The core of the book is the commentary on the music itself. Modeling compositional grammars in leonard bernsteins. Essay about analysis of west side story 1161 words. West side story west side story is a musical retelling of shakespeares romeo and juliet, which is reset on the streets of new york background book, 2009. You will use these details in the paper you will be writing in the next few weeks. The feuding families become two warring new york city gangs the white jets led by riff and the puerto rican sharks, led by bernardo. West side story chapter 3 big trouble in this chapter.
Very interesting to compare contrast on that side of the. West side story is the awardwinning adaptation of the classic romantic tragedy, romeo and juliet. An analysis of the success of west side story by howard goodall, extracted from the tv show twentieth century greats. West side story film still pretty, and witty, at 50 fifty years ago, the film version of the acclaimed broadway musical premiered in theaters.
How accurately does the song america, from the musical. Four dances from west side story by leonard bernstein. Review of west side story, tonight quintet survey of. An analysis of tonight from the well known and tear jerking musical west side story. It takes the same theme as shakespeares, romeo and juliet, in that it is about two lovers whose relationship is not accepted by others because of conflicting backgrounds.
Their hatred escalates to a point where neither can coexist with any form of understanding. Provide examples from the play to support your position. West side story film still pretty, and witty, at 50. I honestly liked this book because it was a quick read with a good plot. Essays for west side story 1961 film west side story 1961 film essays are academic essays for citation. We are still witnessing the deadly ethnicfueled violence of two rival street gangs destroy the. She falls in love with tony and finds herself at the center of the violent conflict between the two gangs. Four dances from west side story by leonard bernstein wind. A comparison of the power struggles in romeo and juliet and west side story.
Although it may seem at first glance to be a relatively light hearted and fun song, and its entertainment valuable is undeniable, there is also some level of satire in it. An analysis of the romeo and juliet in comparison to the west side story, a play by william shakespeare. And they are hard for me to accept as high schoolers. An analysis of the song america in the movie the west side. Negotiations and expressions of authority and belonging shown in west side story negotiations and expressions of authority and belonging are constructed in the west wide story through the two different gangs, the jets and the sharks, the role of the police officers, and the relationship between maria and anita. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of west side story 1961 film by robert wise. The characters in this scene are anita, consueslo, bernardo, roselina, chino, and pepe. West side story movie analysis linkedin slideshare. Broadway audiencesanalysis of west side story reveals varied pitchstructures, including some that cannot be understood in a tonal framework.
Read analysis the tonight ensemble from west side story free essay and over 89,000 other research documents. West side story is one of the few broadway musicals that can make a genuine claim to transforming the genre. An analysis of the song america in the movie the west side story. But the plot of this beloved musical remains intact. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. Need reed 1 book from west side story sax on the web forum. Crazy to think that what happens takes place in that time frame. What are the pros and cons of immigrating to america. West side story chapter 3 big trouble in this chapter maria. Tonight ensemble maria, tony, anita, riff, bernardo, jets and sharks in this number, all the. Arthur laurents book remains as powerful, poignant and timely as ever. Posts about west side story written by orwhatyouwill. There are some nice solo lines for alto in the first book, lots of flute playing including some exposed passages in the third octave, and two fun spots. Apr 09, 2015 west side story is a very interesting and beautifully written musical that continues to be toured to this day.
How does west side story depict life for recent immigrants in america. I still cant shake the chill i felt watching the jets attempt to. West side story is groundbreaking in a lot of ways, but when it comes to delivering the information, it tends to rely on the triedandtrue technique of moving to the character we need to see when we need to see him or her, then moving back as the story demands. After the spectacular success of his recently directed remount of gypsy, with patti lupone, for which he wrote the 1959 book, laurent has again transformed his writers eye into a directors perspective on west side story, for which he wrote the book in 1957. Analysis the tonight ensemble from west side story. They are getting ready for the party thats in a few hours. However, the sections above are all vocal lines in west. Need reed 1 book from west side story i dont have a copy of the book but ive played the show. An analysis of the west side story with romeo and juliet. Wood and beymer were in their 20s, and rita moreno anita was 30 and looked and acted it. The song lyrics by stephen sondheim is meant to show the clash of cultures not just between different ethnic groups but also within a group. Comparing tonight with maria both from west side story tonight also known as balcony scene tony and maria sing together.
In addition to the storyform, youll also find any additional analysis or media related to the story in question. Musical masterpiece tackles race, with some violence. After owning their miserable little neighborhood for years, the jets, the fingersnapping street gang led by riff russ tamblyn, find themselves in a turf war with the upstart puerto rican sharks, led by bernardo george chakiris. In addition to the storyform, youll also find any additional analysis or media related to the story in question more analysis whale rider. Jan 31, 2014 the song lyrics by stephen sondheim is meant to show the clash of cultures not just between different ethnic groups but also within a group. West side story primarily a story about love romanticfriendship or hate. Review of west side story, tonight quintet survey of music. Classroom supplement in celebration of carnegie hall s 125th anniversary season, the weill music institute wmi launches the somewhere project, a citywide exploration of west side story. West side story by arthur laurents, leonard bernstein and stephen sondheim dancap. Analysis the tonight ensemble from west side story essay. It reads with the clarity of a memoir, telling the story of her volatile romance with steve. West side storys somewhere published on 22nd october 2015 the film musical, west side story, 1961 is a film adaptation of the 1957 broadway musical of the same name, and the story itself is a modern adaptation of william shakespeares romeo and juliet, a timeless love story that is here placed in the contemporary setting of n.
