I know I said that I didn’t know if I would re-watch this or not because I know it so well. It really wouldn’t have been necessary for me to do so. Also, I did re-watch it about 5-6 months ago. In the end I decided to give it another viewing because the last time I watched it I didn’t feel about it the way that I always did before. I know I said that I really love West Side Story, and I do, but it felt like some of that love was lost the last time I saw it. I had a lot going on in my life right then that contributed to a lot of stress and a lot of not focusing/caring about other things. When I watched it, I was actually bored with it. I really didn’t care about anything that was happening in it. Perhaps I just wasn’t in the right state of mind for this movie at that particular time in my life. And that is why I decided to re-watch it now. I wanted to see if the film would go back to the same level as I placed it before.
I know this story is based on Romeo and Juliet. But sometimes I wonder how many people realize just how much is based on it. It isn’t just a case of Romeo/Juliet – Tony/Maria (and the balcony scene – fire escape scene). There are direct scenes/moments/characters that are the West Side Story version of what was in Romeo and Juliet. I won’t go into all of the detail now. It would be too tedious to point out in this review. But what the creators of the musical were able to conceive from R&J, and turn into WSS, was exceptionally clever.
Having said that, and despite knowing R&J as well as I do, I have never cared for the play. It is one of my least favorites of Shakespeare’s works. I have to give big credit to the creators of the show for actually making me interested in a story based on one that I don’t care all that much for.
I just want to take some time right now and point out why I think the film is far superior to the stage production. I own the cast album, and I did eventually see it in the theater, but it pales in comparison to the film.
1. On stage “Maria” and “Tonight” are back-to-back. “America” follows “Tonight”. I much prefer the placement of “America” in between “Maria” and “Tonight” because it gives us a break from the romance (that is including the dance at the gym before “Maria”). It needs that break.
2. On stage “Cool” is sung before the war council, and “Gee, Officer Krupke” is after the rumble. In all honesty, I never saw the point to that. It just makes more sense to have them switched and where they are in the film.
3. On stage “I Feel Pretty” is after the rumble. Again, placement of the song in the film is better.
4. “America” is all girls on stage. Thankfully the film made it girls vs. boys. That made it a lot more fun.
5. On stage “Somewhere” is a ballet with someone else singing the song (until Tony and Maria finish it off at the end of the number). That takes away from the feeling and purpose of the song. It should just be the sad, slow duet that you see on film, and I do think it would work just as well on stage if it were done that way.
What the stage version has over the film, though, is Tony and Maria’s pas de deux at the gym. It is supposed to be longer than it was, but Natalie Wood can’t dance (Richard Beymer could). Since she can’t dance, we take away a nice part of the musical. Ridiculous.
I am just going to get it out in the open and get it over with. I hate the character of Maria. I find her to be nauseating, and I can’t figure out how she could turn Tony into such a wuss. But you want to know who I hate more than Maria? Natalie Wood. I HATE Natalie Wood in this movie!!! I HATE HER!!!! She is terrible in it. It is like she is acting in some sort of high school play, but even those kids are superior to her in this film. Her accent alone drives me insane. It is ridiculous. I have never known a single person from Puerto Rico that spoke that way. She sounds like she is doing a Speedy Gonzalez thing, which is bad because she is supposed to be Puerto Rican and not Mexican! Either way, it sounds like an accent someone would use to make a character comical-sounding. She isn’t believable at all. She can’t dance (but she CAN run from one corner to the next on the roof! – that takes talent!). And not everyone can pull off Marni Nixon’s voice. There is no way anyone could ever believe that voice was coming out of her! But she just had to be THE ONE to play Maria, right?
Believe it or not, I don’t have that much of a problem with Richard Beymer. He may not really look the part of an ex-gang member, and he may be a little “soft” in his portrayal (the blame goes to the director, though, because Robert Wise wanted it that way), but he really isn’t bad in the film. It is only in scenes with her that he doesn’t seem that good. Apparently Natalie Wood makes him look worse than he actually is (although it is kind of a joke that he even looks better than her in those scenes). I feel bad for him, anyway, because he was cast because he could dance, but he wasn’t allowed to use that talent because SHE couldn’t.
