Word: jacksonã
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...days and weeks following Jackson??s passing, the media divided airtime between grimly recapping the murky details of his personal life and reverently exalting his artistic genius, which was to have been showcased in a series of sold-out London concerts. The ill-fated tour, billed as “the final curtain call” by Jackson himself, is now the subject of a documentary entitled “This Is It.” Directed by Kenny Ortega, Jackson??s creative partner, the film provides an unusually pared-down view of the performer...
...brief burst of stunned applause from a 1983 audience witnessing the moonwalk for the first time—and instead uses the bulk of the film to offer a glimpse of his plans for the future. Not content to simply belt out his greatest hits to a packed arena, Jackson??s best-known songs are paired with various elements of cutting-edge technology to create what would have been a truly innovative stage experience—wardrobe designers were working with scientists to incorporate new visual effects into the Jackson??s costumes, while his classic music...
Though Jackson and Ortega shared directorial duties while producing the tour, “This Is It” witnesses the extent to which Jackson??s relentless perfectionism drives the entire show. Far from the shaky, soft-spoken intonations audiences are used to hearing from Jackson, he speaks in an unmistakably succinct, deliberate manner throughout the film. Issuing sometimes minute and nuanced commands to a corps of dancers, musicians, choreographers, and crew, he manages to dole out his authority with an uncanny blend of warmth and immediacy. Responding to a musician’s reassurance that he?...
Just as the film is missing much of the rabid fan appreciation typical of Jackson??s shows, his rehearsal performances reveal a subdued version of the explosive entertainer’s song and dance capabilities. Often reminding his colleagues that he’s conserving his energy for the actual show, it’s hard not to wonder just what the final product would have looked like, though the film certainly captures a great deal of his signature showmanship. Still, the lack of opening-night caliber fanfare allows “This Is It?...
...Ortega seems intent upon illuminating Jackson??s subtleties in “This Is It,” it’s because the director is all too familiar with Jackson??s creative process, having worked with Jackson on his last two world tours. Ortega utilizes split screens to show the barely discernible variations of Jackson??s dancing, jerkily grooving to the same song on three different occasions. He often focuses on his facial expressions—a tense grimace taking shape when something doesn’t sit right with...