West Side Story (2021) — A Review

12th January, 2023.

Right.

It’s a Thursday night.

And, frankly?

I have a quandary.

Or possibly a problem.

I’m writing this on an evening with little to do.

Bar fret.

And wonder what to watch.

Frankly?   I’m thinking the Spielberg cut of West Side Story looks attractive.

As does the documentary about 1996 made for TV, Dr Who movie: imaginatively named Dr Who Am I.

Or do I start watching the third season of Apple TV+’s For All Mankind?

Before the start of Picard’s third series, in February?

At any rate?

I’m going to watch something, tonight: and tell you about it, tomorrow night.

Here’s hoping I make my mind up.

~≈💃🏽≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 21-4-2022: Annie

21st April, 2022.

Yep: it’s official.

I’m up early: as I have to be in Chelmsford for 9:30.

I’m on a government sponsored programme, designed to help me back into work.

Today’s Chelmsford trip?   Is part of that: it’s a one day course to help older people find work.

Quite how it’ll go, or how much help it’ll offer?

I don’t know.

We’ll just have to see.

~≈Â≈~

Oh, so you know … ?

Jude’s done another video: involving the Sidemen.

Feel free to like: and subscribe to ANOTHER new channel!!!!!!!!.

I’ll warn you now, though: it’s a bit rude!

~≈Â≈~

West Side Story: Phew!

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
★★★★

Virgin and Cabaret: A warning and a film.

You know, I’ve got to admit, there’s time’s I’m glad I use BT as my ISP, I really am.

OK, granted they’re not perfect.

But at least they’ve not had to issue the warning that Virgin has, today: that some of their customer’s machine’s have been infected with the SpyEye trojan: about 1500 of them.

Hmmm …

Nasty: I’ve got to admit, while I’m very aware there’s not that many bits of malicious software for the OS X platform, most of the ones that ARE out there … ? Are trojans: you can bet I’ll be keeping my eye’s peeled …

JUST on the off-chance … !

»»·««

At ANY rate … ?

At any rate, I’m going to give a BIG Thank You to an old friend and work colleague, James.

Bless him, I’d posted to my Facebook wall that I’d never actually seen the film, Cabaret, some time ago.

And, bless him, James let me have his old, spare copy.

Like I say, I think a BIG Thank You’s in order.

BIG Thank You, there, James!

And I think I can now officially say I’ve seen what had to be Liza Minelli’s break-out role.

And admit, she weren’t half distracting, back then … !

Well, she was … !

OK … I’m perving, JUST a touch, there, let me grab a cold shower …

AHEM.

Actually, she still is …

But, at any rate, I’m burbling, aren’t I … ?

Cabaret is very loosely based on the novel, Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood: and tells us of the time that Brian — Michæl York, possibly one of the few actors in the film to not have a song! — and his stay in Berlin, as a English teacher, during the 1930s.

Back when Berlin had a reputation for being the most hedonistic city in Europe.

Brian’s life is immediately complicated by getting to know Sally Bowles, one of the acts at the nearby Kit Kat Klub: the cabaret of the title, and the singer with whom he shares both lodgings …

And a complicated lovelife.

All of this … ?

All of this is set against the back of a Berlin that is both extremely hedonistic … and seeing the raise of Hitler’s Nazi party, that, by the end of the film, is getting everywhere.

»»·««

Now, I don’t know if you — like me — are fairly new to Cabaret.

But can I make a suggestion, here … ?

And this is in spite of the fact I know that my regular movie cohort, Kevin D isn’t grabbed by the thought of seeing it*.

I personally think you should REALLY go see Cabaret.

Because … ?

I think you’re going to be in for a treat … !

* Not enough wrestling, guns or explosions …