West Side Story (1961)

West Side Story ★★★★★ 5/5

There are a few movies that define and separate true movie lovers from people who just like movies. Among them are Citizen Kane, Gone With The Wind and West Side Story. Your regular movie lovers might not get these films and be able to appreciate what they have done for film. But, a true film lover can understand and embrace these films and see them for more then what they are.

With a film like West Side Story there is no need to really expand on the plot. Everyone who loves movies enough to be interested in the top 1001 movies to see before you die has surely already seen West Side Story and understands why it is on the list. But to be consistent with the theme of the blog let's give a little breakdown.

The Jets and the Sharks are opposing gangs in the West Side of New York City. In classic Romeo and Juliet style, a boy and girl representing opposing sides fall in love. The love is forbidden, misunderstood and rejected by those around them. The forbidden love affair continues despite the opposition. The result is fatal. But out of the death comes reconciliation and an end to the hatred between the two groups.

Simple enough? Oh no. There's far more to it then that. This musical broke the mode of musicals years after the genre had essentially died out. Previous musicals were giddy and whimsical. Romantic follies with extravagant numbers. Plots and themes were simple. West Side Story however was dark and political. Social issues run rampant through the film. Racist remarks and dialogue propel the hatred between white American raised kids and immigrant Puerto Ricans. Teen delinquency is addressed as a direct cause for the kids gang involvement. A struggle exists not just between the two gangs, but the kids as a whole against authority. Societal issues are a major component to this film, making it just as much of a case study of social complexities as a musical.

As a musical, there is no denying how incredible the movie is. The choreography is astonishing. every movement clearly relays emotion like no other musical has. Smoothly and elegantly the musical numbers transition in and out of the film. The lyrics by Stephen Sondheim replace traditional dialog in a manner that makes the musical acts fit snugly in the movie without feeling out of place. Songs like "I Feel Pretty," "Something's Coming," "Maria," and "America" capture the mood and essence of the film better then any dialog could. Hand in hand with the songs comes the dancing. The choreography is acrobatic and entertaining. The dance numbers are not pointless, nor do they lack meaning. every snap of the finger, kick of the leg and turn of the head conveys emotion. "The Jet Song," "Cool," and most effectively "Dance At The Gym" bring emotion to the screen and clearly demonstrate what the characters are feeling. Perhaps "Dance At The Gym" is one of the film's many finest moments. The tension and excitement are clearly visible when the kids are asked to form a circle and dance with whomever they are lined up with when the music stops. The dancing is frenzied and chaotic. Disdain for the selected partners is clear as is the resistance to authority. Then as Tony Wycek (Richard Beymer) meets Maria Nunez (Natalie Wood) everything literally becomes a blur. Perhaps this is one of the greatest transitions in the history of film. "Cool" is another example of how the film relays emotion. The song lyrics, the facial expressions, the body movement. So many emotions are expressed in tis song and each character deals with the events of the film in a different way. All those differences are melded together in this one sequence with such a brilliance. These scenes are hard to turn away from. So much is happening on screen so fast and characters are actually developing and changing during these numbers.

Another worth while scene is "Tonight." A song that basically takes every character and group in the story and magically combines every viewpoint of the night's expectations into one amazing number. The filming of this scene alone is a true masterpiece. Director Robert Wise did everything right. Not just in this scene, but in the whole movie. From the placement of the actors in every scene to the clothes they were wearing.

You don't have to wait long when you start watching this movie to be caught up in the fine production. The opening scene is a cinematic treasure. A camera hovers over the city of New York moving East to West. Eventually zooming down into the city and centering on the Jets immediately setting the scene as the gang that owns the street.

Of course it would be ridiculous to talk about West Side Story and not mention Rita Moreno who played the feisty Anita Nunez, a role that earned her an Academy Award. Her performance is exceptional, as is Natalie Wood's. One often overlooked performance in the film is that of John Astin. While he is better known as Gomez Addam's from The Addam's Family TV series, his role in West Side Story is exceptional. He appears briefly in the film at the dance sequence and in his efforts to bring the feud between the Jets and the Sharks to an end, he displays the fear adults have of delinquent youth. While watching this and noting that Officer Krupke (William Bramley) is in the background at the dance, one realizes that 1961 may not have been so different as it is today. Often people remark about how sad it is that there needs to be police and security in schools. This movie is a reminder that even in 1961 there was a need for law enforcement to maintain order at social functions for kids.

There is no question this film belongs on the list. A winner of 10 Academy Awards, and a soundtrack that holds the distinction of holding the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 for 54 weeks - longer then ANY other album - West Side Story is cinema perfection. Like I said in the beginning though, you have to really appreciate and understand film to fully get why this film is ranked so high and held with such esteem. It's not just the acting and the music. It's the cinematography, the costumes, the colors, the symbolism, the editing. It's everything about the film. If you can take that all in and appreciate every bit of that then you understand why this film is so powerful.

Yes - you have to see this movie - and on Blu Ray it is even more captivating then ever before.

All That Heaven Allows (1955)

All That Heaven Allows ★★★★★ 2/5

Cary Scott (Jane Wyman) is a suburban widow. The movie opens with a sweeping camera shot panning through a neighborhood down to Scott's backyard where she awaits Sara Warren (Agnes Moorehead) for lunch. While Warren has to cancel lunch, she does invite Scott to a dinner at the country club. In the back of the scene, Ron Kirby (Rock Hudson) prunes and landscapes. Through this scene we establish she has some affluence and respect. She takes Warren up and goes to the club for dinner and dancing. Her escort to the club is a man her age who later makes a proposal they marry - not for love, but companionship. While at the club a married acquaintance dances her to the balcony, passionately kisses her and pleads for her to run off with him. She declines, but politely excuses his sexual advances with the grace and dignity of any 1950's woman. Meanwhile, the country club is full of gossiping and viscous women who want nothing more then to be the first to attack another woman's virtues. Particularly Mona Plash (Jacqueline De Wit).

