25 + 3 - 10 = Nine

Well, it was inevitable that some songs had to go. This story from Everything I Know I Learned From Musicals led me to the Theatre Aficionado at Large, particularly to his discussion of the musical Nine. Now, my roommate and I knew something had to go, what with three songs being added to the already 25-strong score. And the choices are interesting.

First, I had been thinking only last week of the song "The Bells of St. Sebastien's", which I consider to be a very stage-bound number. I couldn't imagine how one would incorporate it within a film. Thankfully, it has been cut. Surely no one is mourning this. The music's pretty, but it is (for me) a very forgettable number).

The entire "Grand Canal" sequence, consisting of six songs, has also been cut. Again, I can understand this. It's a show-within-a-show deal, and since director Rob Marshall is already doing his A Song Is A Fantasy Sequence approach, this could be too literal. So...I guess they'll just do the dailies scene from 8 1/2. Which, again, makes more sense to me.

"Simple", sung by Claudia (Nicole Kidman), and "Be On Your Own", sung by Luisa (Marion Cotillard), have also been cut. Both immediately follow the "Grand Canal" sequence, so I guess with one gone the transition into the others would feel bizarre? Anyway, Luisa still gets a weepy ballad, this time with new song "Take It All". Hey, as long as Cotillard still gets all the screentime, I'm fine.

The fifth number cut is kind of surprising, kind of not. Look, I know Sophia Loren doesn't have the strongest voice in the world, and I know the song is for the greatest soprano in all the lands, but to cut the song "Nine" from a musical called Nine is odd. Anyway, a new song has been written for Ms. Loren, entitled "Guarda La Luna". I do feel she should get special treatment. Always.

(Which reminds me, I recently saw her in Altman's Ready to Wear, and while I do feel she was deserving of that Golden Globe nom, holy crap was Anouk Aimee amazing in this. And of course, Aimee played Luisa in the original 8 1/2. I'll have to talk about that later.)

In the meantime, Kate Hudson has gotten her own musical number called "Cinema Italiano", which I guess is that odd-looking bit in the trailer where Daniel Day-Lewis jizzes champagne everywhere.