Dreamgirls was the first DreamWorks film to be issued in a high definition home entertainment format. Terms of Use Geffen, taking the role of co-producer, brought Paramount Pictures in to co-finance and release Dreamgirls. [40] Several musical numbers from the Broadway score were not included in the film version, in particular Lorrell's solo "Ain't No Party". [8] With a production budget of $80 million, Dreamgirls is one of the most expensive films to feature a predominant African-American starring cast in American film history. | Offstage, Effie falls in love with Curtis while the married Jimmy does likewise with Lorrell. Character Lorrell Robinson Show Dreamgirls Gender Female Age Range Young Adult, Adult Role Size Lead Dancing Mover Voice Soprano High Note G5 Low Note D#4/Eb4 Vocal Technique Belting, Pop Time & Place Various cities throughout the U.S., 1960s-1970s Tags They watched performers on stage who were their age. Teenage life became synonymous with pop culture, and with many of these teenagers having money to spend, the record market flourished. [16] That same year, Geffen, who ran his Warner Bros.-associated Geffen Pictures film production company at the time, began talks with Broadway lyricist and producer Howard Ashman to adapt it as a star vehicle for Whitney Houston, who was to portray Deena. Sometime later, C.C., who feels Curtis is undermining his songs' artistic merit by making them into disco music, quits the label. Technical Specs, See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro, Silver Tie Music Producer in Final Audience with Marty Madison, Greatest Supporting Actress Oscar Performances (1990-Now), Broadway to Hollywood Musical Adaptations, (based on the original broadway production book by), director of photography (as Tobias Schliessler), makeup department head (as Tym Shutchai Buacharern) / makeup designer, hair stylist: Ms. Knowles (as Kim Kimble), character dental prosthetic designer: Eddie Murphy, additional second second assistant director, second assistant director: second unit (uncredited), lead designer: end title sequence, Picture Mill, construction coordinator (as Stacey McIntosh), prosthetic dental appliances: Eddie Murphy, assistant property master (as Andy Siegel) / prop master: second unit, illustrator: Cleopatra images (as Felipe Sanchez), art department production assistant (uncredited), production sound mixer (as Willie Burton), first assistant sound editor (as Josie Nericcio), supervising foley editor (as Thomas Small), sound designer / supervising sound editor, special effects technician (as Don Black), special effects coordinator (as Don Frazee), special effects technician (as Jim Lorimer), digital compositor: Gray Matter Visual Effects / i/o manager: Gray Matter Visual Effects, digital compositor: Gray Matter Visual Effects (as Joey Brattesani), rotoscope artist: Gray Matter Visual Effects, motion graphics montages: Black Box Digital, visual effects producer: Gray Matter Visual Effects, lead compositor: end title sequence, Picture Mill (as Joshua Novak), matte painter: Gray Matter Visual Effects, digital compositor: Gray Matter Visual Effects, digital compositor: Gray Matter Visual Effects (as Colleen Smith), 3D animator: end title sequence, Picture Mill, stunt performer (as Johnny Cenatiempo) / stunts, stunt double: Amika Noni Rose (uncredited), additional moving light programmer / dimmer board operator, lighting technician: additional photography, first assistant camera: "c" camera (as Anthony Cappello) / first assistant camera: second unit (as Anthony Cappello), first assistant camera: additional photography, second assistant camera: "c" camera / second assistant camera: second unit, 24 frame video playback operator (as Dave McGraw), camera operator: "c" camera / director of photography: second unit, assistant chief lighting technician: additional photography, additional electrician (as Peter Villani), assistant chief lighting technician (as Michael Yope), animator: end title sequence, Picture Mill, lead animator: end title sequence, Picture Mill (as Joshua Novak), costume production assistant (as Daisy Alexandra Sylbert), digital intermediate technologist: Company 3, digital intermediate on-line editor: Company 3, colorist: Company 3 / digital intermediate executive producer: Company 3, assistant location manager (as Diana Lara), key assistant location manager (uncredited), choreographer: musical numbers / drum consultant, music editor: vocal sync (as Timothy Boot), music arranger: original Broadway production, composer: additional music / music arranger / music arranger: strings, composer: additional music / supervising music editor, music arranger (as Matt Sullivan) / music supervisor (as Matt Sullivan) / soundtrack producer (as Matt Sullivan), composer: original music / music arranger: original score / producer: original score, orchestrator: original Broadway production, transportation dispatcher (as Karen Chang), production assistant: second unit (as Lou Bonachea), production coordinator: Miami / production coordinator: second unit/pickups, second assistant accountant (as Cristina Duncan) / second assistant accountant, set production assistant: additional photography, Los Angeles, production secretary: additional photography, set production assistant: additional photography, Los Angeles (as Bill Greenfield), personal assistant: Mr. Murphy (as Jemal D. Guillory), additional craft service (as Noel Harris), executive assistant: Mr. Murphy (as Charisse Hewitt Webster), Stand in for Beyonc Knowles (as Erica Bynum), systems administrator: Graty Matter Visual Effects, production office coordinator: Gray Matter Visual Effects, creative supervisor: end title sequence, Picture Mill, coordinator: end title sequence, Picture Mill, producer: end title sequence, Picture Mill, production assistant (as Daisy Alexandra Sylbert), personal assistant: Mr. Murphy (as Randy L. Webster), assistant production coordinator: additional photography. [21] Murphy, on the other hand, accepted the role of Jimmy Early after being convinced to do so by DreamWorks co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg. [74] Some journalists registered shock,[75] while others cited a "backlash". She is an Academy Award-winning actress, Grammy Award-winning recording artist and best-selling author. 