Plot: What’s it about?
The streets are filled with people on the go, looking to make it to their destination on time, so they have little time to stop and check on the news. This is where the newspaper sellers come in, as they shout out the day’s top stories in hopes of selling their issues, which is how these young boys eat, put clothes on their backs, and keep a roof over their heads. These kids have next to nothing to call their own, but they work as hard as they can to push out copies of the papers, to have something to live on, at least. But when Pulitzer and Hearst, the owners of the presses, decide to increase the price of the goods to the sellers, it sparks an intense chain of events, as the boys simply cannot afford the rise, even as small as it might sound. As Jack Kelly (Christian Bale) has seen what strikes can do thanks to a local union, he and some other paperboys decide to rally their forces and stage one of their own. But when the owners don’t cave in to their demands, it means if they are to stick to their guns, the newsies will have even less than before. Will they be able to outlast hunger, thirst, and the thought of perhaps having no future?
The idea of a musical based on the exploits of rebellious newspaper delivery boys seems absurd, almost like a sketch on a comedy show. But Newsies was made somehow, bringing the tale of paperboys with problems to life and while it is rather silly at times, I think Newsies is a fun flick to take in. I wouldn’t recommend this picture to those in search of historical dramas, but this movie offers some lively musical numbers, very nice visuals, solid production design, and if all else fails, you can just laugh at the premise, I think. I mean, it is sort of like Cop Rock with newspapers instead of revolvers, which means in some scenes, it is impossible to view the film in serious fashion, it simply cannot be done. So it all sort of depends on your attitude, if you want to have fun then you can, but sour minded folks won’t enjoy Newsies too much. The cast is good, with such names as Robert Duvall (The Apostle), Christian Bale (American Psycho), and Ann-Margret (Grumpy Old Men), among others. If you’re a fan, then its a no brainer to nab this disc, but even those with casual interest should give Newsies a spin.
Video: How does it look?
Newsies is presented in a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. This treatment has some flaws, but is the best home video edition of Newsies to date and of course, that means fans will be thrilled to no end. The film’s dark visuals look good here, with accurate black levels and detail presence, which means no murkiness or lost subtle touches. The colors are warm and bold, with no signs of errors to be seen, while flesh tones seem natural throughout. I did see some slight softness in some scenes, but no evidence of compression hiccups can be found. The small flaws aside, this is a terrific visual effort and it should please both fans & newcomers.
Audio: How does it sound?
As this is a musical, the included Dolby Digital 5.1 option is given moments to shine and when that window is there, this track delivers. The speakers really come to life when the musical numbers kick in, with great overall presence and separation, so the elements never step on each other and always remain distinct. But when the music fades out, the track moves back to your basic approach and that seems to be adequate. Yeah, some ambient presence might have lifted things a little, but I have no real complaints. The sound effects and dialogue are always well presented, leaving me to score this one a cut above the average, thanks to the great sound of the musical numbers and stability of the track on the whole. This disc also includes a Spanish language track, as well as English, Spanish, and French subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc has some cool bonus features, kicking off with an audio commentary with director Kenny Ortega, as well as several others from the production crew. The group discusses how the film was shifted from a drama to a musical, which is very interesting, but all too often, they focus more on praising their own work. I’m glad to have this track and all, but I wish there was more talk about the production and less back-patting, to be sure. A trio of behind the scenes featurettes is next and all clock in at around twenty minutes, so when combined, we’re talking about an hour of content, which is no small amount. The first two are your general behind the scenes looks, while the third focuses more on the real life story behind the film, which is most welcome and enhances the feature itself, if you ask me. You’ll also find a text based guide to some of the Newsies phrases, a special karaoke subtitle option, storyboard-to-scene comparison (with audio comments), and two of the film’s theatrical trailers.
