A New Chapter for West Side Story!

Head’s up, collectors: The 50th Anniversary Edition of West Side Story on Blu-ray drops November 15. The score! The dancing! The costumes! It's Jets and Sharks, people, and this musical lover can’t wait.

No matter what team you’re on (Love ‘Em or Hate ‘Em), no one can argue that West Side Story is quintessential in its importance to popular history and—no offense to The Sound of Music—the gold standard of all movie musicals, netting 10 Oscars, including one for Best Picture in 1962 that forever cemented its standing as iconic Americana. This version promises to bring pop culturists and film lovers to their feet with plenty of tech upgrades (think 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio—whatever that means—and hours of restoration), a tribute CD, 10 collectible postcards, and a hardcover tome. All together these James Bond bells and whistles make this four-discer must-have merch.

Even better, Blu-ray will breathe new life to West Side Story’s award-winning score (a stunner from Leonard Bernstein) and performances (a scorcher by Rita Moreno)—not like it needed it, but still.

Check out the original West Side Story theatrical trailer! 

Spielberg’s “WAR HORSE” Gallops Into Theatres

After seeing the new trailer for Steven Spielberg’s WWI opus “War Horse,” I honestly cannot understand the ongoing beef that so many “film enthusiasts” seem to have with the master lensman. Certainly it’s not for a lack of chops—the man can make a movie. So what if his films make millions, appeal to the masses, and win Oscars—get over it, hipsters.

The latest in Spielberg’s oeuvre, “War Horse” is based on a young adult novel that tells the story of Joey, a horse sold to the army for duty on the Western Front. There he witnesses the horrors of trench warfare, brings comfort to the men who fight it, and longs to be reunited with a farmer’s son, the crestfallen Albert. I love that “War Horse” tackles familiar historical territory from the POV of a homesick colt while recognizing the role that horses played in brutal battles for centuries.

With chest-tightening military sequences and an alienated young boy at its center, “War Horse” has the makings of Spielberg gold—namely, Hollywood’s most coveted gilded statue.

Check out the War Horse trailer – complete with another three-hanky score from John Williams.

Thornton Editorial Link Love for Apartment Therapy

I have followed Apartment Therapy for years, but with more frequency since I purchased my 1940s-era cottage bungalow last summer—a "project" that reawakened my slumbering interest in interiors and architecture. Many homes featured on AT's daily "Hot House Tour" are period, so naturally, I’m a fan. Currently, I’m loving "Jeremy & Joe's Collections with History" nest—a historic Providence pad filled with a well-curated collection of objects and inheritables.

Take the tour! And, check out AT's Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan's essential decorating tips in the latest issue of House Beautiful.

Happy adorning…

Spotlight on the CBS Evening News and “Assignment America”

I simply cannot resist a “slice of life” story. These deceptively simple snapshots of everyday life are usually about complications and conditions that we all can relate to, and thus have a homespun quality that recalls a bygone era. 

Recently my friend, well aware of my weakness for the anecdotal, turned me on to journalist Steve Hartman’s “Assignment America” on the CBS Evening News.

For two minutes every Monday night, Hartman tells a uniquely American story in way that is both charming and compelling (credit ace reporting, witty writing, and the human factor).  Most amazing is how in the telling Hartman manages to tug at the heartstrings without over-sentimentalizing or manipulating the subject matter or the viewer.  Two of Hartman’s more memorable snippets—“Man and Goose Form Unlikely Friendship” and “Father Read to Daughter Every Night Until College" --are super examples of fine sketch journalism (and I dare you to not get sucked in).

Both accounts touchingly illustrate the beauty in unlikely connections—and isn’t that what history is? The great connector of all things, people, and experience? If reality TV were anything like it is on Monday eve, I’d reconsider my decision to ditch cable.

Got a story that you think deserves 15 minutes of air-time (or at least two)? Email your ideas to Steve Hartman online via the CBS Evening News.

Chess, Mates! Bobby Fischer Posthumously Resurfaces…

Good yarn alert! Word on the street is that HBO has spun another winner, folks. This time around it is the compelling new documentary Bobby Fischer Against the World, which premiers tonight at 9 p.m. EST and kicks off the network’s documentary Summer Series. Early reviews mark this one as a winner—a captivating look at a compelling and controversial character. In this case, one the most bewildering figures of the 20th century, Bobby Fischer; a brilliant chess prodigy who became a grandmaster in his teens (the youngest in history), took on Boris Spassky in 1972, and retreated into seclusion except for the rare occasions he would pop up and puzzle the world with bizarre antics and erratic behavior.

 

Director Liz Garbus has earned raves for her skilled direction—and I have no doubt she deserves every kudo. But let’s be honest, I could be behind the lens of this one and have a decent shot of making it serviceably watchable. Fischer is that interesting—and troubling.  Mad genius? Boy wonder? Tragic figure? Check it out and let me know what you think... 

HerStory: History is NOT Boring

In middle school—way back when history teachers moonlighted as gym teachers and history curricula consisted of dates with no relevance to 7th graders and definitions that only resurface on final Jeopardy! (a fave, by the way)—the logic that brainwashed people into believing that “history is boring” had legs. (I never drank the kool-aid, personally, but I understand how this rumor got floated.)

The launch of Herstorical Perspectives marks an enlightening separation of fact (history rocks!) from fiction (“history is boring”). As a porthole through which to examine history as it relates to all aspects of modern culture and lifestyle through a uniquely feminine lens (in short, no look backs at the Teapot Dome scandal or analysis of General Patton’s battle plans), Herstorical Perspectives will emphasize that which is most fascinating—the narratives of people, places, and turning points; the human element of the past that informs the present.

Those who recently read Stacy Schiff’s insightful Cleopatra: A Life or Laura Hillenbrand’s page-turner Unbroken know how compelling narrative history is. If you forgot (or simply never realized), Herstorical Perspectives aims to change your mind.