The musical film Rent follows the script of the Broadway show almost word by word; with very small differences here and there. The makers must have known that they were dealing with extremely good quality material and were careful not to mess up any of it. Even though the film did not pile up half as many awards as the live show did, it can be considered a very well-made work with considerable social impact, as well as an utterly original combination of realistic social description, criticism, and idealistic aspirations for a better, happier existence. Disorder and harmony complement each other in a way which is hard to imagine without seeing it.
Life in New York at the End of the Millennium
The story is set in ghetto-like Alphabet City in the Big Apple, where the eight protagonists’ financial and spiritual struggle for survival is presented throughout roughly a year of their lives. Mark (Anthony Rapp) is hoping to finish shooting a documentary, Roger (Adam Pascal) is waiting for that nugget of inspiration needed to complete writing a song. They are shaken out of their unsuccessful artistic hopes by the eviction notices stuck on their door by Benny (Taye Diggs), who used to be their roommate, but now, married to a local entrepreneur’s daughter, he is in charge of collecting rent. Mark and Roger find themselves in the same boat with beautiful and young Mimi, who makes a living by dancing a local club, and they are all supported by local diva and Mark’s ex-girlfriend, Maureen (Idina Menzel), who is planning on performing a protest-manifesto aimed against the rich and powerful figures, as well as the ones who have chosen to serve them as ’lapdogs’ (like Benny), thus having given up any sense of morality.
Unity in Variety
All of the eight main characters are unique in their own way, yet they share certain features in such a manner that at least one common trait can be traced in any combination of two out of the eight. The key motifs of the film, which are also the main characteristics of the group of people presented, are artistic aspirations, bohemia, intelligence, AIDS, and struggle. It might strike as an unusual combination, but these are tangled up like patches on a quilt, or like leaves on the ground in a forest, forming a layer of very colorful, but almost homogeneous cover, which provides protection and warmth as well as identity and, at the end of the day, defines the lifestyle of those involved.
At least half of them are interested in arts, one way or another: we have a rock star/songwriter, a wannabe film producer, a budding live performer as well as a young man dreaming of building a recording studio. Half of them carry the burden of HIV; half of them are bisexual or homosexual; they are all intelligent in different ways, but Joanne (lawyer) and Collins (teacher) can even be defined as white-collar. As for bohemia, it is everywhere: the way they have fun, their attitudes, the wasted opportunities combined with never giving up, the way they dress, not to mention all the deliberate references and similarities to Puccini’s La Bohème. We can thus safely say that all the characters revolve around the these central ideas.
Jonathan Larson's Musical Mastery
The quality and depth of the songs (lyrics as well as melody) is not to be sneezed at, especially considering the fact that it is all original music, written mainly by Jonathan Larson and performed by this handful of young actors, who have gone from live stage acting to starring in a movie through Rent (six out of the eight actors from the film are the same ones who were part of the Broadway cast, the exceptions being Rosario Dawson, as Mimi, and Tracie Thorns, as Joanne). The intro piece, Seasons of Love , is probably the most popular, but tracks such as One Song Glory, Living in America or I’ll Cover You are also excellent examples of highly suggestive, strong tunes, which can really score a bullseye with those who have ever experienced problems like lack of incentive for something they knew they had to do, or who have felt rejected or unwanted by society, or who have experienced love. And to be honest, most of us have been in at least one of these situations.
Rent - 135 Minutes Well Spent
If nothing else, watching this film will at least provide over two hours of well-spent time, along with the chance to take a good look around us, inside us, and at each other. In spite of the heap of problems listed in this production, the general mood and final taste we are left with is one of optimism, of happiness, and of the sheer, primitively innocent beauty of helping each other out in time of need and being happy for each other when occasion calls for it.
Noemi Csiki - Noemi Csiki teaches English and writes non-fiction and short fiction. She has experience in proofreading and an interest in language ...
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