Each thursday I will blog on the films that have inspired me in my life staring from five to the big número UNO.
FAV FILM NUMBER 5
WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
Directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins
Winner of 10 Academy Awards
Ingenious. Raw. authentic. Riveting...and it's a musical?
Winner of 10 Academy Awards, including a well deserved Best Picture (1961), this simple modernized Romeo and Juliet touched hearts in its debut on broadway and continued to do so with the film version. Here it is in the year 2012 and this timeless classic continues to touch hearts, make you smile and cry all at the same time. YES I cry watching this film.
The original concept was a Jewish boy and an Irish Catholic girl-BORING. The theme was changed due to the sudden landing of Puerto Ricans moving to NYC from their homeland Puerto Rico. NYC began its melting pot with the rise of Irish immigrants and Italians fighting each other in the area which would be considered hells kitchen but another theme was on the rise in NYC-Gang warfare. There were many gangs all throughout the five boroughs protecting and fighting for turf from careless teens; teenagers such as Salvador Agron aka The CAPEMAN, a puerto rican thug, sporting a cape, fedora and a knife, would be infamous for stabbing someone and laughing about it. The famous words "I dont care if I burn" from the CAPEMAN made NY'ers aware that this teenage epidemic was serious and a huge problem.
This era was the same time another gang leader by the name of Nicky Cruz from the bronx would lead the T-Birds in a reign of terror throughout NYC.
This was the late 50's. The best time to make this film.
Of course we all know the plot. Beautiful MARIA played by Natalie "BEDROOM EYES" Wood, a puerto rican teen finds love with a gang member named TONY played by Richard Beymer, looking for hope in his life. Both find true love through the midst of NYC gang and racial tension between the Irish or Caucasians per se, versus the Ricans. The film is mostly told through fabulous musical numbers such as "LIVE IN AMERICA", "BE COOL" and "MARIA".
Why the hell do I like this film? Well...Where do I begin.
The great authenticity of NYC. I am a sucker for vintage things, especially NYC. I truly love the fact that this NYC based film was NOT shot on a stupid studio lot in LA but filmed in the hot, and I mean HOT summer of 1960 on the real mean streets of NYC. If you look closely, and if you're a native NYer like myself, you can recognize a few locations like the park on 110st and Amsterdam and the open street in the beginning of what would be LINCOLN CENTER years later. The only scenes shot on a lot/studio was the interior scenes. On the DVD SPECIAL FEATURES "making of.." they show the filmmaker Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins (who was fired cause of being way too anal causing the film to be over budget) directing the actors with their dance, and you see the real NYC bystanders, some of them real gang members, watching, some snickering I guess thinking the actors looked feminine but THEY DIDN'T.
The dance numbers were so strict and poised that it didn't look like typical dance numbers but a reflection or body language of their characters, it wasn't a distraction. Of course George Chakiris wasn't a Puerto Rican, nor was Miss Wood but their performances were so dead on and characters well written that you believed they were from the native land. You even bought the fact that Miss Wood actually sang those songs sounding nothing like a rican but some white old lady. Who cares, it's good.
I have tons of favorite scenes in this film but the one that stands out for me to the point of tears (I swear I'm gomma mimic this with one of my own films to pay homage), the party dance off between the gangs, it separates and suddenly Tony and Maria spots each other across the room. Both of their worlds behind them becomes blurry and IT'S THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FREAKING SCENE AND SET UP IN FILM HISTORY.
That's real. When you find your true love the first time, nothing else matters. It's a shame that Miss Wood and Tony hated each other during filming.
This film is a testament that no matter what goes on around you, as long as you're happy, whether it's with a mate or yourself, nothing else matters. True love is true love, even in the gang tormented NYC. Things would eventually change for NYC for the better...at least in Manhattan. CAPEMAN Algron would do time in prison, reformed himself as a anti-gang counselor who would pass away in the late 80s. Nicky Cruz would also reform to christianity and was the subject of the Best Christian film entitled THE CROSS AND THE SWITCHBLADE (future blog).
As for WEST SIDE STORY, the film still ranks as one of the best in film history. Many revivals of the broadway version has come and go and It's one of the top five films I watch the day before I film one of my creative contents.
It's truly a timeless classic. Love conquers all.
HIDDEN FACT: Elvis Presley was approached to play TONY
-end of line
Next thursday FILM FAV NUMBER 4
"my name is for my friends. None of my friends are a murderer"
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