Hairspray: Understanding The Differences Between Two Versions Essay Examples

Movie plots are what keep people interested in watching a movie. For musicals, the songs and dance numbers add to the cinematic pull of the film that is why when movies of this genre are shown in theaters, most people depend on word of mouth advertisement of whether they will watch the musical or not. Such is the case of Hairspray, which spawned two versions of the musical, the original 1988 version directed by John Waters and the remake in 2007, directed by Adam Shankman. The original version of Hairspray is effective in focusing more on the storyline, while the 2007 remake comes out as more entertaining than the original musical.
In general, the storyline of Hairspray is all about teenage angst and problems about racism and segregation. Set in the 1960s in Baltimore, Maryland, Tracy Turnbald is the female protagonist, played by Ricki Lake and Nikki Blonsky in the 1988 and 2007 versions, respectively, is a typical teenager whose aspiration in life is to join the popular TV show, The Corny Collins Show. The school kids featured in the show are mostly from her high school that further contributes to her desire to be part of the show. However, she is more on the heavy side, which gives Velma and Amber Von Tussle, the antagonists, reason to put her down and reject her from joining the show. Tracy still gets a spot in The Corny Collins Show and forges a close relationship with Amber's boyfriend, Link. She also develops friendship with the Negro kids at school who are also featured in the TV Show on the last Thursday of every month, which is typically billed as the "Negro Day" and who introduced her to "Motormouth" Maybelle who hosts the Negro Day segment in the show. She learns various dance moves from her Negro friends and uses them in the show. Furthermore, as Tracy gains popularity as member of the show, she becomes a huge threat for Amber's yearning to be the "Miss Teenage Hairspray" of the year (Miss Auto Show 1963 in the original movie), thus, together with her mother, Velma, they conspire to keep the crown away from Tracy. Adding to the conflict is the cancellation of Negro Day on the show, which prompted those in the show to stage a demonstration a day before the pageant.
Although the stories from both versions are similar, there are huge differences in terms of storyline as the remake included subplots in the story. It also varied some of the characterizations of the protagonists in the new version. For instance, while the original Hairspray movie focused mainly on teenage problems typical of the happenings in the 1960s, the 2007 version altered Edna's character, Tracy's mother played by Divine and John Travolta, respectively, by making her look like an insecure and introvert wife as opposed to the original feisty and assertive characterization. In some ways, the deviation caused the new movie to linger more on her disposition and sometimes got in the way of the main plot instead of focusing mainly on the racism and segregation theme. Also, it was easier for Tracy to get into the show in the 1988 movie version unlike in the remake where another subplot was introduced involving Tracy and her parents. In the remake, her parents were adamant at her joining the show, although she went against their orders. The original movie also showed Tracy as among those who were caught by the police after instigating a race riot due to the cancelation of the Negro Day segment. In the remake, Tracy does not go to jail. The remake also combined two characters in one when the character of Amber's mother and the TV executive were merged (played byMichelle Pfeiffer) unlike in the original version, which had two separate actors playing the mother (Debbie Harry) and the TV executive. The good thing about this move is that it became easier for the audience to understand the plot by eliminating some characters.
In terms of value for entertainment, the original movie version focused more on dance crazes that were popular during the 60s, whereas the remake incorporated song and dance numbers in the scenes. As such, the remake has more songs on its soundtrack as compared with the original movie. Song placement and musical numbers were either reduced or removed and replaced with other versions, such as "The Madison" dance that is in the original movie and substituted with "Ladies' Choice", a new song in the remake.
Acting-wise, the actors in the remake are better than the ones in the original, except for Ricki Lake and Nikki Blonsky who both gave sterling performances as Tracy Turnbald. Both delivered full-of-life performances and were great dancers. Other actors worth mentioning are John Travolta as Edna, who gave a sincere and painstaking performance that one would not think he is actually a man portraying a woman's role. Michelle Pfeiffer also did very well as the scheming mother and TV executive such that the role fits her perfectly. Finally, Queen Latifah rendered a touching performance as Motormouth Maybelle especially when she sang, "I Know Where I've Been".
The main storyline, although quite different in some aspects of the movie, is still very much significant in America's culture. Despite being a nation of varying cultures, racism and segregation is still very much evident until now, where people of color are judged and looked down upon. In addition, the role of women, especially of housewives, was portrayed accurately as well considering that some women lose their self-identity and self-esteem after years of being married. Otherwise, the positive thing about the movie is how it showed that happiness, popularity, and success do not only come to people who are deemed to be slim and sexy by society's standards, but to even to those who strive hard to reach their dreams.
Overall, both movies were able to deliver what was expected of them and are indeed worth watching. The differences that each version presented are what make both movies successful and entertaining.