West Side Story

2017年5月6日 (土)

This weeks film was made back in 1961 and is a musical based on Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Originally intending to have Elvis Presley in the lead role (his manager turned the role down) it starred Larry Kert and Carol Lawrence. Both leads could not sing and lip sync all the musical numbers which is annoying in places, but the music of Bernstein and lyrics of Sondheim make this into a fantastic musical with very memorable songs supported by great choreography. It was filmed in New york which always looks great on film, with some parts of the movie being shot on shabby sets which does detract from the feel a little. However, it is a stage musical and so its not a big concern and overall the classic story supported by great music makes this one of the all time great musicals on the big screen. If you like musicals, or theatre, or even Shakespeare, then its a must see.

Review score 10/10