[22] A total of 783 singing actresses auditioned for the role of Effie White, among them American Idol alumnae Fantasia Barrino and Jennifer Hudson, former Disney star Raven-Symon, and Broadway stars Capathia Jenkins and Patina Miller. Movie. It also employed call-and-response vocals and heavy use of tambourine. "[39] All of the new songs feature music composed by original Dreamgirls stage composer Henry Krieger. For. Schumacher planned to have Lauryn Hill[18] portray Deena and Kelly Price play Effie. Of course, some of the girls were so young that chaperones accompanied them on toursometimes their parents. They were also among the first black musicians to appear onThe Ed Sullivan Show. harder for the industries that marginalise them". 1 In Sluggish Sales Week. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts gave the film awards for Supporting Actress (Jennifer Hudson) and Music (Henry Krieger). Diana Ross left the Supremes in 1970 to pursue other projects such as film work, in 1972 she starred in her first motion picture, the Motown-produced Lady Sings the Blues. Gordy, like his counterpart in the movie, had aspirations of making movies. [72], In addition, Dreamgirls was the first film in Academy Award history to receive the highest number of nominations for the year, yet not be nominated for Best Picture. [67], DreamWorks and Paramount began a significant awards campaign for Dreamgirls while the film was still in production. In February 2006, the press was invited on set to a special live event showcasing the making of the film, including a live performance of "Steppin' to the Bad Side" by the cast. Curtis promptly drops him from the label and Lorrell ends their affair. [23], R&B star Usher was to have been cast as C.C. Adapted from the 1981 Broadway musical of the same name, Dreamgirls is a film clef, a work of fiction taking strong inspiration from the history of the Motown record label and one of its acts, the Supremes. For American girls to see female groups was something new. [23], Loretta Devine, who played Lorrell in the original Broadway production, has a cameo as a jazz singer who performs the song "I Miss You Old Friend. 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Wilson as Magic White, Effie's daughter, Paul Kirby as Promo Film Narrator (voice), This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 17:27. head songwriter. [81] The film was also nominated by the Producers Guild of America for Best Picture and the Directors Guild of America for Bill Condon's directing. [84] The Dreamgirls soundtrack was also nominated for the Grammy for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album. At the 64th Golden Globe Awards, it won three awards, including for the Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.[9]. | [42] Among this footage was one whole musical number, C.C. In casting Hudson, Condon recalled that he initially was not confident he'd made the right decision, but instinctively cast Hudson after she'd auditioned several times because he "just didn't believe any of the others. Geffen, taking the role of co-producer, brought Paramount Pictures in to co-finance and release Dreamgirls. Aside from the overall plot of the film and elements already present in the stage musical, many direct references to The Supremes, Motown, or R&B/soul history in general are included in the film. . In 1962 Detroit, Michigan, young car salesman Curtis Taylor Jr. meets a Black girl group known as "The Dreamettes", consisting of lead singer Effie White and backup singers Deena Jones and Lorrell Robinson, at an R&B amateur talent show at the Detroit Theatre. [80] It was also named as one of the American Film Institute's top ten films of 2006. One thing is certain: by the time the women's movement arrived in the late 1960s, there was a generation of women used to standing on the stage and telling the world how they felt. These grown-up themes contrast with The Shangri-Las singing healsongs about teenage drama. Yet before girl groups, it was easier for a song to cross over than for artists themselves to do, says Warwick. Just as it's gaining local radio play, Curtis uses payola to force radio stations to play The Dreams' disco cover of the song. A black-owned recording company having such a hit was, at that time, revolutionary. Teen Culture. Nat King Cole reached the charts in 1946 with "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66," which made the top ten. [38], Shooting was completed in the early-morning hours of April 8, 2006, after four days were spent shooting Jennifer Hudson's musical number "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", which had purposefully been saved until the end of the shoot. But the success of girl groups had to do with more than harmony and lyrics. [9] Dreamgirls received eight NAACP Image Award nominations, winning for Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Hudson) and Outstanding Album (the soundtrack LP). Ballard never reunited with the other Primettes, unlike the sentimental ending to "Dreamgirls." [36] The film was primarily shot on soundstages at the Los Angeles Center Studios and on location in the Los Angeles area, with some second unit footage shot in Detroit, Miami, and New York City. The success of girl groups had much to do with the market. The Dreams' hometownthe setting for much of the actionwas moved from Chicago to Detroit, the real-life hometown of The Supremes and Motown Records. That same year, Motown got its first pop hit with The Marvelettes' "Please Mr. The groups, usually made up of three to five singers, often formed through glee clubs and high schools, with many having backgrounds in church gospel music. The most inauthentic part of the whole portrait is the music, which owes as much to such mid-'80s pop dreck as "You Light Up My Life" as to the actual Motown sound. But The Beatles themselves were obsessed with American girl groups and even sang girl group songs, including "Please Mr. Postman," The Shirelles' "Baby It's You" and The Cookies' "Chains. The connection between the fictional Dreams and the real-life Supremes is underlined by costume designer Sharen Davis, whose magnificent creations accurately echo the outlandish outfits Ross, Wilson and Ballard used to wriggle into. 76 Metascore; 2006; 2 hr 9 mins Drama, Music PG13 Watchlist. "[34], After Hudson was cast in November 2005, the Dreamgirls cast began extensive rehearsals with Condon and choreographers Fatima Robinson and Aakomon "AJ" Jones, veterans of the music video industry. [22] The filmmakers insisted on casting a relative unknown in the role, paralleling the casting of then-21-year-old Jennifer Holliday in that role for the original Broadway production. [31], Dreamgirls received eight 2007 Academy Award nominations covering six categories, the most of any film for the year, although it was not nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, or either of the lead acting categories. However, Deena clandestinely hopes the film will never come to be, pursuing other acting gigs. The fantastic wigs look right, too. Screenwriter and director Bill Condon, who wrote Chicago's screenplay, met producer Laurence Mark at a Hollywood holiday party in late 2002, where the two discussed a long-held "dream project" of Condon's adapting Dreamgirls for the screen. The following year, Jimmy has descended into drug addiction due to Curtis' focus on Deena, along with the rejection of the charity single he recorded. Dreamgirls debuted in four special road show engagements starting on December 15, 2006, before its nationwide release on December 25, 2006. Sometime later, C.C., who feels Curtis is undermining his songs' artistic merit by making them into disco music, quits the label. Privacy Statement During a televised special of Rainbow's tenth anniversary, Jimmy strays off from his soulful act to do an impromptu rap. He gathered a stellar group of area jazz musicians (all men), known collectively as The Funk Brothers. [105][106] Several references are also made to Mafia-backed loans Curtis uses to fund Rainbow Records. Horn players would never run all over the stage as they do in "Dreamgirls" or they would be too out of breath to play the instruments. Everywhere they went on tour that summer, there were riots. director of photography (as Tobias Schliessler) Film Editing by Virginia Katz Casting By Dreamgirls (2006) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by Bill Condon Writing Credits Cast (in credits order) complete, awaiting verification Produced by Music by Tom Eyen Henry Krieger Cinematography by Tobias A. Schliessler . [16] Upon learning that Knowles and Murphy had signed on, Foxx rethought his original decision and accepted the Curtis role at DreamWorks' lower salary. Dreamgirls is the first live-action film to receive three nominations for Best Song; previously the Disney animated features Beauty and the Beast (1991) and The Lion King (1994) had each received three Academy Award nominations for Best Song; Enchanted (2007) has since repeated the feat. This bright, beautiful and booming-voiced talent is a perfect example of how NOT winning the title of American Idol . From the stage, they told the audience what was happening outside. ", In Motown, Berry Gordy had a specific formula for making a hit song. The limited edition program guide accompanying the Dreamgirls road show release was made available for retail purchase in February. In New York, Phil Spector produced girl group songs using his famous "wall of sound," a production technique that employed a huge amount of instruments and layered track after track on top of each other. Crossing Color Lines. 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