As for Rita Moreno, Russ Tamblyn and George Chakiris, I don’t have much to say about them because all three are fine. All three are very good in this film. I don’t need to point out their obvious talent.
The choreography. I know people appreciate, and quite often favor, the dance style of someone like Bob Fosse, but for me, it has always been more the Jerome Robbins style. I love the big, showy dance numbers. It is the sort of style that I always wanted to be able to dance, and it was always more entertaining for me to watch. And there are some very classic moves in this movie.
The music. There are two songs that I don’t particularly like. That is the duo of “A Boy Like That” and “I Have a Love”. I always skip over that part (but I still know all the words!). Leonard Bernstein is a genius composer (just listen to The Rumble and The Prologue), but Stephen Sondheim is a genius lyricist. And I truly believe this musical wouldn’t be what it is without what those two created together. Anyway, my absolute favorite song is the quintet of “Tonight”. I love the force and the energy to it. I love how the voices of each gang are considered to be one. It is a fantastic idea. I always preferred the version of the Tony/Maria “Tonight” in the quintet over the duet. It is a much stronger song then. But I discovered not too long ago that there wasn’t a “Tonight” duet until after the quintet was written (“One Hand, One Heart” was supposed to be the fire escape song). Maybe that is why I think that sounds superior to the duet – because that was the original sound of the song. Who knows?
There are some things that I think every time I watch this movie, though:
- It takes too long to get to the finger-snapping that begins the prologue. I don’t know why that is dragged out. How long do I really need to see the tops of buildings?
- The Sharks have better clothes than The Jets
- Riff’s girlfriend is too goofy-looking for him
- The other Sharks should feel embarrassed to have to stand next to someone who looks as good as Bernardo because they will never look as good as he looks
- Chino is just bad. Why would anyone want him?
- Who the hell does Tony think he is calling him “’Nardo” during the rumble?! My brother actually called me one night after he watched it and that was the first thing out of his mouth! So he thought something about that, too. I swear I cringe every time I hear Tony say that!
- After they have clearly had sex, I quote Les Miserables and say to myself “She plays a virgin in the light, but needs no urgin’ in the night”
- I think “Just SHUT UP!!! You would NEVER kill yourself! So stop being so damn melodramatic!!” when she goes on at the end
- Who the hell does Tony think he is calling him “’Nardo” during the rumble?! My brother actually called me one night after he watched it and that was the first thing out of his mouth! So he thought something about that, too. I swear I cringe every time I hear Tony say that!
- After they have clearly had sex, I quote Les Miserables and say to myself “She plays a virgin in the light, but needs no urgin’ in the night”
- I think “Just SHUT UP!!! You would NEVER kill yourself! So stop being so damn melodramatic!!” when she goes on at the end
- The film is such a good movie. Why is she in it to spoil it for me?
In conclusion, do I feel that my feelings towards the movie have gone back to what they were before? A little bit. Not completely just yet. I think I will give it another go in a year or so. I will watch West Side Story again. I want to have the same feeling for it as I always had since I was a little kid.
Did I just give it a rating of FIVE? Yes, I did. Even though I said I didn’t love it as much as I used to? Of course. It doesn’t mean that just because I said that I didn’t love it as much as I used that I don’t love it at all.
And, yes, I would still have it at the number one spot of my 1960’s list.
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I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity - Edgar Allan Poe
Wow! Vamp...you get the award for the most heart felt - detailed review of any Hof! Impressive! You really know your musical stuff, theater, composers...all of that. I wish I had that knowledge.
So I'm guessing Maria wasn't your favorite character....I love that you just let loose and said what you feel. I'm not the biggest fan of Natalie Wood either, sure she's pretty, but she's like Grace Kelly and riding along on her looks.
The Sharks have better clothes than The Jets
I think that was my favorite thing you said...its true too!
What most impressed me with your review is...even though you despise Maria you still give West Side Story a 5/5...now that's a true blue fan.
I love reading your reviews because you always have so much extra information in them. You don't just give your opinion, but you go a step further and explain why you have that opinion.
I agree about the placement of the songs being better in the movie than in the play, especially the placement of “Cool” and “Gee, Officer Krupke” being switched. They make more sense where they are in the movie.
