Hamilton (2025)
Directed by Thomas Kail
Presenting the tale of American founding father Alexander Hamilton, this filmed version of the original Broadway smash hit is the story of America then, told by America now.
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20 films that influenced Hamilton
What critics say influenced Hamilton
Two of Miranda's more brazen nods to show-tune geekiness are to "South Pacific" --"I'm with you but the situation is fraught/ You've got to be carefully taught," Burr sings in a number set in a pre-revolutionary tavern) -- and Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Pirates of Penzance," when George Washington (Chris Jackson) introduces himself as "the model of a modern major general/ the venerated Virginian veteran whose men are all/ Lining up, to put me on a pedestal."
Clearly Kail was trying to find a visual equivalent to the energy that one might experience from seeing it live and it is obviously preferable to simply plunking one or two static cameras in front of the stage for the duration (as anyone who saw the woeful filmed version of the Kevin Kline-Linda Ronstadt revival of “The Pirates of Penzance” can attest) but a little more restraint in this area might have made it a little more effective in the long run.
It reminded me of such expert concert films as Jonathan Demme's Stop Making Sense and Martin Scorsese's The Last Waltz.
Compared to previous over-cinematic reinterpretations from 1978’s Grease to 2019’s ill-fated Cats, how can this not be the preferred template for bringing any post-theatrical Broadway experience to the masses?
Thomas Kail, who directed both the Broadway musical and the film, uses techniques pioneered by Jonathan Demme in Stop Making Sense, cutting together footage captured over three nights of shows at the Richard Rogers Theatre in June 2016.
It reminded me of such expert concert films as Jonathan Demme's Stop Making Sense and Martin Scorsese's The Last Waltz.
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You’ll definitely notice the vibes of King Herod from Jesus Christ Superstar more with the close-ups on Jonathan Groff’s face.
Leslie Odom Jr. (“Harriet”) turns Burr into a reluctant antagonist like Judas in “Jesus Christ Superstar,” admitting that he’s “the damn fool that shot him,” while Miranda (“Mary Poppins Returns”) charts the title character’s inspiring rise and tragic fall, plummeting into scandal and fatal hubris.
The powdered-wig historical figures are played by black, Latino and Asian actors; the stuffy oboes and clarinets of “1776” are swapped for pulsing hip-hop and R&B.
[“Hamilton” vs. “1776,” an unfair fight?]
Without going into spoilers, Hamilton is an interesting companion piece to 1972’s previous revolutionary music-theater classic 1776 , which focused on the Continental Congress pulling together the Declaration of Independence.
It’s an interesting POV contrast with Hamilton in the same way Gary Oldman’s Darkest Hour mirrors the scope and events opposite Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk.
Using a combination of modern talk and aesthetics coupled with lively songs and period costuming — think Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet with new language in an old setting instead of old language in a new setting — but when history has its eyes on you, is the film version truly like being in the room where it happened?
In the best Shakespearean tradition (with the most famous example being the prologue of Romeo & Juliet ) Hamilton opens with a song that tells you exactly what is going to happen and we’re introduced to our narrator – Aaron Burr, Sir.
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It’s an interesting POV contrast with Hamilton in the same way Gary Oldman’s Darkest Hour mirrors the scope and events opposite Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk.
Wisely eschewing a cinematic reimagining (a la My Fair Lady), Miranda and director Thomas Kail also avoid a minimalist presentation that would do little more than ape the full theatrical experience.
Theater fans who mourn that so many Broadway shows are retreads of the oldies; “South Pacific,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “West Side Story,” “My Fair Lady,” “The Music Man,” will cheer that “Hamilton” is thoroughly original.