Well, dear readers, I’ve just finished watching a motion picture entitled West Side Story. Of course, those eagle-eyed dear readers know that just the other day I finished watching a motion picture entitled West Side Story, but that was the new-fangled West Side Story by Steven Spielberg and company. For my views on that film there’s a fun “round table” discussion about the original film and the new film on the Digital Bits. I shan’t recount my long history with the original film, other than to say I saw it just a few days after it opened in December of 1961 and saw it every week during that initial period for about fourteen weeks in a row. I was, in fact, obsessed with it. I saw it when it went into general release sans intermission, but it wasn’t quite the same experience as in 70mm and six-track stereophonic sound. When it was reissued in 1968, I of course went to see it. Again, it just was not the same film in 35mm monophonic sound. Then I had every iteration on home video. I think the film is a masterpiece of moviemaking in every department. But nothing has compared to seeing the original 70mm print of the film, not even the occasional 70mm showing because that wasn’t printed from the original negative. Ever since the last DVD release, the overture graphics have been botched my MGM/UA and rather than fix it they’ve just put Band-aids on it, none of which really fix anything. I understand that there’s supposedly a new scan of the 70mm negative that fixes that and other issues, but that has not been released anywhere and has only been shown a couple of times. I’ll believe it when I see it. Watching it again last night, it just points up what are, for me, the flaws of the new version. The original has such emotional power in its last ten minutes, and it also has something the new one completely lacks – humor. And humor is essential. It’s now fashionable to knock Natalie Wood, but no knocking from me – she’s a wonderful Maria. I’ve never really had a problem with Richard Beymer as Tony – most hate him, but again that’s pretty much a “now” thing. When you really back people into a corner, what you find is that none of the people who hate Beymer or Wood saw the film in its original release – in fact, they saw it on TV, like my fellow Round Table interviewees on The Digital Bits. I don’t have any issue with the casting – I know that NOW we’re all supposed to hate it because some of the Sharks and their gals aren’t really Puerto Rican. Well, 1961. The End. Don’t bother me with that inanity. The direction of the film is suberb – the stuff Robbins and Wise did together, and the stuff Wise did on his own – all great. And all the staging of the numbers is Robbins, every bit of it, including the way the last ten minutes is staged. The orchestra sounds fantastic – everyone raves about the new version’s orchestra, but I find it not nearly as well recorded in terms of detail. But it’s funny what you become aware of each time you watch and last night it was Boris Leven’s production design, which is brilliant. But in all my viewings I have never consciously noted how he has everything the long way, like a tunnel, so that the sides are always closing in on the characters. Watch it and you’ll see. Doc’s store, the dress shop, Bernardo’s apartment. It’s really fascinating. Also note that you never actually see where any Jet lives. Many have raved about Justin Peck’s choreography in the new version but, for me, it’s just jagged moves with no purpose, no storytelling or character purpose. Then you watch the Robbins, and you know what real choreography is all about. The original film never seems static – unless you’re a person of today and can’t watch any film that doesn’t have an edit every three to five seconds. Edits should mean something and enhance the storytelling and in the original film every edit counts. In any case, I loved it all over again and the ending never fails to get to me, just as it got to everyone back in the day. The new film really kind of botches the last ten minutes in just about every way you can. It feels rushed, screenwriter Tony Kushner seems to be afraid of the emotion of the scene and Spielberg mishandles it all in terms of shots, which is a very rare thing for him.
Yesterday was a pretty okay day. I’d had a very rough night, tummy-wise – I think the chicken from Gelson’s may have been the culprit. I just had that nauseous feeling and couldn’t sleep. I finally fell asleep around five after only an hour prior to that, but I slept until one, so I did get eight hours of sleep. Once up, it was the usual e-mail answering, catching up on things, picking up a package (the Pepcid I thought I was getting the other day), and then I had a fun e-mail from Miss Amanda McBroom, who sent me a new song for our show, written with frequent composer collaborator, Michele Brourman. And it was just what I’d hoped it would be – a charming, very funny, and very clever L.A. Love Song. I already assigned it to a cast member, and I cut a song from act two to make room for it. So, that’s three new songs, one new sketch, updated lyrics to one song and reprise, and some updated dialogue in a couple of the sketches.
Today, I’ll be up by eight-thirty, as she of the Evil Eye is coming bright and early. I’ll then mosey on over to the theater and we’ll have our long six-hour rehearsal, albeit with people missing. I suppose we’ll start filming the choreography so the missing people can learn from that. After the rehearsal, I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, I’ll eat, and then I can watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow will definitely be a ME day and I don’t care who knows it. I may have to go to storage to get a few CDs I need, but that’s it. Monday, I have a lot to do, and then we resume rehearsals on Tuesday with what will hopefully be a full company so we can run all the choreography and get the missing folks into the numbers. But I’ll only take an hour for that, then I’ll move on to solo and duet stuff and set as much as I can that night. Same thing for Wednesday and Thursday and I hope to have it pretty much blocked by then, save for the big act one finale, the wrestling match. My plan is to take two or three hours at the end of our Saturday rehearsal to do that, slowly and methodically, but we have to have our blue mats by then. And so it will go.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up by eight-thirty, have a six-hour rehearsal, hopefully pick up packages, eat, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: Favorite film musicals and why you love them. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have seen the one and only genuine original West Side Story yet again.