1st February, 2014.
Right now … ?
Right now, I’m gently going to get something of an early night.
A comparatively early night, at any rate.
After all, the night is closing in: and my electricity is slowly running out. Or getting nearer to me having to dip into the emergency credit, at any rate.
Either way … ? I wanted to get a start on this particular post.
And tell you I’ve just watched West Side Story.
In part because I had a couple of tunes from it playing my head, overnight. And in part, because the piece is one of those films — musical or otherwise — that I felt should be seen.
For no other reason than to say to myself that I’ve seen one film I know people say one should …
~≈Ù≈~
2nd February, 2014.
Yes, yes, I know! It’s been a long time since I got started on this post.
Some twenty-two hours, certainly.
But, amazingly … ?
Amazing, I’ve only managed to sit down in the past couple of hours.
My nephew, Jude … ?
Is rather active: to the point of inventing the game of Catch Mummy’s Hat.
Six hours of that, train-sets, cars, keyboards and ‘Where’s The Orange’ can be fun … but SERIOUSLY exhausting …
~≈Ù≈~
But I was telling you about last night’s film, wasn’t I … ?
I’d actually managed to see the 1961 film version of Broadway musical, West Side Story: after having a couple of songs from the film play through my head, whilst sleeping.
Directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, West Side Story tells us the story of the Jets — a gang of second generation Polish-American youths — and their arch rivals, the Sharks: equally young, poor, Puerto Rican immigrants to the US.
Opening with an aerial overview of the city, the film opens by showing us that by now famous dance routing: that closes with a fight between the gangs that’s broken up with by the local police.
After the fight, the Jets’ leader, Riff, decides enough is enough: and that he, and Jets co-founder, Tony, are going to have a war council with Bernardo, the leader of The Sharks.
That war council is set for after the dance arranged by a local social worker.
What neither Jets or Sharks realise … ? Is that Tony (Richard Beymer) is going to meet Maria (Natalie Wood) at that dance.
Meet …
And almost immediately fall in love with …
~≈Ù≈~
Now …
Did I enjoy West Side Story, and would I see it again?
Would I recommend it to you?
Let’s start with ‘would I see it again?’, shall we?
Right at the moment, I don’t know that I would: but I can say that, yes, I did enjoy it.
Granted, West Side Story isn’t my usual run of fare: my standing joke, if anyone asks, is a film’s got to have tentacles, lasers and aliens to grab my attention.
Just don’t ask what the tentacles are doing … !
But being the musical iteration of Romeo and Juliet that it is, I feel West Side Story has much to say to us: not least that letting hate and bigotry can kill as surely as a street thug’s bullet.
And please: view the music in West Side Story as integral to both plot and character.
This is no light-weight, Barnumesque piece of flummery.
No.
West Side Story is quite a bit darker than you’d think.
For my money … ?
That makes it worth seeing, at least once.
West Side Story
★★★★
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