I love this movie AND its soundtrack. But the two aren't even remotely similar, which leads me to believe that this movie was mostly sung in front of the camera. Very impressive.
Except for Pierce Brosnan.
OK, I have to defend Brosnan. When you sing the first task is to be on-pitch, and Brosnan was always on-pitch. Sure, his voice is not smooth, but if you look at the history of successful singers many of them have unique, rough sounds to their voices. Janice Joplin comes to mind or one. There are many others.
When I re-watched the movie last night I paid extra attention to Brosnan's singing, because I was already aware that he has been criticized. But he does a fine job, and to me it would not be as realistic if he came off as a trained operatic singer. His voice and his singing fits very well with the overall tone of the movie.
TxMike
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"But the two aren't even remotely similar, which leads me to believe that this movie was mostly sung in front of the camera."
Isn't technology a wonderful thing? Multitrack recording allows for all sorts of great editing opportunities. This movie showcases that.
All of the selections would have been pre-recorded before any of the scenes were filmed. That's standard practice in film musicals. The actors then sing with the pre-recorded tracks so their mouths match the recordings. If you just pantomime with your lips, it doesn't look right. Sound is also recorded during the filming process so that the pre-recorded track can be synced with the film.
I've watched the DVD commentary, and the director said that what you hear on film is, more times than not, a mixture of what was pre-recorded in studio and what was sang on set, particularly the title song. These were all blended in post production, and quite seamlessly, in my opinion..
This is why the soundtrack performances sound so much different than what you see on film.
As a singer myself, I thought Brosnan did a respectable job singing "in character." Sam isn't any vocal virtuoso in the stage version, and I think Brosnan's world weary sounding vocals fit the character to a T.
JOE TYRIA
www.youtube.com/user/CreedWolfProductions
I know for a fact Meryl sang her winner takes it all live
shareTalk about dubbing? Watch TVs' Glee. Every performer sings perfectly on pitch while doing acrobatic dancing. All females have the same voice and the same for the guys. At least this film used the actual voices of the actors; a rarity in musicals.
shareIt's always pre-recorded in movies unless it's acapella. They sang along with the track and they were miked and it was captured. They blended the two in the mix where it worked perhaps to give it more of a live feel. In some spots you can hear two main vocals clearly and in others you can't.
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