Reviews and commentary about current and classic cinema. Curated by Stanford Clark.
This year, I am watching all 50 movies listed in the great book from Turner Classic Movies (TCM) Must-See Musicals: 50 Show-Stopping Movies We Can’t Forget by Richard Barrios (Running Press, 2017; available on Amazon.com, on the Shop TCM website, and, hopefully, from your favorite bookseller). More information about the book and my viewing project this year is here.
Here’s the rundown of the movies I watched in August (courtesy of the Movies Past and Present Instagram feed).
This week’s film is one of my all time favorites, West Side Story (The Mirisch Company, 1961).
TCM showed West Side Story (1961) on the big screen a few days ago as part of their ongoing Big Screen Classics series and I can’t stop thinking about it. From the brilliant direction by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, to the masterful music and lyrics by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, to the electric performances by the entire cast, it’s no wonder this film is so beloved.
Here’s one of my favorite musical numbers from the movie, the “Tonight” quintet and chorus.
I’m also very excited about the news that director Steven Spielberg is set to remake the musical. We need its message now more than ever.
Many thanks to TCM and Fathom Events for bringing these classic films to the big screen for us film lovers to learn from and enjoy.
