The musical style of this film is in the same vein as "Hamilton", with the same DNA of notes flowing, and the chorus and Rap are still the same. In addition, the national song and dance features were added, and for a moment, it seemed to see flamenco.
Bright colors, cheerful rhythm, the story seems less important. But as an immigrant, I still feel very touched when I see this theme. This is not just vulgar love, but also the struggle of generations of immigrants, "start small, dream big". The demands of each generation are different. The ancestors may struggle for food and clothing, but today people pay more attention to spiritual growth and dignity; there are also hesitations and withdrawals on the way forward, including the idea of Nina dropping out of school and Usnavi returning home, which is not only applicable to Immigrants, almost everyone has the idea of escaping, choosing to persist is a kind of courage.
Finding an Easter egg and having it confirmed by someone else is a pleasant surprise. More Easter eggs come from interviews with the film's creators and YouTubers.
When Nina's father, Mr. Rosario, called Stanford, the waiting music from the microphone was "Hamilton" George III and America's "Break Up Song", You'll Be Back.
"da da da~~" part. (The title of the song spoils Nina's ending)
"Hamilton" fans will easily recognize Chris Jackson as Mr. Softee as George Washington in "Hamilton"; Juju Lin as Piragüero. The relationship between the two characters is like the competition between immigrants and local residents in real life in terms of work and survival. Be sure to stick to the Easter egg at the end of the credits, listen to the song "Piragua Reprise", and see the reconciliation between the two.
Also, in the original Broadway musical, Lin Juju starred as Usnavi, while Chris Jackson played Benny. The cooperation between the two has a long history.
The film starred Anthony Ramos as Hamilton's son in "Hamilton."
Nina's return, in the song "Breathe", the second old man who got out of the car to welcome Nina home is Lin Juju's biological parents in real life.
The prototype of grandma Abuela in the film is also Lin Juju's real-life grandma, and the actor is Olga Merediz who played grandma in the original Broadway version of the film.
The glasses that Lin Juju wore in this film were left by his grandmother.
The book read in the film is one of his grandfather's favorite "Cowboy novels".
Lin Juju's wife also came to make a cameo.
Director Chu brought his own family into the film.
The rental company Willow is named after his daughter. Ron Howard's 1988 American dark fantasy drama "Willow" is one of Chu's favorite films, from which his daughter's name came from.
The origin of the jackpot numbers: Mrs. Chu's birthday is in May, and her daughter was born on July 16. 33 is Chu's favorite number; as for 26, it is his second child's birthday in 2019. The title of the film named the kid Jonathan Heights Chu.
Marc Anthony, Sonny's alcoholic father, has a cameo in the film.
Seth Stewart, who played Pete the graffiti in the original Broadway film, was a guest bartender in the film.
Seth is also a member of the chorus in "Hamilton".
Dry cleaners owner who played Hades in the Broadway musical Hadestown.
Alegria Hudes is the author of the original novel In the Heights.
Javier Munoz has played Us Xunwei and Hamilton on stage.
Priscilla Lopez's picture appears in a childhood flashback to the song "Breathe" by Nina, who played Nina's mother in the original Broadway film, a role that was cut from the film.
Doreen Montalvo, the chorus of the Broadway version, also made a cameo. The actor sadly passed away in 2020. The murals in the film also pay tribute to her.
Nina's dad announced the sale of the car dealership, saying "Raise a glass" in celebration, which may not be an Easter egg, but the same line has been repeated in "Hamilton".
Ninety-six can slightly improve people's lives, but cannot fundamentally change them. Lin Juju recalled that when he was a child, the cost of living on 94th Street where he went to school was very different from that where he lived on 200th Street, so he believed that 96th was a rich-poor line in New York.
At the beginning of the film, outsiders ask Usnavi about 96th Street, the boundary between New York's East Side and the Upper West Side.
In the song "Right Hand Man" on "Hamilton", "32,000 troops in New York Harbor" is repeated three times, adding up to exactly 96,000.
The scene at Highbridge Pool in New York was especially difficult to film, when the weather was cold but it felt like the hottest day of the year; New York City banned drones and could only shoot with a boom, and Vanessa's swimming The circle kept swaying in the water again. In the end, she had to send someone to fix her position underwater, shoot it alone, and then combine it with the group. The overhead shot is a copy of Million Dollar Mermaid.
Hibiscus is a 1952 MGM biographical musical film about the life of Australian swimming star Annette Kellerman.
The song "When the Sun Goes Down" is a scene of Benny and Nina on the escape stairs before parting, imitating the duet "Tonight" between Maria and Tony in "West Side Story", and this scene in "West Side Story" is Balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet.
Lin Juju also arranged a balcony scene for himself, in the scene "Carnaval del Baririo". "West Side Story" had a profound influence on Lin Juju. He adapted and rehearsed "West Side Story" into Spanish when he was in middle school. In 2019, Spielberg's new version of "West Side Story" was filmed at the same time as this "In the Heights", only a few blocks apart, and the two sides also exchanged friendly visits.
A self-drawn map of Dominica in the Usnavi convenience store, including the national flag and many convenience store-related details.
On the right side of the picture there are a lot of fish scattered.
There are beverage bottle caps on the left, all to highlight the theme of convenience stores.
Lin Juju's graffiti appeared on his cart.
There is also a close-up of this graffiti at the end of the Easter egg session.
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