I got into the musical pit because of "Hamilton" more than half a month ago. For the moment, of course, "Hamilton" is more popular, because the uninterrupted rap music and script stage from start to finish are really great! But if you ask me which is better, "Hamilton" or "West Side Story", to be honest, I can't choose them. Both are the best works of their era, and they will definitely remain in everyone's memory for a long time. But "West Side Story" is indeed a very special song and dance drama I have seen, I think it is because in the category of song and dance drama, he can indeed be regarded as "exquisite".
In fact, when I just finished watching it, I wanted to give it a four-star, because the plot is indeed simpler, but in the end it was given five stars, because for musicals or musicals, the plot is more like a container with more things. Will be put in this container, such as music, such as dance, and other things that may be more delicate than ordinary movies. In other words, because musicals need to use music to express people's feelings and moods, it is difficult to reach the extent that ordinary movies can do in terms of story extension. Although I haven’t watched many musicals, just a few of the ones I’ve watched (Song in the Rain, West Side Story, Hamilton, Wicked Witch, Faza, Sound of Music, Yoshiya Rental, City of Philharmonic) seem to give me This feeling. Compared with the classic musical "Song in the Rain", which is almost contemporary, I personally feel that "West Side Story" is even better. Song in the Rain is a play that is easy to watch. The overall feeling is very light. The story is of course not complicated. The music and dance are great, but after watching it, there is nothing left. But the West Side Story is already trying to discuss some of the bigger issues for musicals, such as the awakening of women’s independence, such as juvenile delinquency caused by "social illness," such as the United States, which is known as "tolerant" but has a group of immigrants. Sexual hostility (the typical manifestation is that in addition to the "Airplane Gang", even the police are full of disgust for Puerto Rican immigrants, and the irony of the Shark Gang leaving with the whistle of "Queen of Gods" after being threatened by the police is really wonderful! ). The capacity of this kind of content has actually surpassed many musicals.
In addition to the richness of content, I think this film is also quite powerful from an aesthetic point of view. The technology at that time was of course not as good as it is now, but even the “primitive” shooting methods that now seem to have achieved quite a lot of “expression”. For example, the camera slowly "drifted" over New York at the beginning. The buildings and cars in the picture were crowded like oil and the audience seemed to be able to smell the metal smell of the city, and the next picture was The street boy who snapped his fingers abandoned in this city. And the progress of this picture from big to small, from far to near is a particularly good background for the story. Just like Wilde's "Portrait of Dorian Gray", at the beginning of this story about beauty and ugliness, he painted the wind, trees, flowers, grass, bees, and sunshine in the outdoor garden little by little. It makes people feel that the person in the story is in an incredibly beautiful and cute place, and this has become the best foreshadowing of the gloomy ending that is triggered by the beauty in the back of the story.
Another scene that amazed me was a little girl who was walking on the basketball court while snapping his fingers while walking on the basketball court. The girl seemed to have built a "fence" around herself, this "fence". "It seems that these teenagers are blocked from the "normal life" of "normal people". Why should they be "outside"? Can they "get in" into this "fence"? If so, will they choose to go in?
Another thing I have to mention in "West Side Story" is the highly expressive dance in it. The performance of the dance moves in the intense scenes is completely bloody, and even the color of the clothes worn by everyone in all scenes has become an excellent aid to strengthen the conflict of the plot. For example, in the scene of fighting dance, there are two gangs. Wearing yellow and purple, although it looks like a joy on the dance floor, the audience can still see the tension in the two color camps.
Not to mention the music. As a classical musician, the music produced by Bern Sottan himself combined with American jazz is absolutely unique and wonderful. I listen to popular jazz and classical music myself, but I have not studied the professional knowledge of music. According to my own feeling, popular is a little more simple than jazz, especially classical music, and what classical music can express is better. It is richer, so for "West Side Story", although I also like its lines, it is obvious that this is no longer a drama that requires lines, and music without a single line can already perform well. The emotions and conflicts in the story.
So for me, "West Side Story" is indeed very simple in terms of plot, but its "complexity" in other aspects has reached a level that many musicals I have watched absolutely cannot reach.
There are a lot of simple arguments, and it would be great if there is a professional god willing to communicate with me~
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