1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:01,480 Speaker 1: But I shouldn't call it a sack. I think it's 2 00:00:01,520 --> 00:00:02,480 Speaker 1: a cardigan. 3 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:16,959 Speaker 2: Yes, sex cardigan. Well from The Australian. This is the 4 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:22,520 Speaker 2: weekend edition of the Front. I'm Claire Harvey. Wicked for 5 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:25,960 Speaker 2: Good is in cinemas now. If you're already a super fan, 6 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:29,080 Speaker 2: you get it. If not, and you're thinking this is 7 00:00:29,120 --> 00:00:31,800 Speaker 2: a sequel to a film adaptation of a stage show 8 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:34,919 Speaker 2: about the backstory of the Wizard of Oz. Huh, but 9 00:00:35,159 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 2: go with me. You should see Wicked for Good. Nicki 10 00:00:39,159 --> 00:00:41,839 Speaker 2: Gammil is here to help me talk you into the cinema. 11 00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 3: This is a film about besties, the drama of young women. 12 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 2: This is The Australian's columnist and critic Nicki Gamil reading 13 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 2: some of her review of Wicked for Good, which you 14 00:00:57,080 --> 00:00:59,960 Speaker 2: can read now at the Australian dot com dot au. 15 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:01,240 Speaker 2: Slash culture. 16 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:04,319 Speaker 3: The hurting and the hugging, the cat fighting and the 17 00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:05,400 Speaker 3: coming together. 18 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:08,800 Speaker 1: And being seen in a way that no one else 19 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:12,679 Speaker 1: sees you in a love like no other that also 20 00:01:12,880 --> 00:01:17,800 Speaker 1: crushes like no other. Complicated female friendship is at the 21 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:21,240 Speaker 1: heart of this two part movie extravaganza, and like the 22 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:25,479 Speaker 1: first half that debuted a year ago, Wicked Part two 23 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:29,920 Speaker 1: is a triumph. We're back in familiar territory, the land 24 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:32,880 Speaker 1: of Oz, around the time of events in nineteen thirty 25 00:01:32,959 --> 00:01:38,920 Speaker 1: nine's beloved film Classic. Yet Dorothy is only seen fleetingly here. 26 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:43,759 Speaker 3: She's the mulish farm girl who took a dead woman shoes. 27 00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 3: The focus is on the relationship between Glinda the good 28 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:52,080 Speaker 3: Witch and Elfheba, the wicked Witch of the West College 29 00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:59,280 Speaker 3: roommates in Part one, enemies turned frenemies turned besties, now 30 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:04,680 Speaker 3: astray ringed in this version of the film, Restlessly. 31 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:07,440 Speaker 2: Nikki. I saw it on the weekend with a gang 32 00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:10,079 Speaker 2: of girls, and I've worn my wicked bracelets pink congreence 33 00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:10,760 Speaker 2: just for you. 34 00:02:11,040 --> 00:02:11,560 Speaker 3: Thank you. 35 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:15,800 Speaker 2: I'm there to ask, are you team Alfaba or Team Glinda? 36 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:19,079 Speaker 3: They're by so interesting, They're both so complex as we 37 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:23,280 Speaker 3: all are. I'd have to say I'm team Alphaba because 38 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:28,960 Speaker 3: she is the truth telling outsider, which. 39 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:30,280 Speaker 1: I aspire to be in life. 40 00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:34,840 Speaker 2: Alphaba is played by the British stage star Cynthia Rivo, 41 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:38,400 Speaker 2: thirty eight years old and pure emotion on screen. 42 00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:42,840 Speaker 1: Come with me, think of what we could do together. 43 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:49,399 Speaker 3: This is Cynthia's film. The performance is extraordinary. I hope 44 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 3: she gets nominated for an Oscar again this year. I 45 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:58,840 Speaker 3: just feel like she completely embodied the idea of an 46 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:03,560 Speaker 3: outsider who is not accepted, who is othered, who is 47 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:08,639 Speaker 3: judged by a majority, particularly in the first film, which 48 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:12,560 Speaker 3: was set in the College of Sorcery. I think a good. 49 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:21,080 Speaker 4: Def gravy and you can't pull me down yet I 50 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:22,480 Speaker 4: make you understand. 51 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:30,880 Speaker 3: I felt her beautifully expressive face absolutely conveys the hurt 52 00:03:31,639 --> 00:03:35,600 Speaker 3: and the kind of raging loneliness of not belonging. 