However I disagree about Natalie Wood. I like her in this movie. And I don't dislike Richard Beymer in this movie, but he seems like a bit too much of a wuss to be an ex-gang member. And the two of them together don't have the chemistry to be a good couple.
But I agree wholeheartedly with your 5-star rating for the movie as a whole.
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If I answer a game thread correctly, just skip my turn and continue with the game. OPEN FLOOR.
This movie was a childhood favorite, and it's still one of my favorite movies. I didn't really get the message of the movie when I was younger, but as I got older, I realized that this movie is more about the father learning how much he and his family need each other, than about the nanny and the kids, and their adventures with a fun chimney sweeper.
Julie Andrews is perfect as Mary Poppins, and she easily deserves the Best Actress award that she won for it. Dick Van Dyke has always been one of my favorite actors, and regardless of the way some people feel about his accent in this movie, it doesn't bother me at all, and I love him as Bert. He's also great as Mr. Dawes Sr., and anyone who's seen him in his old TV show shouldn't be surprised that he can do such a great job portraying an old man.
I love most of the songs in this movie, but my favorite musical scenes are "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious", "Chim-Chim-Cheree", "Step in Time", and "Let's Go Fly a Kite". And I also love the "Jolly Holiday" scene, especially the dancing penguins.
I also like the song "A Spoonful of Sugar", but it kind of bugs me that she pours the medicine for all of them from the same bottle, but they each get a different flavor. I guess that's just the magic of Mary Poppins, but it doesn't sit well with the logical side of my brain.
I also like the song "Feed the Birds", but the scene itself isn't as good as the song. (Although thanks to this song, I learned the word "Tuppence". I've never heard it used anywhere else but in this song.)
My least favorite musical scenes are "Stay Awake" and "I Love to Laugh". They just don't have the same appeal for me as the rest of the movie.
1776 is another movie that I've seen many times, and it's another long-time favorite movie for me. (I usually watch it every year on July 4th.) This is such a great movie because it's educational, as well as fun, tense, and emotional too.
William Daniels easily steals the movie as John Adams, with Howard Da Silva a close second as Benjamin Franklin. I love the interaction between them, as Franklin seems to be the person who best knows how to deal with Adams. I also love the scenes with Adams talking to his wife, with dialogue that is taken from their actual letters. It shows us a "softer" side of Adams than we see in the rest of the movie.
And while much of the movie is probably portrayed a lot more upbeat than the way things actually happened in history, the tension at the end of the movie, while they're voting about independence, feels more like what they may have actually gone through back then.
But this HoF is about musicals, and some of my favorite songs in this movie are "The Lees of Old Virginia", "Cool, Cool, Considerate Men", "Molasses to Rum", "The Egg", "Sit Down, John", and of course, the best song in the movie is "But, Mr. Adams".
I don't know if those of you overseas will like this movie as much as those of us here in the U.S., but I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do.
While I enjoy Chitty Chitty Bang Bang a lot, it feels like they were trying to recreate the magic of Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins, but they didn't quite hit the mark. Dick Van Dyke no longer has the accent that everyone complained about in the previous movie, and as always, he does a terrific job. Sally Ann Howes does a nice job as Truly Scrumptious, but she's not quite as good as Julie Andrews, (but then again, who is?).
The movie has a fun fantasy feeling in the first half of the movie, but after the car flies, the movie takes a turn with a darker tone, and it almost feels like a different movie. When I was a kid, I had nightmares about the Child Catcher, and even now as an adult, he still scares me. There's just something about him that is so creepy, but that's what makes him such a great character. I like Benny Hill as the Toymaker because it's so different from his old TV show that's it feels like he's not even the same actor. And I love Lionel Jeffries as Grandpa Potts. He's such a fun character who just takes everything that happens in stride.
My favorite scene is probably the "Me Ol' Bamboo" scene. I love the way Dick Van Dyke just joins in with the dancers, like he's done it hundreds of times before. I also love the songs "Posh!", "The Roses of Success", "Truly Scrumptious", "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", and "Hushabye Mountain", which I think is one of the most underrated songs in any musical.
I'm glad to see Dick Van Dyke getting some love in this HoF because he rarely gets mentioned around here.
