This USA musical drama deals with the real life of one of America’s founding fathers, and first Secretary of the Treasury of the USA, Alexander Hamilton.
HAMILTON. Starring: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Christopher Jackson, Daveed Diggs, Phillipa Soo, Renee Elise Goldsberry, and Leslie Odom Jr. Directed by Thomas Kail. Rated PG (Mild themes, violence, sexual references and coarse language). 179 min. and a nine min. Intermission break.
Review by Peter W Sheehan, Jesuit Media Australia
The film features the Original Broadway Cast before a live audience, and is based on the 2004 biography “Alexander Hamilton” by Ron Chernow which covers the life of Alexander Hamilton and his involvement in the American Revolutionary War as an aide-de-camp to George Washington (Christopher Jackson). It embraces his marriage to Eliza Hamilton (Phillipa Soo), and deals with the political history of the United States. Hamilton joined George Washington in his fight for US independence, and made enemies as a result, that included royalty, and he endured scandal in his life that was personally tragic. Hamilton is introduced to viewers as an ambitious 19 year-old, who is both an orphan and an immigrant. His adult intelligence and commitment to equality made him a hero of enormous significance.
The film’s music reflects the pop, soul, and traditional music of early USA, and intentionally casts non-white actors as the Founding Fathers of the United States and other historical figures. Lin-Manuel Miranda, who plays Hamilton, is of Puerto Rican descent. The musical has won seven Olivier Awards including Best Musical, and multiple Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Musical in 2018. The story of “Hamilton” was awarded the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Aaron Burr (Leslie Odom Jr.) is a narrator for the musical, and Lin-Manuel Miranda charismatically takes the lead role of Alexander Hamilton. The movie is basically a filmed theatre performance, that has incredible power, and it features extraordinary choreography. Filming for the movie is very intelligently conceived. This is a smart, witty and thoughtful movie that forces serious reflection about America’s past, present, and future, at a time when many are thinking about what it actually means to be called American. The film’s opening scenes remind viewers of the American ideal of equality and address slavery in the USA at a time when Black-Lives- Matter protests are still prevalent. Director, Thomas Kail, brilliantly captures the show’s infectious energy, and the film’s songs are delivered magnificently. This is musical cinema at its best, and is strongly in sympathy with current political events. Lin-Manuel Miranda is exceptional as Hamilton.
The film contains many musical numbers and represents musical theatre that has been adapted creatively to the cinema screen. The movie is daring, tuneful, and provocative, and it is a film that soundly celebrates American diversity. Performances in it are imbued with ideals that embrace total inclusivity, and the film achieves remarkable synchrony between music, body movement, and plot-narrative.
Reviewed by Peter W Sheehan, an Associate of Jesuit Media