18 no. [38], Shooting was completed in the early-morning hours of April 8, 2006, after four days were spent shooting Jennifer Hudson's musical number "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", which had purposefully been saved until the end of the shoot. As such, Hudson became one of the few actresses ever to win an Oscar for a film debut performance. The Supremes were three girls -- Ross, Ballard and Mary Wilson -- who grew up in the projects and originally called themselves the Primettes. Male promoters did have ultimate control over the groups, and in what is arguably a tradition in the recording industry, some musicians were exploited: they didn't get credit for their work, it was released under a different name or they didn't get royalties. Jennifer Kate Hudson was born on September 12, 1981 in Chicago, Illinois to Darnell Donerson (ne Hudson) & Samuel Simpson. Jimmy's manager, Marty Madison, grows weary of Curtis' plans to make his client more pop-friendly and walks out. Destructive 'Super Pigs' From Canada Threaten the Northern U.S. Did an Ancient Magnetic Field Reversal Cause Chaos for Life on Earth 42,000 Years Ago? By 1973, Effie has become an impoverished welfare mother living in Detroit with her daughter Magic. [23], R&B star Usher was to have been cast as C.C. Official Sites ", It wasn't uncommon for a group to get its big break at a high school talent show or, like The Dreamettes in the movie Dreamgirls, at a local talent contest. By 1975, The Dreams give a farewell performance at the Detroit Theater, inviting Effie for the final song. Andr 3000 of Outkast was also offered the role, but declined. Although rehearsals ended just before Christmas 2005, Condon called Hudson back for a week of one-on-one rehearsals, to help her more fully become the "diva" character of Effie. 1 hits at the height of Beatlemania. After Warner's Frankie Lymon biopic Why Do Fools Fall in Love failed at the box office, the studio shut down development on Dreamgirls. [67], DreamWorks and Paramount began a significant awards campaign for Dreamgirls while the film was still in production. [22] Rose, significantly shorter than most of her co-stars at five feet and two inches (157cm), was required to wear (and dance in) four and five-inch (127mm) heels for much of the picture, which she later stated caused her discomfort. Dreamgirls is a fictional work, adapted from a 1981 successful Broadway musical inspired by the real-life story and success of The Supremes. 2. The character was portrayed in the original 1981 Broadway production of Dreamgirls by Ben Harney and in its 2006 film adaptation by Jamie Foxx, who also played Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Bats in Baby Driver. Dreamgirls also garnered Screen Actors Guild Awards for Supporting Actress (Jennifer Hudson) and Supporting Actor (Eddie Murphy), as well as a nomination for its ensemble cast. "There are girl group songs that are based on blues progressions But there's also some that sound more like Tin Pan Alley songsalmost like Broadway numbers.". [23], The most crucial casting decision involved the role of Effie White, the emotional center of the story. [100] On the other hand, Mary Wilson attended the film's Los Angeles premiere, later stating that Dreamgirls moved her to tears and that it was "closer to the truth than they even know". In any case, neither Franklin nor James ever belonged to the Supremes. [5] At the 79th Academy Awards, the film received a leading eight nominations, winning Best Supporting Actress (for Hudson), and Best Sound Mixing. Dreamgirls debuted in four special road show engagements starting on December 15, 2006, before its nationwide release on December 25, 2006. Other Characters From Dreamgirls. Adapted from the 1981 Broadway musical of the same name, Dreamgirls is a film clef, a work of fiction taking strong inspiration from the history of the Motown record label and one of its acts, the Supremes. SUPREME BEINGS: WHAT 'DREAMGIRLS' GETS RIGHT, Detroit trio known as the Supremes have become a million-dollar enterprise in the space of a year through a combination of glamour trappings and a new rock n roll sound. Deena Jones. . "[64] A review for The Celebrity Cafe echoes that Hudson's voice "is like nothing weve heard in a long time, and her acting is a great match for that power-house sound. This seemingly passive attitude and general lack of depth in song subject matter makes it easy to dismiss girl groups music as trivial and, in contemporary terms, less than radical. Laurie, Timothy. 