When bernstein first conceived the music for the story, he wanted it to be true opera, but the author of the book, laurents, and the producerchoreographer, robbins, did not agree with his inclination and wanted a more contemporary. West side story was the kind of musical people thought was good for them, a pious expression of admirable but unrealistic liberal sentiments. Immediately download the west side story summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for studying or teaching west side story. Film music analysis west side storys somewhere matt joyce. Oct 17, 2011 west side story film still pretty, and witty, at 50 fifty years ago, the film version of the acclaimed broadway musical premiered in theaters across the country. On the other hand, in the rise and fall of the broadway musical, mark grant concentrates on the growth of the musical in light of changes in technology and music, and in writing the book and lyrics. The show continues to seduce in a theatrical language that remains universal. Swain spend an entire chapter on the analysis of west side story.
Oct 10, 2014 an analysis of the success of west side story by howard goodall, extracted from the tv show twentieth century greats. The story is loosely based on shakespeares romeo and juliet, telling the tale of. West side story, american musical film, released in 1961, that was inspired by shakespeares romeo and juliet. West side story tells a story of how tony a polish america who used to lead the local gang, the jets and maria a puerto rican teen part of the rivaling gang find love despite their backgrounds and public opinions. The further we get in time from when west side story was written, the more the musicals mythic dimensions come into focus.
The hoodlums in west side story appear a bit quaint to my 21st century eyes with their leaveittobeaverish and greaser looks. Modeling compositional grammars in leonard bernsteins west. From the first notes to the final breath, west side story is one of the most memorable musicals and greatest love stories of. The scherzo is a lighthearted, carefree movement that comes from the dream ballet of the musical, in which tony imagines a world of peace and harmony to which he can take maria. Analysis of west side story west side story came out in 1961 as a melodramatic musical that took place in new york. The musical piece in west side story entitled america is one of the most memorable from the film. Having said that, it still pulls off the odd trick or two that deviates from our.
Four dances from west side story features some of the highlights of these dance sequences transcribed for band. He proposed that the plot focus on the conflict between an irish catholic family and a jewish family living on the. In my book club we took the comparison between this and the outsides. Essay about analysis of west side story 1161 words bartleby. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. West side story is a very interesting and beautifully written musical that continues to be toured to this day. Tayos volume reflects a modern vibe and syntax, rife with repetition like the catchy chorus of a song. This 39page guide for west side story by irving shulman includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 2 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. West side story, add to your answers using evidence from the play. West side story chapters 610 quiz 25 questions by zaberk last updated. West side story was a broadway musical by leonard bernstein that was turned into an awardwinning musical film. West side story was the kind of musical people thought was good for them, a pious expression of admirable but unrealistic liberal sentiments, and certainly its street gangs at war one puerto rican, one the descendants of european immigrants seem touchingly innocent compared to contemporary reality. Murphy 7 december 2006 west side story chapter 3 in this chapter, anita is making the dress for maria.
To ask other readers questions about west side story, please sign up. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. Nigel simeone begins by exploring the long process of creating west side story, including a discussion of bernsteins sketches, early drafts of the score and script, as well as cut songs. The plot in this seen is is about a group of puertorricans fighting on whether. The jets, a white gang of teenagers led by riff, and the sharks, the puerto ricans who recently came to the west side, are the two gangs vying to rule the same area on their block. Youve reached the hub for any and all dramatica analysis of west side story. West side story by irving shulman, 1967, pocket books edition, in english west side story 1967 edition open library. As part of the project, wmi has partnered with soundfly to produce an eightpart interactive online companion course that is available. The scene that we have chosen for our project is america from west side story. This classroom supplement is meant to accompany the materials in the soundfly course and to open. West side story summary and study guide supersummary. The story focuses on two gangs vying for control of the streets. The further we get in time from when west side story was written. Allen then continues the dance phrase in quick time while the background dancers, in a straight line, are.
Welcome to the dollhouse west side storys somewhere published on 22nd october 2015 the film musical, west side story, 1961 is a film adaptation of the 1957 broadway musical of the same name, and the story itself is a modern adaptation of william shakespeares romeo and juliet, a timeless love story that is here placed in the contemporary setting of. Although west side story was named the best picture of 1961 and won 10 academy awards, it is not much mentioned by movie fans these days, and the old warhorse singin in the rain is probably more seen and certainly better loved. Welcome to the dollhouse analysis of the success of west side story by howard goodall, extracted from the tv show twentieth century greats. Anita is marias friend and, so far, has nothing to do with the plot. Having said that, it still pulls off the odd trick or two that deviates from. Five fast facts winner of 10 academy awards soundtrack was no 1 on the billboard charts for 54 weeks 94% on rotten tomatoes based on romeo and juliet, which is based on a poem by arthur brooke called the tragic historye of romeus and juliet, which is based on a poem by the roman poet ovid called pyramus and thisbe actors worked over 16.
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