Spring Break
"This Is It" continues MJ's posthumous fame
On the Silver Screen
Issue date: 11/5/09
Four months after Michael Jackson's unexpected death,"This Is It," a compilation of rehearsal footage from what was to be a 50-show residency in London, has been released for a two-week run.
The movie is comprised of music and dance rehearsals of practically all of Jackson's greatest hits. The audience is treated with complete and live renditions of everything from "I Want You Back" to "Smooth Criminal," Man in the Mirror," "Beat It" and everything else you might expect.
"This Is It" is not, however, just a series of rehearsals: Director Kenny Ortega wisely intersperses stage and musical rehearsals with interviews and a compiling of graphics and visual aids. Together, all of these features provide significant insight into Jackson's off-stage persona.
The audience sees him not as the celebrity, the figure, the King of Pop, but foremost as a musician - passionate and hands-on about his craft. He is not afraid to tell his orchestral musicians exactly how he wants a line, a chord or even a note, to be played.
Jackson is an utter perfectionist. He takes a poetic approach: He interrupts a recording session, instructing his keyboardist to slow the tempo and "play like you're rolling out of bed." In the stage rehearsals, he carries out his choreography with ease, as if it were second nature, like he was just walking.
Interestingly, Jackson is very apprehensive and cautious about conserving his voice. He skips lyrics and it becomes difficult to tell whether or not he can actually remember them.
He assures his colleagues, however, that he just does not want to overexert himself. In hindsight, though, it is a morose observation, it is seems that he is crippling and weakening in strength. The tight costumes, blazers in particular, only accentuate his slight frame.
Nevertheless he carries on, and when it isn't all about efficiency and the business of perfection, he displays a light sense of humor. His relationship with his tour manager is particularly entertaining to watch - almost like that between an obstinate child and his appeasing babysitter.
The movie is comprised of music and dance rehearsals of practically all of Jackson's greatest hits. The audience is treated with complete and live renditions of everything from "I Want You Back" to "Smooth Criminal," Man in the Mirror," "Beat It" and everything else you might expect.
"This Is It" is not, however, just a series of rehearsals: Director Kenny Ortega wisely intersperses stage and musical rehearsals with interviews and a compiling of graphics and visual aids. Together, all of these features provide significant insight into Jackson's off-stage persona.
The audience sees him not as the celebrity, the figure, the King of Pop, but foremost as a musician - passionate and hands-on about his craft. He is not afraid to tell his orchestral musicians exactly how he wants a line, a chord or even a note, to be played.
Jackson is an utter perfectionist. He takes a poetic approach: He interrupts a recording session, instructing his keyboardist to slow the tempo and "play like you're rolling out of bed." In the stage rehearsals, he carries out his choreography with ease, as if it were second nature, like he was just walking.
Interestingly, Jackson is very apprehensive and cautious about conserving his voice. He skips lyrics and it becomes difficult to tell whether or not he can actually remember them.
He assures his colleagues, however, that he just does not want to overexert himself. In hindsight, though, it is a morose observation, it is seems that he is crippling and weakening in strength. The tight costumes, blazers in particular, only accentuate his slight frame.
Nevertheless he carries on, and when it isn't all about efficiency and the business of perfection, he displays a light sense of humor. His relationship with his tour manager is particularly entertaining to watch - almost like that between an obstinate child and his appeasing babysitter.
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