60th Anniversary: the original 1961 film version of West Side Story--still fabulous and beautiful after all this years!
Last night, a bunch of other people and I took in an evening screening of the original 1961 film version of West Side Story at the Regal Cinema/fenway, here in Boston, MA, which is pretty much just a stone's throw from where I live. Seeing this great golden oldie-but-keeper of a classic movie-musical on a great big, wide screen, and in a beautiful new print, with the improved sound track, and the emphasis of the passionately used reds, purples, and blues was and continues to be a hugely wonderful treat that nobody who's a fan of the original 1961 film version of West Side Story should miss.
All of the characters, from the warring Jets and Sharks and their girls, to the romancing Tony and Maria, the passionate romance between Shark gang leader Bernardo and his girlfriend Anita, as well as the cold-hearted, bigoted Lt. Schrank, who clearly hated the Jets just a tad or so less than he hated the newly-arrived Puerto Rican Sharks, as well as Doc, the kind-hearted Candy Store owner who tried in vain to steer the Jets and Sharks to a better direction took on an even more vital and lively, expressive and emotional atmosphere that seemed on the brink of explosion, which culminated not only in the Rumble, which claimed the lives of both gangleaders Riff and Bernardo, and ultimately, Tony, and resulted in Chino's being escorted to a waiting police car, and in a possible truce and development of a friendship between the Jets and Sharks, especially when several Jets and Sharks got together and carried Tony's body off, helped make this modern telling of Romeo & Juliet into what it was.
The cinematography by the late Daniel Fapp, and the seamlessly combined on-location and sound stage scenes by the late Boris Levin, as well as the intensely brilliant Leonard Bernstein Musical score, as well as the revealing of the different personalities of the various Jets and Sharks, as well the beautifully-choreographed dancing by the late Jerome Robbins, and the opening bird's-eye view aerial scenes of the 1950's-1960's West Side of Manhattan, and the fact that this opening indicated the start of this great film, as well as the story behind West Side Story all helped make this great golden oldie-but-keeper of a classic movie-musical into the dynamic larger-than-lifesized piece of theatrical art that it is.
Every single time I view this great movie-musical, I notice things that I didn't notice during the last viewing of it. The facial expressions and even the smallest gestures of the various gang members seemed much more noticeable, thereby enabling one to really sense what was on the minds of the individual gang members, as well as what was about to happen.
This film has both heaviness and lightness to it, as a musical should have, as well as funny parts, and as well as the very sad parts. As usual, I ended up laughing at the funny parts, being on the edge of my seat with the more intense parts of this film, smiling at the exuberant parts, and tearing up during the part when Maria and Anita sing "I have a love, and "When Love comes so strong, there is no right or wrong." part.
Maria's angry message at the end not only helped stop the Jets and Sharks from clashing once again after the shooting death of Tony, but it produced the possibility of a truce between at least some of the Jets and Sharks. The thing about West Side Story is that it also leaves a great deal to the audience's imagination.
It was wonderful to see a 60th Anniversary screening of this great, golden oldie but keeper of a movie-musical, which I've lost count of how many times I've seen, but then again, who's counting?
I'll be taking in Wednesday evening's screening of the great classic, as well, in the same movie theatre.