Well, the love story comes in when Kirby returns in fall to complete her autumn landscaping. Kirby is much younger then her, and to me the meeting and suiting was awkward. After meeting her twice, and paying no attention to her at all, he randomly asks her to visit his home in the forest where he plants trees and lives in a greenhouse. Scott visits Kirby's home and finds along side the greenhouse he lives in is an old stone mill. She tours the mill and falls in love with the charm of the building. She proclaims how it would make a beautiful home and Kirby chuckles.

Soon after the tour of his home, Kirby brings her to a party hosted by his friends, and in the following scene he brings her back to the mill, which is completely renovated. It is there he asks for her hand in marriage. After a brief hesitation, they are soon professing their love for each other and trying to decide how to make the marriage work. The first obstacle comes when they run into Plash and she begins spreading rumors about Scott's new affair.

Scott has 2 children and she confides about the marriage proposal to them. They are shocked and appalled when they heard that the man she loved and wanted to marry was their former gardener who is equal to them in age. Kirby arrives at the home. While Scott's daughter is pleasant, her son does not hold back his objections. She then takes Kirby to the country club to introduce him to her "friends." The club proves to be a disaster. Mona Plash takes every opportunity to make cut throat remarks. The man who had passionately kissed her before at the club does so again. Now Scott is targeted as being easy. Others make comments about her being with Kirby because he is young. Some say he is after her for money. It gets pretty ugly. The children thereafter throw tantrums about the relationship and beg her to break it off. Her daughter even gets kicked out of the library because her Mother's reputation is so bad. So eventually, the marriage is called off so Scott can suffice and appease the country club community and her children.

At Christmas time, Scott heads to pick out a Christmas tree and who does she run into but Kirby. Kirby and his new love interest. Upset and alone she asks the tree to be sent to her and heads home. Kirby unwillingly leaves with his girlfriend. Scott's loneliness doesn't last long as her daughter comes home and flashes her engagement ring. Her eyes fill with heartbreak. Her son then talks about how he will be moving to France and since his sister will be married they sell the house. Initially the son had been so against the marriage between his Mother and Kirby because he didn't want the house to be sold. Sadness overcomes her. She goes to the doctor who is also a friend. He speaks to her as a friend and tells her to go to Kirby despite what everyone says. She takes his advice and runs to him . . . well, drives to him. He is outside and hears her calling for him. He runs to her and falls off a cliff. She has no idea and drives home. Eventually she learns of the accident and goes to be with him.

Often great films are defined by the actors in them. It is often the actors themselves that make a film great. Likewise, it is safe to say an actor can distract a film. During Rock Hudson's initial appearances in the film, his 1950's sex symbol status seemed to over shadow the picture. The shots of him are upward shots - from below his face looking upward with blue skies behind him. They were long and drawn out and were blatantly opportunities to simply capture Hudson's handsome look. I felt there was no substance to the character of Kirby, and that essentially the film tried to simply use the character to simply show off Hudson and bring women into the theater to swoon over him. The film is slow and there is no storyline that builds on their affection for each other. It just kind of happens . . .and to everyone's dismay. The degree of dismay was actually somewhat ridiculous. One would think if all these people talking so negatively are not even friends, then why even care what they think about one's marriage. It seems the lack of support from the family is quite overwhelming. Her isolation is somewhat disturbing. That someone would allow their life course to be so driven by everyone else. Only her doctor can see this. He is the only person who comes out and states the obvious - that she shouldn't care about what others say and do what will make her happy.

The movie left me wanting more. With such a strong title, I expected a sweeping drama. I didn't get that. The movie was slow and open ended. There was so much conflict built up between what she wanted and what others wanted that I wanted a resolution for it. For Scott to prove them all wrong and make them feel bad for their tormenting her. I was almost expecting a death in the film that would make those who harassed her and stopped her happiness feel ashamed and guilty for what they did. That didn't happen. The ending to me was not much of an ending. Or was it. perhaps the fact that there was no recourse with her protagonists was the film's way of saying none of them mattered and Scott's final decision in the film was more important than anything.

What I did like about the film were the social references. The glimpses at middle class 1950's America are interesting. To see the interaction of the country club and the meddling wives. The snide comments, the exquisite gowns and the importance of social standing. The country club scenes of All That Heaven Allows almost rival Mean Girls (2004). The home interiors nicely reflect those of typical 1950's homes. The furnishings and colors make for well laid out sets. The clothing exemplifies the 1950's beautifully. Perhaps one of my favorite parts is when Warren suggests to Scott she get a TV. Then when she gets the TV it is somewhat exciting to see. The whole notion that we are seeing life before people entertained themselves without a TV. I think that is what I liked best about the film - seeing the lifestyle of the 1950's suburbs.

Would I consider this film a must see? No. I would not. Rock Hudson has had much more worth while performances. Pillow Talk (1959) serves as a fine example as a movie which showcases Hudson's acting ability as well as his good looks. If it were me choosing the titles of 1001 Movies To See Before You Die, I would easily replace All That Heaven Allows with Pillow Talk. Pillow Talk is fun, witty, a classic film which continued to influence cinema even in this century.

Overall recommendation - watch Pillow Talk (1959) instead!