If I counted correctly, the only two movies that I still have to review are (1) The Young Girls of Rochefort, which I want to watch again before I review it because it's the only movie in this HoF that I haven't seen multiple times, and (2) The Pajama Game, which is my nomination.
I agree about the placement of the songs being better in the movie than in the play, especially the placement of “Cool” and “Gee, Officer Krupke” being switched. They make more sense where they are in the movie.
I don't know whose idea it was to switch them in the film, but I am thankful that they did. Whatever thoughts they had in their heads for where they placed those songs on stage, somebody must've suddenly realized that it just wasn't going to work that way in the film. With "Cool" and "Gee, Officer Krupke", I guess we're trying to be more upbeat after the fight, but why? A big thing happened during it that would affect The Jets. So why are we trying to cheer anyone up? That is how that came across to me when I saw it in the theater.
However I disagree about Natalie Wood. I like her in this movie. And I don't dislike Richard Beymer in this movie, but he seems like a bit too much of a wuss to be an ex-gang member. And the two of them together don't have the chemistry to be a good couple.
In Richard Beymer's defense , he did NOT want to portray Tony that way. That is something that he always hated about the film. But Robert Wise wanted him to, and then he had to do what the director said. So, if he is unhappy with his performance, I feel bad for him because if this is the one movie that he is going to be known for. It really wasn't his fault. Too bad.
I also like the song "A Spoonful of Sugar", but it kind of bugs me that she pours the medicine for all of them from the same bottle, but they each get a different flavor. I guess that's just the magic of Mary Poppins, but it doesn't sit well with the logical side of my brain.
I will say this that the logical side of my brain was waiting for that scene, and I swear to this day I can't figure out how they change the color of it! It really must be the magic of Mary Poppins.
But this HoF is about musicals, and some of my favorite songs in this movie are "The Lees of Old Virginia", "Cool, Cool, Considerate Men", "Molasses to Rum", "The Egg", "Sit Down, John", and of course, the best song in the movie is "But, Mr. Adams".
That's almost all of the songs. That is an issue for me regarding my review (and kind of why I haven't posted it yet). I really go on about the songs. I really do. And it is an exceptionally LONG review. So I don't know if I should post it. But at the same time, I am having a REALLY HARD time trying to cut it down, and I can't seem to be able to figure out how to do it. I wanted to post it by tomorrow, but we will see. I don't know what to do with this review!
I don't know whose idea it was to switch them in the film, but I am thankful that they did. Whatever thoughts they had in their heads for where they placed those songs on stage, somebody must've suddenly realized that it just wasn't going to work that way in the film. With "Cool" and "Gee, Officer Krupke", I guess we're trying to be more upbeat after the fight, but why? A big thing happened during it that would affect The Jets. So why are we trying to cheer anyone up? That is how that came across to me when I saw it in the theater.
I thought the same thing about the play. I didn't know why they were upbeat after the fight. It felt out of place. It works much better where they put it in the movie.
That's almost all of the songs. That is an issue for me regarding my review (and kind of why I haven't posted it yet). I really go on about the songs. I really do. And it is an exceptionally LONG review. So I don't know if I should post it. But at the same time, I am having a REALLY HARD time trying to cut it down, and I can't seem to be able to figure out how to do it. I wanted to post it by tomorrow, but we will see. I don't know what to do with this review!
I hope you go on about the songs in a good way. There are a lot of great songs in the movie.
I'm looking forward to reading your review, in its entirety.
I thought the same thing about the play. I didn't know why they were upbeat after the fight. It felt out of place. It works much better where they put it in the movie.
I would say that I bought the Original Broadway Cast LP (it was a record that I bought from a book sale ) about 25 years ago. I bought it because it was West Side Story. And when I listened to it, I thought that maybe the songs were just out of order on the record, for some unknown reason. That was what I hoped, at least. I really didn't think they'd actually be so out of place in the show.
I have seen this film countless times in my lifetime. So much so that I could recite the dialogue along with the actors. I love this movie and I wanted to make sure it had the opportunity to be “shown off” in one of these Hall of Fames.
