I didn't know there was a TV remake of The Music Man in 2003. I've long considered the 1962 version a favourite. So when I saw the newer one on the site, I put in a request. That was a while back. There are 50 or 60 selections lined up on my list. The DVD arrived in the mail yesterday, and I started typing this entry while it was playing.The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is good. It is colourful. The songs are, of course, familiar. There are a few numbers that were omitted from the original movie version. Some updating was to make it more politically correct. It's nice to know there were actually black people in Iowa at the turn of the last century. Still, this version doesn't seem quite 'right'.
It's funny how much we resist seeing a remake. I applaud Matthew Broderick's portrayal of Professor Harold Hill. It was reserved and smooth, yet I couldn't help but compare it to the original's Robert Preston. The same goes for Marian Paroo; Kristin Chenoweth was great but I kept wanting to see Shirley Jones. Of course it'd be impossible to update Ron Howard as the ultimate little tyke!
The 2003 version is very good and, in some ways, technically superior, but if you've missed the one that's 44 years old, do grab a copy for comparison.