"West Side Story" blu-ray Street Date:October 17th (1 Viewer)

[Charles Smith]

I like it, too, but mainly because I remember it in the theater even though I missed the roadshow engagement.

Re the album -- my family wasn't familiar with any Bernstein at all, but we liked musicals and I guess we knew the movie was getting really popular, so we got it ... and I wore that fucker out. I, too, played it for months before finally seeing the movie. Drove the family, and everyone else, nuts...which turned out to be nothing compared to how nuts I was to drive them after seeing the film.

 

I believe the West Side Story soundtrack was one of the biggest selling albums of the 1960's, right up there with The Beatles. It was on top of the Billboard chart for many weeks. Besides West Side Story, my family wore out the soundtracks of Bye Bye Birdie and The Sound of Music, and every Beatles album. Sure was a good time.

 

[Matt Hough]

Yes, I didn't have a friend back in the 1960s that didn't have that West Side Story soundtrack LP. I was in my school band, and we played a West Side Story medley in our annual concert one year. The applause was so lengthy and deafening that the leader decided to repeat the selection then and there. West Side Story was a very big deal back in the 1960s.


And with that blazing red cover with the distinctive black lettering/logo, I kept it on a picture display on my dresser for a long time.

 

[Charles Smith]

Broadway musicals were part of the national culture ... important in a way that they aren't now.

 

[GMpasqua]

Originally Posted by Bill Huelbig

I believe the West Side Story soundtrack was one of the biggest selling albums of the 1960's, right up there with The Beatles. It was on top of the Billboard chart for many weeks.

Besides West Side Story, my family wore out the soundtracks of Bye Bye Birdie and The Sound of Music, and every Beatles album. Sure was a good time.

The "west Side Story" soundtrack remained at the number one spot for over a year! 54 weeks!

Of course this was released before the Beatles invasion of 63'

 

[Matt Hough]

Originally Posted by GMpasqua


The "west Side Story" soundtrack remained at the number one spot for over a year! 54 weeks!

Of course this was released before the Beatles invasion of 63'

I remember Stephen Sondheim saying in an interview once that it was the West Side Story soundtrack and film which made him financially solvent and placed in the position of never having to worry about money again - not the WSS stage version or Gypsy.

 

[marsnkc]

Films are not always presented the same in the US and England.  "South Pacific" followed the Broadway scene structure in England (starting with the "Some Enchanted Evening" scenes) but was different in the States (starting with the "Nothing Like a Dame" scenes)

Are you serious, Greg? South Pacific is my all-time favorite musical and I've watched it countless times. I can't imagine it starting any other way than with the PBY flyiing towards the island and the first song being Nothing LIke a Dame. (I was besotted with France Nuyen, so it was strange meeting her in the flesh - still beautiful - in the early '90s). Sorry to hijack this thread, but do you or anyone else know if the BD or DVDs available from Amazon UK have the scenes in the order you describe, beginning with Some Enchanted Evening? I've already put them in my basket in anticipation.

 

[ahollis]

Originally Posted by marsnkc


Are you serious, Greg? South Pacific is my all-time favorite musical and I've watched it countless times. I can't imagine it starting any other way than with the PBY flyiing towards the island and the first song being Nothing LIke a Dame. (I was besotted with France Nuyen, so it was strange meeting her in the flesh - still beautiful - in the early '90s).
Sorry to hijack this thread, but do you or anyone else know if the BD or DVDs available from Amazon UK have the scenes in the order you describe, beginning with Some Enchanted Evening? I've already put them in my basket in anticipation.

I used to have the Region 2 South Pacific DVD, but got rid of it when the Region 1 was released and have since replaced that with the Blu-ray. The Region 2 South Pacific was the same as Region 1 starting out with Cable flying to the island and going then to the Sea-bee's beach. I got the Region 2 DVD because it was the first time Fox had use of the Roadshow version which they found in Great Britain and it is the same one they used on the Blu-ray. If it was changed, and I am not saying it was not that way, they have not used that version for home video on DVD or Blu-ray. Fox had released South Pacific, Oklahoma, and The King and I in special two disc DVD editions in Great Britain before the US which was around 2005 for the UK and 2006 for the US. And yes they used the same sorry TODD-AO transfer for both Region 2 and Region 1 Oklahoma's.

 

[marsnkc]

Thanks very much for that, Allen. Disappointed, but you've saved me money.

 

[Robert Harris]

There were numerous differences between versions of South Pacific. I'll see if I can find some continuity, and will post examples.


RAH

 

[ahollis]

Originally Posted by Robert Harris

There were numerous differences between versions of South Pacific. I'll see if I can find some continuity, and will post examples.


RAH

Were the differences on the DVD's and Blu-ray or just the theater exhibition? I had the Region 2 and Region 1 DVDs and did not see anything.