I always say that there are 3 types of musicals. 1 – A movie musical (one made specifically for film). 2 – A stage musical. 3 – A movie adaptation of a stage musical. 1776 is #3, for those of you who aren’t aware of the fact. I think because I have seen this movie so many times, I tend to take it for granted, in a way. But whenever I watch a film for a HoF, I pay as much attention to it as I possibly can (at least I try to). So I was really paying attention to this movie. And because I did so, some of my thoughts/feelings about it changed. I came to the conclusion about something. Then about a month after I re-watched it, I re-watched it again. It happened to be on TV and I ended up watching it a second time. All it did was confirm for me the newfound thoughts/feelings that I had for it. I, therefore, have come up with the following conclusion: It is now not only my all-time favorite musical adaptation, but it is also my all around favorite musical captured on film. Why did this happen? I don’t really have any idea except for the fact that, perhaps, because I was making sure to watch every bit of it I came to appreciate it even more than I did before.
There are so many reasons for me to love this musical. The acting, the music, the dialogue, the characters, the costumes and, its primary source, the history.
Considering the fact that I am quite interested in the history surrounding the American Revolution, and the fact that I am in love with musicals, this really is kind of the best of both worlds for me. The way that the two are blended together is simply brilliant. And when you consider that a good amount of the dialogue, and lyrics to some of the songs, are based on actual writings and letters from the Congress it is just plain genius to me. It is incredibly clever.
The dialogue is on an intellectual level, which, to be honest, isn’t something you commonly find in a musical. I think because the dialogue is so strong, that is what makes this a film that even non-musical film watchers appreciate and like about the movie. There are so many witty and intelligent lines in it that I would love to be able to quote them all to you. But that would force me to quote practically the entire script. I will, instead, quote my favorite moment (which I said before when gbgoodies quoted it, too ): (When John Adams finds out that Thomas Jefferson has yet to begin writing the Declaration of Independence) John Adams: Do you mean to say that it is not yet finished? Thomas Jefferson: No, sir. I mean to say that it's not yet begun. John Adams: Good God! A whole week! The entire earth was created in a week! Thomas Jefferson: Someday, you must tell me how you did it. John Adams: Disgusting.
I very rarely find that I like every song in a musical. 1776 happens to be one of those rare cases, and because of that, I would like to say, and quote, what I like about each one. As I have said before, I am going to take FULL advantage of my opportunity to ramble on about this musical. ***Sit Down, John It’s ninety degrees Have mercy, John, please It’s hot as hell In Philadel- phia! ~~~ John, you’re a bore We’ve heard this before Now for God’s sake, John Sit down! My single favorite opening to a musical – ever. Always has been. Besides the fact that I love the back-and-forth among the men regarding whether or not the overabundance of flies should prevent them from opening a window in the oppressive heat, I love the sound of them all singing at once in exasperation for John Adams to just sit down and shut up.
***Piddle, Twiddle and Resolve A second flood, a simple famine Plagues of locusts everywhere, Or a cataclysmic earthquake I’d accept with some despair But, no, you sent us congress Good God, Sir, was that fair? Of course, this is one of the 3 times in which Abigail Adams appears, but I will say something in a bit about that. Anyway, if any of you are even remotely curious to see the cut-out second verse to this song, click here, and skip to 1:30.
***The Lees of Old Virginia And may my horses turn to glue If I can’t deliver unto you A resolution on Independency ~~~ You see it's here-a-Lee, there-a-Lee And everywhere-a-Lee-a-Lee Social-Lee, political-Lee, financial-Lee, natural-Lee Internal-Lee, external-Lee, fraternal-Lee, eternal-Lee From the very first notes of the song I am done for. Nobody can even talk to me when this song is playing. It is quite possibly my favorite song in the show. It is such an upbeat and fun song. I can’t do anything else but love it. This is a perfect example of why I love musicals so much. It is because musicals are the only place where I get songs like this one.
