"Anything Goes" opening sequence...

Niteshade007 said:
As others have said, it's a reference to old Hollywood films of the 30s. Musical numbers would often take place in a fantasy world, and this is just an example of that. She goes backstage for a musical number that technically, in a real life situation, no one else can see, but in within the logic of a 1930s musical, it makes sense because its a fantasy world. I hope that helps.


To add on to that...

...see 42nd Street. It'll all fall into place then...
 

NoCamels

New member
Michael24, thanks for the info and your memory! (y)
Violet Indy, thanks for the lyrics! (y)

Yeah, having huge musical numbers in movies was popular in the '30s, which is part of the fun of that scene. In the US they went out of style, but not in India...hence what we now think of as Bollywood.

You know, thinking about it...the use of (sometimes random) musical numbers could be compared to some current movie CG/special effects. Sometimes they're in the movie more because it's cool than because it's anything that really advances the plot. And if you're just going for an intertaining movie, there's nothing wrong with that. It was a popular style at the time.

It just made me curious as to people's reactions. I actually don't remember the first time I saw any Indiana Jones movie; I was too young to see them in the theater. So it's interesting to hear what other people thought!
 

Vendetta08

New member
Niteshade007 said:
As others have said, it's a reference to old Hollywood films of the 30s. Musical numbers would often take place in a fantasy world, and this is just an example of that. She goes backstage for a musical number that technically, in a real life situation, no one else can see, but in within the logic of a 1930s musical, it makes sense because its a fantasy world. I hope that helps.

Ah, I see. Thanks.
 

IndySeven

New member
Anything Goes was pretty good. The idea of a musical number opening an Indy movie sounds unusual, but the way that it was done was awesome!(y)
 

jonesissparrow

New member
IndySeven said:
Anything Goes was pretty good. The idea of a musical number opening an Indy movie sounds unusual, but the way that it was done was awesome!(y)
:) I agree it was great to see something to open an Indy movie.
 

TennesseBuck

New member
If you are talking about the video called "Making of Temple of Doom," it is mentioned that Spielberg originally wanted the opening scene to have Indy in his leather jacket and whip. Lucas insisted on presenting Indy as a glamour hero, with the tux and so on. So Lucas won that argument. :whip:
 

Raider Joe

New member
I wonder if Kate Capshaw learned Mandarin for that sequence of it was was added later.

It's a real ***** of a language to learn. I guess that's why they pay actors what they do, but that opening sequence alone linguistically had to be a major chore.
 

NoCamels

New member
She probably learned the song phonetically. I've learned several songs in other languages that way, and it's not really that hard. There's even a special phonetic alphabet that some people use to write out songs in other languages. Singing one song in another language is totally different than learning to speak that language. I never learned any songs in Mandarin, but I would think the singing would cover up some problems with pronunciation. :)

As an example: if you've ever heard an Australian and an American singing the same song, the differences in the accents are much less noticable. Certain words stick out, but overall, the singing blurs how you would normally speak, and the accents sound much more alike.
 

Raider Joe

New member
NoCamels said:
She probably learned the song phonetically. I've learned several songs in other languages that way, and it's not really that hard. There's even a special phonetic alphabet that some people use to write out songs in other languages. Singing one song in another language is totally different than learning to speak that language. I never learned any songs in Mandarin, but I would think the singing would cover up some problems with pronunciation. :)

As an example: if you've ever heard an Australian and an American singing the same song, the differences in the accents are much less noticable. Certain words stick out, but overall, the singing blurs how you would normally speak, and the accents sound much more alike.

Right, but the phonetics of Mandarin are complicated. Even a difference in inflection on the same word makes it a different word. That's why I was curious.
 

CKwriter

New member
Almost right Violet and please forgive my pedantry but the song is;

"In olden days, a glimpse of stocking was looked on as something shocking,
Now heaven knows, Anything Goes.
Good authors too, who once knew better words, now only use four letter words writing prose, anything goes.
The world has gone mad today, and good's bad today, and black's white today, and day's night today,
When those guys today that women prize today, just silly gigolos.
So though I'm not a great romancizer, I know you're bound to answer,
When I propose, Anything Goes. "

*Tap dancing break*

"I know you're bound to answer when I propose, Anything Goes."