53 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 2: Glinda the Good Witch is played by real life popstar 54 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:45,120 Speaker 2: Arianna Grande, who's thirty two. 55 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:48,360 Speaker 3: Is that a very who you work well? 56 00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 4: R There's nothing that can stop being from becoming popular? 57 00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 3: Are She initially went for the alphab apart, she went 58 00:03:57,080 --> 00:03:59,320 Speaker 3: for the Wicked Witch of the West part, and she 59 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:02,040 Speaker 3: ended up with Glinda the good Witch. And I think 60 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:06,120 Speaker 3: it's quite extraordinary what she's done because on the surface, 61 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:11,000 Speaker 3: it's a very sackering character. It's the goody to shoes. 62 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:14,960 Speaker 3: She's perfect, she's popular, she's all those kind of things. 63 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:20,799 Speaker 3: She gives that character real weight and depth and towards 64 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:24,880 Speaker 3: the end, real pathos. You kind of you're really kind 65 00:04:24,880 --> 00:04:28,200 Speaker 3: of your heart breaks for her. Which is the beauty 66 00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:31,080 Speaker 3: of the writing, but also the beauty of the performance 67 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:35,400 Speaker 3: and my goodness singing from both of them. 68 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:47,520 Speaker 4: And none of it seems to matter any loss. 69 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:58,800 Speaker 2: Sand Now. It's based on the stage play Wicked, which 70 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:02,080 Speaker 2: is a rief on on the famous movie The Wizard 71 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:04,880 Speaker 2: of Oz exactly, and that was on TV the night 72 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:07,880 Speaker 2: before I went to see Wicked two, and I'd forgotten 73 00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:13,080 Speaker 2: how kind of stage it is. Again, I don't want 74 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:16,520 Speaker 2: to be too judgmental this thirty nine. Yeah, so we 75 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:18,440 Speaker 2: have to have fairly low expectations. 76 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:22,159 Speaker 1: I think, I thank you my pretty and your little dog. 77 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:27,840 Speaker 2: The cackle of the Witch and the kind of hokiness 78 00:05:27,839 --> 00:05:30,200 Speaker 2: of the costumes really stuck out for me. 79 00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:33,560 Speaker 3: Yeah. Sure, but kids by it, you know that the 80 00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:38,840 Speaker 3: story has endured. It's got so many resonances. I watched 81 00:05:38,839 --> 00:05:42,159 Speaker 3: the film recently because I reviewed the film for The Australian, 82 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:44,160 Speaker 3: and I was. 83 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:46,000 Speaker 1: Enchanted by it all over again. 84 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:49,679 Speaker 3: I mean, yes, you know, the flying monkeys and you know, and. 85 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:50,440 Speaker 1: The Wizard of Oz. 86 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:54,000 Speaker 3: It is all hokey and very much of its time, 87 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:58,000 Speaker 3: but there's something enduring about it, which is why we've 88 00:05:58,040 --> 00:05:59,800 Speaker 3: got this new iteration of the story. 89 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:07,840 Speaker 2: Happy Well, Lass simply because it's a love story, isn't it. 90 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:11,039 Speaker 2: There's a romantic element, there's a sex scene, and the 91 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:14,920 Speaker 2: romantic lead, the male lead is Fiero, the handsome Prince. 92 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:18,320 Speaker 2: But I felt as though, certainly towards the end of 93 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:21,320 Speaker 2: Wicked two, without giving too much away, it's about the 94 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:24,320 Speaker 2: love between these two women, and it felt like more 95 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:25,120 Speaker 2: than just friendship. 96 00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:28,880 Speaker 3: Oh look, absolutely, you know it's it's that genre of 97 00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:33,360 Speaker 3: film that's you know, Filma and Luise, It's so many films. 98 00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:39,599 Speaker 3: It's that beautiful, tight, complicated love between two young women 99 00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:43,920 Speaker 3: that morphs and changes as they grow and they grow 100 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:49,880 Speaker 3: into different people, but they come together, they break apart traumatically, 101 00:06:49,920 --> 00:06:53,599 Speaker 3: they come together again. It's very recognizable, and I think 102 00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:57,320 Speaker 3: that's why young women really respond to this film. The 103 00:06:57,360 --> 00:07:02,080 Speaker 3: second version has done extraordinary box off even greater at 104 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:05,240 Speaker 3: this time in its season is what the first one did, 105 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:07,920 Speaker 3: And I think that's driven by young women because they 106 00:07:07,960 --> 00:07:11,760 Speaker 3: recognize something in it, they recognize the truth in the story. 