***But, Mr. Adams (The song featuring The Committee of Five ) Mr. Adams, but, Mr. Adams I cannot write with any style or proper etiquette I don’t know a participle from a predicate I am just a simple cobbler from Connecticut ~~~ Mr. Jefferson, dear, Mr. Jefferson I’m only forty-one, I still have my virility And I can romp through Cupid’s Grove with great agility But life is more than sexual combustibility The rhymes is this song are great. I don’t know how Sherman Edwards ever came up with this stuff. There is a letter that John Adams wrote telling how it was Jefferson that was chosen to write the declaration. One particular phrase is used to describe Jefferson and it is in this quote: “Writings of his were handed about, remarkable for the peculiar felicity of expression.” That made me smile because that phrase was used in the film, and it just sounded so pretty. Who knew Adams really said it about Jefferson? But what I liked best in Adams’ letter were these comments that occurred between himself and Jefferson: “The subcommittee met. Jefferson proposed to me to make the draft. I said, “I will not.” “You should do it.” “Oh! No.” “Why will you not? You ought to do it.” “I will not.” “Why?” “Reasons enough.” “What can be your reasons?” “Reason first, you are a Virginian, and a Virginian ought to appear at the head of this business. Reason second, I am obnoxious, suspected, and unpopular. You are very much otherwise. Reason third, you can write ten times better than I can.” “Well,” said Jefferson, “if you are decided, I will do as well as I can.” “Very well. When you have drawn it up, we will have a meeting.”” This interaction between the two of them almost makes me feel like they burst into song during it. Especially because Adams mentions Jefferson being “ten times” the better writer, and Adams also points out that he is “obnoxious, suspected and unpopular” (a.k.a. obnoxious and disliked ).
***Yours, Yours, Yours You want to know what I really love about this one? The fact that it is so blatantly sexual without coming across crass in any sort of way. It is one of the loveliest songs written for a musical, and if you know anything about John and Abigail Adams, you know how much they really loved one another, and that is what makes this song so good. The interaction between John and Abigail is such a fantastic thing. Whenever John seeks guidance, or reassurance, he pictures his wife there with him. Of course she really isn’t there, but she is a part of his imagination. And it is with these scenes that we get to see inside John Adams’ mind, and it helps us to understand his character better. I think it was a brilliant way to do it.
***He Plays the Violin When Heaven calls to me Sing me no sad elegy Oh, to belt that part out! My absolute favorite song to sing. It is a waltz. I love waltzes. And it is a good break in the story. Plus, it allows us to know a little bit more about the man who is writing the Declaration. Nice touch to the musical. And, just because I want to do this, if you want to hear the most perfect version, you should hear Betty Buckley’s on the original cast album. And the violin solo is breathtaking. So, so wonderful. By the way, I would kill to have the dress that Blythe Danner wears in the film.
***Cool, Cool Considerate Men We have land, cash in hand Self-command, future planned Fortune thrives, society survives In neatly ordered lives With well-endowered wives The song that Richard Nixon had cut out of the film. Not only do I love a waltz, but I love a good minuet, too.
***Momma, Look Sharp Them soldiers, they fired Oh, Ma, did we run But then we turned ‘round And the battle begun Quite simply one of the most haunting songs to ever come out of a musical. It has such a good melody with such a serious theme. And I can’t deny the fact that I love a good anti-war song. This is my favorite out of all that have ever been written because this tells a story. Consider the fact that 1776 was on Broadway at the same time as Hair, and also while Vietnam was happening. While Hair made it obvious how they felt about war, 1776 did it in a much more subtle way, which was an interesting way to do it.
***The Egg And just as Tom here has written Though the shell may belong to Great Britain, The eagle inside Belongs to us Not to bring anything down, but there was a committee (what else!) to come up with a national seal. And that committee was composed of Jefferson, Franklin and Adams. But their ideas were nothing like what the song suggests. If you want to know what happened, you can read here. But you still get a bit of Franklin’s opinion of the turkey in this.
***Molasses to Rum Molasses to rum to slaves ‘Tisn’t morals, ‘tis money that saves Clearly the musical’s strongest song, and the most controversial – if there is even another one that would cause any sort of controversy. And John Cullum’s performance is mind-blowing. His voice is so incredible. It is so effortless. The man deserves more credit for his vocal abilities than he is given. He gives this song such life, and, in its way, such realism to the story that he is telling. Quite honestly, despite its topic, I think it is a magnificent song. Very powerful.
