Wednesday 23 January 2013

Bored of Les Miserables Yet? Try South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)


Hands up if you've seen the film version of 'Les Miserables' yet. Keep your hands up if you thought that it was pretty good but was ultimately far too long, with many songs blending into one another... wow that's a lot of you. Ok, hands down. 'Les Miserables' is a great film with a knockout performance from Anne Hathaway but it just wasn't consistent enough for me. 
Take this song from the film adaptation. 'One Day More' sounds great on screen, with live vocals that were performed on set by the entire ensemble - good work Tom Hooper - but its still lacking some of the energy that made the stage show so popular.



"One more day to revolution, we will nip it in the bud! I will join these little schoolboys, they will wet themselves with blood!"

If you're a fan of 'Les Miserables' but was disappointed by its translation to screen then look no further. 'South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut' is your answer. With a far shorter running time, this potty mouthed animated classic will keep you entertained without encouraging you slit your wrists by the films end. "But it's not a proper musical!" I hear you say. Try listening to the 12 track long soundtrack, which was written entirely by series creator Trey Parker. "But what does he know of musical theatre?" I hear you shout. Try googling Parker's musical 'The Book of Mormon', which won 9 Tony Awards upon its release in 2011. "But, but..." Give up? Just watch this clip from the film below, which satirises 'One More Day' in a parody titled 'La Resistance', where the boys fight to save the lives of their idols, Terrance and Philip. Don't click if you're easily offended however.




"And when you all get shot and cannot carry on. Though you die, La Resistance lives on."

But the film doesn't stop there. Disney also receives its fair share of mockery, with a number of its classic songs parodied in the most ridiculous but hilarious ways. My favourite has to be when Satan performs 'Up There', a song that satirises the brilliant 'Part Of Your World' from 'The Little Mermaid'.    



"Sometimes I think, when I look up real high. That there is such a big world up there, I'd like to give it a try."

And finally, censorship is also a huge part of this musical, where the controversy that surrounds the shows language and subject matter is subjected to some genius satire on the big screen. 'It's Easy Mmmkay' is the best example of this theme, which actually makes a clever point about how far censorship should go but it's also just hilariously funny. Watch out if you don't like naughty words though.



"Instead of ass say buns, like 'kiss my buns' or you're a 'buns hole'."

So there's far more to the South Park film then you might think for those who haven't tried the show before and in my opinion, it's a lot more entertaining than 'Les Miserables'. Try something different. Give 'South Park; Bigger, Longer & Uncut' a go. You might be surprised.

So what do you think of the South Park film? Is it better than 'Les Miserables' or is it ridiculous to even compare the two? And do you have a favourite song from the movie? Let me know by commenting, liking and sharing below.

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