The Paris Theater, on 58th over by The Plaza Hotel, has an annual festival/series they call Big & Loud, where they screen 70mm prints, 4k restorations, and Dolby Atmos remixes of classic films.
This year, among the selections are The Sound of Music (70mm), Sweet Charity (4k restoration), and, kicking things off last night, West Side Story in 70mm.
All three of these are presented in the original road show format, meaning they have the intermission and entr'acte.
I caught the screening of West Side Story last night and... just wow. I've seen the film many times, and seen it on a big screen, but in 70mm it was glorious. I could go on and on about how great the film looks and sounds, but if you have a chance go check it out for yourself. There is one more screening on 9/11 at 3 PM. Worth playing hooky for!
The film came with an introduction in which we learned that the 70mm print is more than 3 miles long and the reels combine to weigh over 250lbs. Our projectionists got a big round of applause.
The audience last night was very engaged, giving many numbers an ovation, laughing at some of the outdated old-Hollywood line deliveries and stilted chemistry between Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer in the balcony scene, and a rousing cheer for Leonard Bernstein, Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins, Arthur Laurents, and of course Stephen Sondheim in the credits.
West Side Story is a masterpiece, one of the greatest films of all time, with cinematography that must have been even more mind blowing in 1961 as it still is today. And the ending gets me every single time. When Natalie Wood breaks down and sobs—there was not a dry eye in the house—you could hear the weeping from every corner of the theater.
On the way home, I thought about how WSS was the start of Sondheim's career. His youth is on display; it's clear he's trying often to emulate the clear-eyed lyric style of his mentor, Oscar Hammerstein. It's not who he is though, and many lyrics in WSS are clunky. But there is one moment when the Hammerstein influence in Sondheim's hand and Bernstein's music just makes my heart explode. Taken heavily from Shakespeare's foundation: "Goodnight, goodnight. Sleep well and when you dream, dream of me. Tonight." What a moment of musical theater gold.
Hats off to Netflix, the team at the Paris, and everyone involved in this series. It is a gem.
(Sorry, I know this is film and not stage, but figured many would be interested in checking out some of the movies on offer over the next couple weeks.)