***Is Anybody There? My brother used to yell “Is anybody there? Does anybody care? Does anybody see what I see?” like William Daniels in this movie. What an oddball he was – I wish he was still like that! What is the inspiration to this song? A letter to Abigail: “The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America.—I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.” Of course, he got the date wrong, but that was because of the debates that delayed it, as portrayed in the film.
Now, that I have covered the songs, I just want to say a bit more and I will be done. I promise.
There are 3 movies where I consider the acting to be flawless by every actor in the film. Two of them are Glory and Maurice. The third of those films is 1776. In fact, during my second viewing, I even changed my opinion about the Scottish accent being overdone. When I really paid attention to what the actor was doing, he only exaggerated it when he wanted to throw his weight around and try to overpower someone. Otherwise, he just spoke.
What is unique about this film is that every actor you see in it was in the Broadway production at the time that it was decided to turn it into a movie. So, in a way, you are kind of getting to see a Broadway performance. I do thoroughly enjoy every actor in the film, but my absolute favorite is William Daniels. He owns the role. He originated the role on stage, where he must’ve commanded the stage as I feel he commands the movie screen with his performance in the film. His performance is my favorite in any musical (with Robert Preston in The Music Man as second).
As I said before, non-musical movie fans enjoy this movie, too. I really do believe it is because the film – minus the music – is so strong. How many of you guys realized that there were 30 minutes of this musical with absolutely NO music in it? It happens between “The Lees of Old Virginia” and “But, Mr. Adams”. William Daniels hosted a night on TCM the second time I watched 1776. He said something along the lines that he was worried about this being a musical because maybe it wouldn’t work (which is funny because he was in the show night after night) because the film itself was just so very good. But as good as the movie is, I love the music that is added to it. Like I said before, it makes them more real when they suddenly burst into song. And it certainly makes it a lot more fun.
Since you guys have seen the movie, you might want to watch this clip: It is from the TV show St. Elsewhere, which starred William Daniels. If you know the film well enough, or even paid enough attention to the film when watching it now, you may catch the 1776 references. I get a kick out of it.
I have to quickly admit that I think Ken Howard is so adorable in this movie as Thomas Jefferson. I just had to say it.
And just so you all know this, when I do eventually make it to Philadelphia (it has been my goal for years – and yes, I do plan on going for the Fourth of July), I will stand outside of Independence Hall and belt out “Philadelphia!” like John Adams did. I’m not lying. I am going to do it!
And I will end this with a few more quotes that I love: Saltpeter! Sweet Jesus! Good God! The whoring and the drinking. New York abstains. Courteously. Your obedient, (drumroll) G. Washington
I have seen this film countless times in my lifetime. So much so that I could recite the dialogue along with the actors. I love this movie and I wanted to make sure it had the opportunity to be “shown off” in one of these Hall of Fames.
IMO, that's the best reason to nominate a movie in these HoFs. When you love a movie that much, you want to share it with everyone, and this is the best way to do that.
Considering the fact that I am quite interested in the history surrounding the American Revolution, and the fact that I am in love with musicals, this really is kind of the best of both worlds for me. The way that the two are blended together is simply brilliant. And when you consider that a good amount of the dialogue, and lyrics to some of the songs, are based on actual writings and letters from the Congress it is just plain genius to me. It is incredibly clever.
I'm not a history buff, (in fact, history was one of my worst subjects in school), but that just shows how amazing this movie is, and the fact that much of the dialogue is taken from actual letters makes it even better.
There are so many witty and intelligent lines in it that I would love to be able to quote them all to you. But that would force me to quote practically the entire script. I will, instead, quote my favorite moment (which I said before when gbgoodies quoted it, too ): (When John Adams finds out that Thomas Jefferson has yet to begin writing the Declaration of Independence) John Adams: Do you mean to say that it is not yet finished? Thomas Jefferson: No, sir. I mean to say that it's not yet begun. John Adams: Good God! A whole week! The entire earth was created in a week! Thomas Jefferson: Someday, you must tell me how you did it. John Adams: Disgusting.
That's one of my favorite moments too. I absolutely love William Daniels as John Adams in this movie.
