5. Film Sample #1

In my next two postings, I will elaborate on two different films.

1. One film of my choice (West Side Story)
2. One recent film (The Greatest Showman)


So let us not waste any time.

(TONIIIIIIGHTTTTTT) West Side Story is going to be discussed.  Released in 1961, this film is based on the theatre musical of the same name that was on Broadway in 1957, which was based on William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

DOES IT HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?

Now, we'll get more interesting.  Utilizing the information I have gathered over my last few postings, we will break down this film to see if it truly has what it takes to be in the Musical Film Genre.


Simply put, does this film contain singing and long shots to see the dances?
The simple answer is, well, Yes.

but allow me to give some examples.




GENRE CONVENTIONS:

- The soundtrack consists of 19 songs, sung by the entire cast ("Somewhere", "America"), or by soloists ("Maria" and "Somewhere (Reprise)").
- The character "Tony" was played by a recognizable actor, Richard Beymer, who had starred in The Diary of Anne Frank 2 years before this film.  "Riff", played by Russ Tamblyn, was recognizable from Tom Thumb and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

- Long Shots

Above & Below shows "The Jets"

Above shows "The Sharks" at a club

Another shot of "The Jets" Mid leap

GENRE CONVENTIONS OF CONTENT:

Here is our criterion for musical films:

Singing.
Dancing.
Pertinent Songs.
Songs are so exuberant they make the viewer (or even the character) forget about their world.

Let's see if the classic West Side Story fits the (Play)bill.  Never enough theatre references.

- 19 songs where characters sing and dance

- The opening number is an 8 minute song with no dialogue (if this has any indication on the rest of the show, the audience knows they're bound to see men dancing in jeans)

- "The Jet Song", "Tonight", "Officer Krupke", "Maria", "America", and "I Feel Pretty" are some of the most recognizable themes of all musical pieces.

- The song "Officer Krupke" takes the characters out of their own world and into a reality where they can mock the neighborhood police officer that was chasing them. 

This film definitely satisfies the ballot.  Especially considering that this film was based on an actual stage musical, West Side Story definitely is a film in the musical genre.

-J