It´s time for a new remake at Christmas!

                                              

There is clearly a cyclic sense related to this time of the year: the end of the year with the Christmas festivities and the beginning of a new year full of New Year´s resolutions. In the same way as we look back and we think of the year that has gone by, film-directors also look back and find inspiration for new stories which are sometimes remakes of well-known stories; that´s the case with West Side Story, the new version of the1961classic film by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. Steven Spielberg is the director of this remake. Apparently Spielberg had been meaning to direct this film for a very long time and here is the outcome of such an ambition. I could tell you many things that are interesting about this new version – such as some changes in the plot – so  I´d like to share this link of an article that I´ve read which is really encouraging.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/dec/02/west-side-story-review-steven-spielberg

I´m very fond of West Side Story – the 1961 film – and I have seen the musical performed on stage. (By the way the original film was based on the 1957 Broadway musical of the same name). I could be told that the remake is even better than the original version in some respects but Leonard Bernstein´s music will always be the same: America, Somewhere, María, Tonight, I Feel Pretty …  those songs were perfect at the time and they will remain so regardless of who sings them now or then.

So I encourage you to watch West Side Story, the new version or the old one or both of them so that you can compare the two films. There are good reasons to watch both films: the old one is a classic which won 10 Oscar awards and Steven Spielberg – one of best film-directors in the history of cinema – is bound to have made a wonderful film.

I hope you are having a Merry Christmas and I wish you a happy and healthy New Year!

( If you wish to learn a bit about Steven Spielberg´s themes in his cinema, have a look at the post that I wrote on 24^th December 2015 “Spielberg´s recommendation for Christmas”).

Bookshop Day

 

Breakfast at Tiffany´s: the 60th anniversary of its release

One of the most iconic scenes in the history of cinema belongs to the opening scene of Breakfast at Tiffany´s. It doesn´t matter whether you´ve watched the film or not, I´m sure you´re acquainted with this scene. The film, which was released in 1961, was based on the novel by Truman Capote but apparently the writer wasn´t happy with it as the film wasn´t faithful to the original. A few things differ from the story of the novel and Truman Capote thought that the role of Holly Golightly should have been played by Marilyn Monroe instead of Audrey Hepburn. The truth is that now – and since the film was released – it is impossible to think of Audrey Hepburn without thinking of Breakfast at Tiffany´s and vice versa. Her style, her elegance, her performance and her singing of Moon River are part of the essence of this classic film, which was selected to be preserved in the National Film Registry of the United States in 2012.

The actor who played the role of the writer Paul Varjak – the new neighbour in Holly´s building – was George Peppard. This was probably his most famous role even if some people only knew him thanks to his role of Hannibal Smith in the 80s TV series The A- Team.

 Marking the 60^th anniversary of the release of Breakfast at Tiffany´s can be a good opportunity to discover a classic or just to enjoy the film once more because that´s part of  the essence of classics – classic books or classic films – you never get tired of them!!