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Far from chuckling, I find the dancing at the beginning of (and throughout) West Side Story to be thrilling. But, I'm a huge sucker for this kind of thing. I guess the fact that the dancing begins after a very photo-realistic view of the grungy city is kind of a surprising juxtaposition. But, the entire opening is one of my favorites ever.
The hilltop opening of Sound of Music also gives me chills every single time. (I love Sound of Music on the non-ironic, sappiest level. I suppose I should feel kind of goofy about that fact, but I'm unapologetic. It makes me happy.) The only moment in SoM that doesn't work is at the end of "So Long, Farewell," when all the party guests sing 'goodnight." That's a real cringer.
I've been on a Rodgers and Hammerstein kick recently. I watched Carousel, Oklahoma, The King and I and State Fair all in one week. I had never seen State Fair before, and WOW! did I ever fall in love with leading lady Jeanne Craine! And the whole movie is a charmer, as cornpone as it gets, but still more sophisticated than so much of what passes for entertainment these days. (I haven't seen the much-dissed sixties remake of State Fair, but I'm sure to give it a whirl soon.)
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