I have the English language version (track 20) on the expanded ToD soundtrack and the song also appears in another of my favourite movies.

On the subject of this thread (if anyone else remembers) I can't comment for at the cinema either but I think when I first saw it on TV I just accepted it like the opening credits of a movie, too young to realise there were no credits.

Peter
 

Misha

New member
No Ticket said:
No idea what website it was on. The video clips are 12 minutes and Youtube only allows 9 or 10 minutes per vid. I could cut them up, but they wouldn't work right when I tried that in Windows Movie Maker.

.... but I have them on my computer. And I promise there's a scene with Spielberg saying that. Unless I'm just getting something mixed up. I'll go back and watch it.


*AFTER RE-WATCHING*

OK. Spielberg DID say in that video that he always wanted to make a musical but things got in the way. lol. My bad!!

But to quote a scene later in the same video.

Spielberg (to Lucas): "It was your idea. Not my fault if it doesn't work. I didn't want to open the film with a dance number! I wanted to open the film with another rock! Yeah, the director always gets blamed, Ohhh."

So maybe he was just kidding about that or kind of meant it but also kind of wanted to do it and was joking around about it with Lucas.

It's in one if the TOD clips on this site I believe the thrid or fourth ( but don't hold me to it :p ) It defenitely is in one of the clips though

http://www.hfm2.com/photopost2/showgallery.php/cat/603
 

NoCamels

New member
Raider Joe said:
Right, but the phonetics of Mandarin are complicated. Even a difference in inflection on the same word makes it a different word. That's why I was curious.

I know...it makes me curious too. Obviously people sing in Mandarin, and one would hope that Mandarin-speakers can understand the words being sung. But maybe if you're used to hearing it (the pronunciation being slightly different with the singing), the words still makes sense in the context of the song?
 

Joe Brody

Well-known member
In '84 I was a sophmore in High School and I was like WTF!?! -- but Clinton is right it all about setting a mood. I love how the number plays out during the fight. I love the sequence now -- because it creates such a great break with Raiders. And the Nurhachi negotiation still feels fresh and fast today -- the Club fight scene is good but lacking in parts. If the set had been better, it would be one of my three or four favorite scenes.

PLus, I have two daughters who love to play along with the dance number. It's great fun.
 

otto rahn

New member
Violet Indy said:
I knew it was a musical, but I'm from a theatre background so no surprises there. I've got that Prague Philharmonic Indiana Jones album and as a bonus track, they have "Anything Goes", same version as the one played in ToD with the English lyrics.

Here's the lyrics:

"In olden days, a glimpse of stocking was something shocking,
Now heaven knows, Anything Goes.
Good authors too, who once knew better words, now only use four letter words right in throes, anything goes.
The world has gone mad today, has gone bad today, black's white today, and day's night today,
When those guys today that women prize today, just silly giggloes,
So though I'm not a great romancizer, I know you're bound to answer,
When I propose, Anything Goes. "

* Tap dancing break*

"I know you're bound to answer when I propose, Anything Goes."
Just being a touch pedantic here "Violet Indy" but I am pretty sure that the first line of "Anything Goes" is "In olden days a glimpse of stocking was LOOKED ON as something shocking".:p
 

Violet

Moderator Emeritus
otto rahn said:
Just being a touch pedantic here "Violet Indy" but I am pretty sure that the first line of "Anything Goes" is "In olden days a glimpse of stocking was LOOKED ON as something shocking".:p

Yeah, you're right. My bad. Well, I was transcribing it as fast as I could.
 

Miss_Jones

New member
I always loved that song, ironically it was the first Cole Porter song I ever heard (in Mandarin!) and now I'm a big Porter fan. :) I remember reading the novelization, and several times in Willie's thoughts parts of the lyrics «pop up». I didn't know it at the time, but after I heard the original version it suddenly made sense... Also, that part of the novelization does provide an interesting «reason» for the musical number: she's dreaming she's a big Broadway star... :rolleyes:
 

God'sRadio

New member
I saw in the cinema and it was a wow. The audience were pumped to see Indy and the opening was big razzamatazz, just what we wanted.

It's a spoof of the sort of Busby Berkeley routines which always are set in a small theater, but suddenly there are hundreds of girls, elaborate sets, etc. there. Movies like 42nd St.
 
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