107 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:13,680 Speaker 1: I mean, Wicked the musical. 108 00:07:13,240 --> 00:07:16,440 Speaker 3: Has been a huge success ever since that debut on 109 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:21,240 Speaker 3: Broadway in two thousand and three, and you know, schools 110 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:25,040 Speaker 3: have done it. It's been played all over the world. 111 00:07:25,200 --> 00:07:27,720 Speaker 3: It's one of the longest running shows in the West End. 112 00:07:28,440 --> 00:07:32,200 Speaker 3: It's just been extraordinary the success of the musical, and 113 00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:35,080 Speaker 3: this is a very faithful adaptation of that, and I 114 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:39,000 Speaker 3: think it's quite extraordinary for a film that's centered on 115 00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:44,240 Speaker 3: the love yes between two young women to do so 116 00:07:44,400 --> 00:07:45,880 Speaker 3: amazingly at the box office. 117 00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:46,640 Speaker 1: It's fabulous. 118 00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:48,160 Speaker 2: Did it need to be two movies? 119 00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:48,880 Speaker 1: Oh? 120 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:53,240 Speaker 3: Absolutely, because it's a really complicated story. And when you 121 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:56,160 Speaker 3: go and see the musical, it's basically, you know, there's 122 00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:58,440 Speaker 3: an interval in between. So the first half of the 123 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:02,640 Speaker 3: musical is the frog, the bubble, it's it's light, it's 124 00:08:03,040 --> 00:08:08,840 Speaker 3: explaining the characters, its exposition. But the second half it 125 00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:12,920 Speaker 3: gets darker and naughtier, and this is where the real 126 00:08:13,120 --> 00:08:16,600 Speaker 3: storytelling comes out. It's much more action led the second 127 00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:19,120 Speaker 3: part as well. And this is for good the movie 128 00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:23,600 Speaker 3: that we're seeing now, And basically, yes, it's darker the 129 00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:26,280 Speaker 3: second part, but this is when you sit back in 130 00:08:26,320 --> 00:08:31,040 Speaker 3: that cinema and you go, wow, this is the story 131 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:34,840 Speaker 3: of the origin of the tin Man and the Cowardly 132 00:08:34,920 --> 00:08:40,320 Speaker 3: Lion and the Scarecrow. Oh my goodness, the Scarecrow. The 133 00:08:40,440 --> 00:08:45,760 Speaker 3: story that he has I feel like. The musical was 134 00:08:45,800 --> 00:08:48,560 Speaker 3: based on a novel from the nineteen nineties, and I 135 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:52,040 Speaker 3: feel like that novelist and the creators of the musical 136 00:08:52,360 --> 00:08:57,040 Speaker 3: took so much care and respect with the original story 137 00:08:57,240 --> 00:09:01,240 Speaker 3: from nineteen nineteen thirty nine Move, which was also based 138 00:09:01,240 --> 00:09:03,200 Speaker 3: on a novel. I feel like there's just been a 139 00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:08,599 Speaker 3: lot of care taken to preserve the enchantment of this story. 140 00:09:09,080 --> 00:09:13,520 Speaker 3: But Wicked, the movie, it just kicks the whole thing 141 00:09:13,520 --> 00:09:17,679 Speaker 3: along in terms of storytelling. It's quite ingenious, and I 142 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:21,520 Speaker 3: just think you sit in that cinema and you go, wow, 143 00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:22,960 Speaker 3: this is amazing. 144 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:25,640 Speaker 1: This is the magic of storytelling. 145 00:09:28,200 --> 00:09:49,320 Speaker 2: Coming up when Witches get nasty. I took a gang 146 00:09:49,320 --> 00:09:51,760 Speaker 2: of ten year olds to see it for it was 147 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:55,960 Speaker 2: great fun. Their reactions were absolutely hilarious, particularly to the 148 00:09:56,080 --> 00:09:58,520 Speaker 2: sex scene or the last scene. 149 00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:07,040 Speaker 3: Every uh, maybe why when you've got me seen. 150 00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:10,360 Speaker 4: Through the form run. 151 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:16,480 Speaker 2: They're still at the age when they were mortified to 152 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:20,080 Speaker 2: be seeing people kissing on the spa. How did you 153 00:10:20,080 --> 00:10:21,000 Speaker 2: feel about the sex scene. 154 00:10:21,040 --> 00:10:22,160 Speaker 1: I was a bit surprised. 