What is unique about this film is that every actor you see in it was in the Broadway production at the time that it was decided to turn it into a movie. So, in a way, you are kind of getting to see a Broadway performance. I do thoroughly enjoy every actor in the film, but my absolute favorite is William Daniels. He owns the role. He originated the role on stage, where he must’ve commanded the stage as I feel he commands the movie screen with his performance in the film. His performance is my favorite in any musical (with Robert Preston in The Music Man as second).
I didn't know that everyone in the movie was also in the Broadway play. That explains why everyone in the movie is perfect for their roles. (Most movies have at least one weak link, but this movie doesn't have any.)
Since you guys have seen the movie, you might want to watch this clip: It is from the TV show St. Elsewhere, which starred William Daniels. If you know the film well enough, or even paid enough attention to the film when watching it now, you may catch the 1776 references. I get a kick out of it.
I loved this clip. I never watched "St. Elsewhere", so I hadn't seen it before.
And just so you all know this, when I do eventually make it to Philadelphia (it has been my goal for years – and yes, I do plan on going for the Fourth of July), I will stand outside of Independence Hall and belt out “Philadelphia!” like John Adams did. I’m not lying. I am going to do it!
You're going to film it and upload the video to YouTube so we can all see it, right?
I always say that there are 3 types of musicals. 1 – A movie musical (one made specifically for film). 2 – A stage musical. 3 – A movie adaptation of a stage musical.
What about stage adaptations of movie musicals? Or stage musical adaptations of non-musical movies?
Here's a copy paste from a post I made in the movie tab
The Sound of Music & Mary Poppins (60's) (8,3/10 and 6,5/10)
I never saw those film before, which is surprising. I loved The Sound of Music and found Mary Poppins to be average.
First of all, Julie Andrews is a delight, I didn't know her before those films, she's a fantastic movie star, she capts the attention, is possibly the most joyful person I've ever seen and she absolutely make both films. The reason why I loved The Sound of Music and didn't care for the other one is that #1 the songs are better #2 I found the long part in the middle in Mary Poppins where they mix animation and real life person to be overlong and boring (I can see that in the 60's it was groundbreaking, but I watch a film from my perspective) #3 Both have similar plot, ideas, but I found Mary Poppins to be more of a child movie, or at least The Sound of Music is a child movie that adults can enjoy more I find #4 I didn't really get the supernatural aspect of Mary Poppins, what is she? Why is she doing what she does, etc.?
The only song I liked in MAry Poppins was the one with the long word. Although I'm very critical of it, I'm glad I saw the film.
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Here's a copy paste from a post I made in the movie tab
The Sound of Music & Mary Poppins (60's) (8,3/10 and 6,5/10)
I never saw those film before, which is surprising. I loved The Sound of Music and found Mary Poppins to be average.
I respect everything you've said here and though Mary Poppins is my favorite film of all time, I can definitely understand your feelings. After a recent re-watch for the first time in a couple of decades, I found the "Jolly Holiday/Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" scene is a little long too. I also could have lived without the song "Stay Awake". As for Mary's supernatural aspect, I think the whole point of the film and the character is that we're not supposed to know. Always had the feelings that this was something for the individual viewer to decide for himself, but in the big picture of the film, I've always felt it was a non-issue. JMO.
I didn't know that everyone in the movie was also in the Broadway play. That explains why everyone in the movie is perfect for their roles. (Most movies have at least one weak link, but this movie doesn't have any.)
Blythe Danner, who played Martha Jefferson in the movie, was not in the original Broadway cast. That role was originated by Betty Buckley.
I own the cast album, and I did eventually see it in the theater, but it pales in comparison to the film.
....I love that you just let loose and said what you feel. I'm not the biggest fan of Natalie Wood either, sure she's pretty, but she's like Grace Kelly and riding along on her looks.
My absolute favorite song to sing. It is a waltz. I love waltzes. And it is a good break in the story. Plus, it allows us to know a little bit more about the man who is writing the Declaration. Nice touch to the musical. And, just because I want to do this, if you want to hear the most perfect version, you should hear Betty Buckley’s on the original cast album. 
And the violin solo is breathtaking. So, so wonderful. By the way, I would kill to have the dress that Blythe Danner wears in the film. 
What is the inspiration to this song? A letter to Abigail: “The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America.—I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.” Of course, he got the date wrong, but that was because of the debates that delayed it, as portrayed in the film.
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