King and Queen of the fairies. Nothing of their roles remain in the movie.

The Queen Maleficent’s Aunt constantly scolds her for not acting like a proper lady and being awkward and stuff. And at one point she gets so angry at her nice she course her to have horns for a hundred years. The article explicitly called teenage Maleficent
” gawky” and it said she had a very big problem by being really clumsy

Peter Capaldi and Miranda Richardson were not only cast as but actually filmed a larger Number of scenes as the Fairy King and Queen alias Maleficent’s Aunt and Uncle.

The article goes further by saying the first 20 minutes focused on both a clumsy awkward teenage Maleficent and also the royal intrigue of the faerie court itself.

Test audience however find everything set in the faerie World boring and didn’t like that Maleficent was a teenager for the first 20 minutes as they wanted to see Jolie faster

In the end Eight days were spent shooting the opening that is in the final film with kid Maleficent and all the Magical creatures happily living in the forest.

The new opping was shoot by
John Lee Hancock instead of the really Director of the movie Robert Stromberg.

For what reason i don’t Maybe Disney felt Robert Stromberg was a bad Director which begs the question why they even hired in the first place and let him shoot so much before interfering.

To me it sounds like Disney didn’t care about the quality of the movie as much as if general movie govers would like it.
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Re: Maleficent (Live-Action)

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I really wish there was a way to watch the unused but still certainly filmed opening scenes of India Eisely as teen Malifencet and Ricardson and Capaldi as the royal pair along with all of the previously-shot Fairy Court sequences.

Would really intersting see if it hade improved the movie in any wy. But that footage is mostly likely loocked away in some archive at Disney never to se the light ever agian. I can really one sad think about that was lost ! :cry: :cry:
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Re: Maleficent (Live-Action)

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Thanks for all that information about the cut prologue of the film. I've always loved India Eisley and she was one of the main reasons I wanted to watch Maleficent so I always wondered why her role was cut.
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Re: Maleficent (Live-Action)

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Hm...I don't think Maleficent getting horns for being clumsy, and clumsy being her "bad thing", is very good writing...
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Re: Maleficent (Live-Action)

Post by lord-of-sith »

I would LOVE to see this footage. Miranda Richardson is a great actress, I would've loved to see her character.
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Re: Maleficent (Live-Action)

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I love Miranda Richardson as well. Would have been one of the few redeeming factors of the film had she been included especially since early talks of this film seemed to really emphasize the role of Maleficent's aunt, the queen.
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Re: Maleficent (Live-Action)

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Disney Duster wrote:Hm...I don't think Maleficent getting horns for being clumsy, and clumsy being her "bad thing", is very good writing...

I think was more for being general socially awkward. And i think it's neither good nor bad writing. Just the kind of writing you would expect in modern day Disney movie. That's all.

Semms better the opping we got at least.
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Re: Maleficent (Live-Action)

Post by Disney's Divinity »

I don't mind that the prologue was cut. The intro of Maleficent as child is easily the worst part of Maleficent. I like Richardson fine, but I wouldn't have wanted that early portion to go on for 20 minutes even in a different form. :huh: Then again, maybe the fact that the intro we did get was quickly put together on the fly may be the real reason it sucks so bad.
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Re: Maleficent (Live-Action)

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DisneyFan97 wrote:I think was more for being general socially awkward. And i think it's neither good nor bad writing. Just the kind of writing you would expect in modern day Disney movie. That's all.

Semms better the opping we got at least.
Oh, well being socially awkward is slightly better, but Maleficent just being like bold and truthful and that's why she's punished would really be better.

Were you saying the first opening would be better or the one we got?
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Re: Maleficent (Live-Action)

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Disney Duster wrote:
DisneyFan97 wrote:I think was more for being general socially awkward. And i think it's neither good nor bad writing. Just the kind of writing you would expect in modern day Disney movie. That's all.

Semms better the opping we got at least.
Were you saying the first opening would be better or the one we got?
The First would have been better because we get to se the Fairy Kingdom instead of generic Magic forest and i lik royal Intrigue and would have been nice to se Miranda Rivardson and Peter Capaldi. And stories of aweard teenager girls can be charming.

Also Rick Baker the most Famous makeup artist in Hollywood designed and applied make up to a lead role which was very elaborate. Also Teen Maleficent sounds at least some what more interesting than kid Maleficent.

And agian more fairys always a plus !

Also apparently early on both Emma Thompson and Judi Dench were considered for roles in this movie. Which roles are unknown. But we do know that their roles were fairies and not humans

My guess is they were either supposed to play more faithful versions of Flora ,Fawn or Merryweather in an earlier draft or other highborn farrie nobleladies in the court.
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Re: Maleficent (Live-Action)

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I agree with all you said!
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Re: Maleficent (Live-Action)

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Re: Maleficent (Live-Action)

Post by lord-of-sith »

Disney Duster wrote:Has anyone seen this?: Maleficent - From Fairy Tale to Feature Film
This is a special feature on the blu-ray.
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Re: Maleficent (Live-Action)

Post by Disney Duster »

Oh, whoops. I bought it, but never watched the film other than in theatres and TV.
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