155 00:10:22,160 --> 00:10:24,439 Speaker 3: I'd forgotten about that in the musical, and it's it's 156 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:27,280 Speaker 3: a PG rating, so you know, all kids can go. 157 00:10:27,480 --> 00:10:29,960 Speaker 1: I mean, it's not a graphic sex scene in any way. 158 00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:36,000 Speaker 3: It's beautiful and both those actors are openly gay, so 159 00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:39,920 Speaker 3: I thought that was a fascinating edge to the whole thing. 160 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:43,480 Speaker 1: But I thought it felt right for the story. 161 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:47,280 Speaker 3: And you know, I certainly wouldn't have any worries about 162 00:10:47,320 --> 00:10:49,480 Speaker 3: taking someone younger to see that. 163 00:10:49,679 --> 00:10:52,599 Speaker 2: I could have seen more flesh. Actually, I was disappointed 164 00:10:52,600 --> 00:10:55,280 Speaker 2: when Alphabet takes off her cloak and puts on the 165 00:10:55,320 --> 00:10:56,240 Speaker 2: thrumpy cardigo. 166 00:10:56,400 --> 00:10:57,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah, the Hessian sack. 167 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:01,199 Speaker 3: There's a whole social media thing about the Hessian sack. 168 00:11:01,559 --> 00:11:03,880 Speaker 1: I shouldn't call it a sack. I think it's a cardigan. 169 00:11:04,440 --> 00:11:06,760 Speaker 2: It's time to talk about the sex card again. 170 00:11:06,920 --> 00:11:09,640 Speaker 3: What's wrong with having sex in a wool carte again? 171 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:13,800 Speaker 2: It's like a Tuesday for me. Maybe there's a breeze 172 00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:15,719 Speaker 2: in the room and she's like, I can't I get 173 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:18,400 Speaker 2: to my orgasm if there's a there's a breathe on. 174 00:11:18,679 --> 00:11:19,319 Speaker 3: We don't know. 175 00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:21,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's the sex cardigan. 176 00:11:21,960 --> 00:11:24,800 Speaker 3: Well, I guess we don't want to see necessary to 177 00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:27,840 Speaker 3: be a bit like Goldfinger, you know, the full gold 178 00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:33,120 Speaker 3: body we it would be hard to pull off cinematically. 179 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:37,480 Speaker 2: Filmically, Yeah, it is big but it speaks to adults really. 180 00:11:37,720 --> 00:11:39,640 Speaker 1: Absolutely absolutely. 181 00:11:39,679 --> 00:11:42,160 Speaker 3: I was reading box office in the UK has been 182 00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:45,640 Speaker 3: the biggest amongst young women since Barbie, and I thought, 183 00:11:45,679 --> 00:11:50,040 Speaker 3: you know, this is the first film since Barbie that's 184 00:11:50,520 --> 00:11:56,160 Speaker 3: a thoughtful, a deeply thoughtful look at womanhood. And obviously 185 00:11:56,200 --> 00:11:58,240 Speaker 3: there is a lot of money in it because young 186 00:11:58,320 --> 00:12:01,600 Speaker 3: women and older women and women who want to take 187 00:12:01,640 --> 00:12:04,600 Speaker 3: their daughters and young girls, we want to see our 188 00:12:04,679 --> 00:12:08,720 Speaker 3: stories on screen. So you know, I just think it's 189 00:12:08,800 --> 00:12:12,760 Speaker 3: fantastic that films like this are doing amazing box office. 190 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:16,280 Speaker 3: And I also think the ingenious storytelling in Wicked for 191 00:12:16,360 --> 00:12:20,120 Speaker 3: Good sets it up possibly for a sequel. I'm not 192 00:12:20,160 --> 00:12:23,160 Speaker 3: going to say how, but I so want to say, well, 193 00:12:23,160 --> 00:12:25,000 Speaker 3: I mean, I know how you could write it. 194 00:12:24,920 --> 00:12:28,120 Speaker 1: But maybe you should write it. Well. 195 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:31,520 Speaker 3: I've just finished writing a screenplay, but I just feel 196 00:12:31,559 --> 00:12:34,920 Speaker 3: like this story can kick on. And I trust this 197 00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:38,040 Speaker 3: creative team because I feel like they are doing it 198 00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:41,280 Speaker 3: with the intellectual property, the ip that they've got, the 199 00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:43,320 Speaker 3: beloved ip that they've got. 200 00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:46,960 Speaker 1: They're doing it so carefully and so respectfully. So bring 201 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:47,680 Speaker 1: on the sequel. 202 00:12:48,760 --> 00:12:53,120 Speaker 3: I know you because I. 203 00:12:57,400 --> 00:13:05,880 Speaker 1: Because you, I Haveman. 204 00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:16,440 Speaker 3: For Good. 205 00:13:37,200 --> 00:13:40,960 Speaker 2: Vicky Gammill's much loved weekly column is in the Weekend magazine. 206 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:43,480 Speaker 2: Her film reviews are in our Culture section, and you 207 00:13:43,520 --> 00:13:46,160 Speaker 2: can find it all at the Australian dot com dot 208 00:13:46,200 --> 00:13:50,560 Speaker 2: au or on our mobile app. This episode of the 209 00:13:50,559 --> 00:13:53,480 Speaker 2: Front was hosted by Me Claire Harvey, produced by Me 210 00:13:53,600 --> 00:13:56,720 Speaker 2: with help from Christian Amyot and Lead Samaglue, and edited 211 00:13:56,760 --> 00:13:59,320 Speaker 2: by Lead Samaglue. Thanks for joining us on the Front 212 00:13:59,360 --> 00:14:02,960 Speaker 2: this week. Our team also includes Tiffany Demack, Joshua Burton, 213 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:06,320 Speaker 2: Stephanie Coombs and Jasper Leag who also wrote Art Bead