‘West Side Story’ tops my list of Top Five Best Screen Musicals

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

BROADWAY: HOME OF THE STAGE MUSICAL

Earlier this month, I wrote about two recent American film musicals I love: Julie Taymor’s “Across the Universe” featuring Beatles songs and Tim Burton’s adaptation of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”

Musicals are a home-grown escapist entertainment – an important part of American popular culture that was born on the Broadway stage and later successfully moved to the big screen.

The genre demands a willing suspension of disbelief and your complete acceptance that characters at any moment will break out in spontaneous song and dance accompanied by an unseen, full-blown orchestra. If you do, if you wholeheartedly accept the basic conventions of a musical, you can often find yourself swept away.

While I have seen great film musicals in recent years, including versions of such stage hits as “Evita,” “The Producers” and “Hairspray,” the heyday of the genre was in the 1950s and early 1960s when a rich stable of long-running Broadway productions graced the screen.

Today, in honor of one of my favorite film genres, I open “Top Five Week” at Sneak Prevue with my picks for the top five film musicals. I will share other Top Five picks in other genres Monday through Thursday of this week – so don’t forget to bookmark this site and visit often.

WEST SIDE STORY (1961)

No. 1: WEST SIDE STORY (1961)

This re-telling of Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet” is set in the 1950s on the West Side of New York City. The plot hinges on the forbidden romance between Tony, a member of the Jets street gang, and Maria, whose brother leads the rival Puerto Rican gang, the Sharks.

Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics are put to the music of Leonard Bernstein – creating some of the most memorable and beautiful songs in stage and film history. When Tony sings “Maria,” it elicits chills; Tony and Maria’s duet on “Tonight” is pure magic.

Jerome Robbins recreates his stage choreography, and Robert Wise directs his finest screen achievement (much better than the bloated and overrated  “The Sound of Music”). This timeless film celebrates its 50th anniversary this fall when a restored version is released in high definition on Blu-ray disc. I can’t wait.

SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (1952)

NO. 2: SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (1952)

While not a big hit when it was first released, “Singin’ in the Rain” has gained more respect through the years as one of the wittiest, most original screen musicals. This film was created solely for the big screen – it was not adapted from a stage play.

Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds leads the cast in director Stanley Donen’s spoof of the early days of sound films. The film has several classic numbers, including Kelly singing the title song while splashing through the streets in a downpour.

O’Connor almost tops everything in the film with his amazing, athletic rendition of “Make ’Em Laugh.” O’Connor is nothing short of amazing. If you have never seen “Singin’ in the Rain,” I guarantee you will replay that number over and over. I never tire of watching it or the rest of the film. This is solid family entertainment.

OKLAHOMA! (1955)

NO. 3: OKLAHOMA! (1955)

Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones head the cast in the finest screen adaptation of a Rodgers & Hammerstein Broadway production. The story of McRae’s and Jones’ budding romance is set against the fields of rural Oklahoma.

This movie actually was filmed twice: Once in a widescreen process called Todd A-O and again in another widescreen process called Cinemascope. As soon as director Fred Zinnemann shot a scene in one widescreen process, he immediately re-staged, re-framed and re-filmed it using the different screen dimensions of the other process.

Both prints survive today. I recommend, if possible, watching the film in the Todd A-O print. The framing is more appealing to the eye (most notably on the number “Kansas City”) and the actors’ performances seem a bit fresher.

MY FAIR LADY (1964)

NO. 4: MY FAIR LADY (1964)

For years, I avoided atching the film version of this Lerner and Lowe musical. But when I made the decision one night to watch the recently restored version on DVD, I literally was floored.

This retelling of the George Bernard Shaw play “Pygmalion” is nothing short of wonderful. Rex Harrison surprised me as Professor Henry Higgins – the man who tries to turn young street peddler Eliza Doolittle into a “proper woman.”

Harrison, who deservedly won the Oscar for his performance, speak-sings his songs and gives his character a genuine warmth. Audrey Hepburn as Eliza has never looked more beautiful. And the Lerner and Lowe songs are timeless; I never tire of hearing them, including “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?”

OLIVER! (1968)

NO. 5: OLIVER! (1968)

Not to be outdone by American musicals, the British also staged their own high-profile productions. And in 1968, one of their best became a successful film that captured the Oscar for best film.

“Oliver!” is, of course, based on Charles Dickens’ “Oliver Twist.” The musical features such great songs as “Consider Yourself,” sung by the Artful Dodger when he meets Oliver for the first time, and “Pick a Pocket or Two,” sung by Fagin as he explains to Oliver what he and his kids do. Ron Moody as Fagin steals the show.

Director Carol Reed is best known for straight dramas such as “The Agony and the Ecstasy” and “The Third Man.” With “Oliver!” Reed showed audiences he was just as adept at translating a huge stage production to the screen. Sadly, “Oliver!” was Reed’s only musical.





HOME VIDEO AVAILABILITY

• “West Side Story” is available on DVD for purchase or rental. Click here to pre-order from Amazon.com the 50th anniversary high definition Blu-ray version that will be released this fall.
• “Singin’ in the Rain” is available on DVD for purchase or rental. Click here to purchase the two-disc special edition DVD from Amazon.com.
• “Oklahoma!” is available on DVD for purchase or rental. Click here to purchase the two-disc special edition DVD, with Todd A-O and Cinemascope versions, from Amazon.com.
• “My Fair Lady” is available on DVD for purchase or rental. Click here to purchase the two-disc special edition DVD from Amazon.com.
• “Oliver!” is available on DVD for purchase or rental. Click here to purchase the film on DVD through Amazon.com. You also can stream the film to your computer or television through Netflix.

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