Mitchell Stein- Based
on the true-story of the Newsboy Strikes of 1899, Newsies tells one of the
greatest David and Goliath stories of film making history. When Joseph Pulitzer
decides to raise the price of the newspapers the Newsies are forced to purchase
in order to take advantage of them, the majority of Newsies choose to go on
strike. Being led by Jack Kelley (Christian Bale) inspired by the real-life Kid
Blink, they attempt to bring Pulitzer down to a point where he has no choice to
meet the demands of the Newsies. It’s the classic story of a big fat cat
business taking advantage of the workers below him. In
Newsies (and in the true life story)
it seems impossible for just a few small newsboys to stand up to a
big corporate icon like Pulitzer. The strike was a harbinger for child labor reforms
in the 20
th Century.
Newsies is absolutely
wonderful throughout. Kenny Ortega directs the film, and does a really great
job at portraying New York of 1899 and the daily troubles the newsboys had to
endure each day. The story is perfectly well crafted by writers Noni White and
Bob Tzudiker, who initially had the idea for the film and wrote a script to
pitch to Disney, after dozens of drafts they finally arrived at the Newsies we
know and love today. Possibly the greatest aspect of the film is its music.
Disney music legends Alan Menken and Jack Feldman joined the team to write the
music to the movie. By creating legendary songs like “Carrying the Banner”, “King
of New York” and “Seize the Day”, it’s kind of hard to believe that Newsies wasn't
originally intended to be a musical! In fact, Christian Bale had no idea that
the film was a musical either until the first day of filming. With such a great
story, music and acting, Newsies was really going to be a real legendary hit.
But
it wasn't.
When it first opened in theaters on April 10
th 1992,
it gained tepid reviews and a tremendous lack of money, it was pulled from
theaters less than a week after it premiered, making it only earn a mere $2
million throughout its entire domestic run, according to Box Office Mojo. After
those numbers came in, I’m not even sure if Disney bothered releasing it internationally,
as the international numbers are nowhere to be found on any Box Office tracking
sites. In fact, it’s unbelievable how the movie earned a Razzie nomination for
worst picture, and got nominated in almost every other category. Alan Menken also
earned a Razzie for Worst Song (Alan Menken, winner of dozens of Oscars, Golden Globes and Tonys, with a Razzie! I can’t even
imagine how impossible that is.)
In the following years, it gained a major cult following when
it came to VHS, and somehow made it to Broadway (which you can read more about
in
Newsies: Stories of the UnlikelyBroadway Hit) which allows it to earn its proper place in Disney history.
The fate of the film was an extremely unfortunate one, as
the film still remains one of the most brilliant, and inspiring movies ever. I
really appreciate all of the wonderful work that went into the movie, and the
stage adaption throughout all these years. It’s a completely under-appreciated
film, but still remains a beloved one and one of my personal favorites.
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