76 Metascore; 2006; 2 hr 9 mins Drama, Music PG13 Watchlist. How true is Dreamgirls? In Motown, Gordy hired finishing school teacher Maxine Powell to teach the girls how to walk and talk. Gottfried, Marvin (2007). [17], DreamWorks' Dreamgirls adaptation came about after the film version of the Broadway musical Chicago was a success at both the box office and the Academy Awards. Dreamgirls eventually grossed $103 million in North America, and almost $155 million worldwide. And all that very famous footage of Elizabeth Eckfordgoing to school that first day. Who was the main character in Dreamgirls based on? The following year, Jimmy has descended into drug addiction due to Curtis' focus on Deena, along with the rejection of the charity single he recorded. [31], Dreamgirls received eight 2007 Academy Award nominations covering six categories, the most of any film for the year, although it was not nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, or either of the lead acting categories. This is a hit with the audience until Jimmy goes too far and drops his pants. To restart her music career, she hires Marty as her manager and after a pep talk by him begins performing at a local club. [73] The film's failure to gain a Best Picture or Best Director nod was widely viewed by the entertainment press as a "snub" by the Academy. [19] The two had dinner with Geffen and successfully convinced him to allow Condon to write a screenplay for Dreamgirls. But The Beatles themselves were obsessed with American girl groups and even sang girl group songs, including "Please Mr. Postman," The Shirelles' "Baby It's You" and The Cookies' "Chains. transform The Dreams into a top-selling mainstream pop group. Of course, some of the girls were so young that chaperones accompanied them on toursometimes their parents. He appoints the slimmer, more conventionally attractive Deena as the new lead singer, renaming them "The Dreams". Free shipping for many products! The plan falls apart, however, as Deena, increasingly angry over how Curtis controls her career, discovers his schemes and contacts Effie, who arrives in Los Angeles with C.C., Marty, and a lawyer. These dark moments, where shadows fall across the dazzling film, resonated with truth. Ballard, the group's original lead vocalist, had a rough, grainy and more conventional rhythm and blues voice, as opposed to the light, lithesome sound of Ross' vocals. 5, 537553. "Introduction". But the success of girl groups had to do with more than harmony and lyrics. [107] Gordy was highly suspected, though never proven, to have used Mafia-backed loans to finance Motown during its later years.[108]. For the 2007 Golden Globe Awards, Dreamgirls was nominated in five categories: Best Picture Comedy or Musical, Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical (Beyonc Knowles), Best Supporting Actor (Eddie Murphy), Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Hudson), and Best Original Song ("Listen"). However, after casting was completed, the film was budgeted at $73 million and Warner backed out of the production. Although loosely based on The Supremes, the movie is a work of fiction. . [76] On the other hand, director Bill Condon stated that "I think academy members just liked the other movies better"[77] and that he believed that "we were never going to win even if we were nominated. Based on the Broadway musical, a trio of black female soul singers cross over to the pop charts in the early 1960's. 216,688 people like this. That same year, four teenage girls were killed in the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. "If you think about the Little Rock Nine in Arkansas in 1967," she says, "of nine black teenagers chosen to integrate the schools, six of them were girls. It was about the whole performancehow they moved, the clothes they wore, how big their hair was. For instance, "Please Mr. Postman" is in some ways a classic girl group song, with a girl waiting for a letter from a boy. Ballard never reunited with the other Primettes, unlike the sentimental ending to "Dreamgirls." Social Identities: Journal for the Study of Race, Nation and Culture, vol. Gordy also packaged Gaye, at one point, as a supper club entertainer -- a common strategy for R&B performers hoping to cross over to white audiences in those days -- a scene repeated in the movie with Early. The film, and the original Broadway musical, are based heavily on The Supremes (later known as "Diana Ross & The Supremes"). Original Broadway Cast of 'Dreamgirls' Feels Left Out of Movie History. 1 In Sluggish Sales Week. [16] The completed film had a production budget of $75 million, making Dreamgirls the most expensive film with an all-black starring cast in cinema history. Gaye was not only Motown's chief solo male vocal star, he was married to Gordy's sister. | And I'd even thinkand this is where it gets interesting raciallyoh, I want to look like Mary Wilson, she's beautiful. [103] On February 23, a week before the Oscars ceremony, DreamWorks and Paramount issued an apology to Gordy and the other Motown alumni. [41], Four new songs were added for the film: "Love You I Do", "Patience", "Perfect World," and "Listen. [45] The film's Los Angeles premiere was held on December 11 at the Wilshire Theater in Beverly Hills. harder for the industries that marginalise them". Eddie Murphy brilliantly digests the R&B stars of the early '60s in his portrayal of James "Thunder" Early, a key figure in the fictional career of the Dreams, the girl group of the movie. Was still in production to be issued in a high definition home entertainment format hit with the other,!, before its nationwide release on December 15, 2006, before its release! 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