 

[Joe Caps]

If this helps at all - I was once hired by Fox Vid to do research on South Pacific and the different versions. There is the long roadshow version as we have it now, but is still missing one scene - a reprise of Bali Hai as Joe Cable takes off in a boat for the island for the first time. this was sung by Joe Cable and chorus. this was later replaced with just a far off chorus singing it instead. the special edition of Rodgers and Hammerstein, the sound of musicals had a special trailer section and in that trailer you could hear (but not see) this reprise !!! I was also allowed to go through all of the South Pacific materials in storage over at Goldwyn who owned the vid rights. the 70mm camera negative is marked third cutting - i.e. cutting one- slightly longer test screening. Cutting two - uncut roadshow version butting three - 70mm cut version (the short versin as we knew it for years). I also found a letter from Rodgers and Hammerstein demanding that the film be cut and just what should be cut from it. It was dated oonly three weeks after the film opened and was making a lot of money. the letter ws signed judt by Richard Rodgers, no Oscar. rodgers had not been able to go on location with the shooting becaue of ill health and this had the feelof Rodgers trying to get some control of the film he did not have before. the film was cut just a few weeks later and replacement 70mm reels were sent to theaters. the foreign prints of South Pacific ( by this I mean anything outside fo the U.S. and Canada) had the broadway continuity. Except - it starts like the American film - Joe Can Buzz in the plane - buzz talks about the islands and the people, they fly right past the seebees. Buzz says to Joe "That where your friend Emile De Becque lives" and we cut right to Nellie and Emiles conversation. I have actually seen this version myself and was quite surprised. This version was used for the british roadshow prints. Its a different order, but the requested cuts have already been made. Too bad abut eh color filters. They were shot to be slowly slightly filtered. Director Josh Logan then left during post production to do a broadway show. Fox, as they usualy did with color musicals pumped up the color filter stuff very hight, not as Logan planned at all.

 

[GMpasqua]

Upon veiwing the film of "South Pacific" one has to wonder which continuity was originally planned.



In the US version, Mitzi Gaynor first appears in "There is Nothing Like a Dame" and jogs by withthe other nurses and talks to Ray Walston about her lanudry - She wears shorts and pink shirt

Next We Cut to Gaynor and Brazzi. Gaynor is now in beige army uniform shirt and skirt (only a few moments after jogging by - when did she have time to shower and change and drive to Brazzi's home?)




Scene Directing following : Gaynor discussing Emille's background in the General's Office and proceeding into "Wash that Man/Wonderful guy - Gaynor back in shorts (though they are a different color) Was this the following day?




Why would she change from her shorts to her unifrom and then back to her shorts again unless the "Some Enchanted Evening" scene was planned to be shown first, then she changes into her causal wear. Wouldn't she shower after her jog? Not after tea with Brazzi (she would have been all sweaty at that point just coming from a jog on the beach)


It would make sense she had tea with Brazzi then changed into shorts and went jogging with tthe nurses before heading to shower



(I know - I'm thinking about this too much, it's just a film, but it always bugged me)

 

[ahollis]

Originally Posted by Joe Caps


If this helps at all - I was once hired by Fox Vid to do research on South Pacific and the different versions.

Thanks Joe. As always, fasinating bit of history and again taught me something.

 

[SteveGL]

This is getting way off-topic, but -- In her autobiography My Heart Belongs, Mary Martin tells a very funny story about the original London production of South Pacific, which was a recreation of the Broadway original by the same creative team in 1952. To make a long story short, Logan wanted to reverse the order of the opening scenes for that production but Martin flatly refused to perform it that way and threatened to bow out of the show if it were done. After some fake dressing room histrionics, Rodgers and Hammerstein -- who were the show's producers well as its authors along with Logan -- sided with her and the show was presented at the Drury Lane with its original structure intact.

 

[marsnkc]

Whew.....!!! I'm in shock here, and very grateful for the forensics. I know I'm the only one in the world who loves the filters on Bali H'ai. They emphasize the fantasy element the song describes. Proof for me that they work is the jolt I always feel when brought back to earth when the song ends and we return to the natural color of reality. If any of that makes sense!

 

[nedinme]

Getting back to the "Intermission" issue.... I saw "West Side Story" at it's opening in New Jersey and it DID have an Intermission. As a matter of fact, the soundtrack album also has the "Intermission " music on it. It is how I remembered the film. Sometimes an artist, in this case a Director, will keep tampering with his work and soon it doesn't resemble the original creation (think "Star War"!). Give me the Intermission!

 

[Joe Caps]

Ned Pierce, I don't know if the current CDS include intermission music to pad out the cd, but the original LP certainly does not have it and never did. South Pacific has the broadway continuity everywher except USA and Canada.

 

[Joe Caps]

Sorry to muddy the waters further, but I also saw West Side story many times atthe Rivoli and in 70mm many times over the years but it never had an Intermission. Also, in the original soundtrack lp notes, Robert Wise mentions that the film is not supposed to have an intermission as he wanted one rising line of tension righ tto the end. Another poster implies that I don't like the color filters in South Pacific. I do. but they are too heavy, Logan meant for them to be very subtle. I.E - someone needs to do a transfer and drain out someof the color duing the filters. that's all.

 

[ahollis]

Originally Posted by Joe Caps

South Pacific has the broadway continuity everywher except USA and Canada.

Now I wish Fox had added the all three versions to the Blu-ray. Now another Holy Grail for me.