Newsies [20th Anniversary] [Blu-ray]

Director: Kenny Ortega Kenny Ortega

Overview

A failed effort to revive the big-budget movie musical, Newsies attempted to create toe-tapping, song-and-dance excitement out of the true story of an 1899 strike by newspaper boys against publishing magnate Joseph Pulitzer. The "newsies" band together to protest a pay cut by Pulitzer (Robert Duvall), organizing a union to protect their rights and ensure fair wages. They are helped along the way by Medda (Ann-Margret), a local dance-hall performer who befriends the boys and provides an opportunity for an additional song or two. Director Kenny Ortega had previously choreographed Dirty Dancing, and composer Alan Menken had provided the acclaimed scores for Beauty and the Beast and Little Shop of Horrors, but their work here failed to capture the spark of their popular successes. Unable to connect with older or younger viewers, Newsies gained a reputation as a major bomb that cut short an attempt to bring back the live-action musical, though in the intervening years it has gained a small but appreciative cult.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/19/2012
UPC:	0786936823097
Original Release:	1992
Rating:	PG
Source:	Walt Disney Video
Language:	English
Time:	2:01:00
Sales rank:	14,989

Special Features

Audio Commentary with Filmmakers; Newsies, Newsies, See All About It; Newsies: The Inside Story; The Strike! The True Story; Storyboard-To-Scene Comparison Sequence With Audio Commentary; Sing-Along Feature

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Christian Bale	Jack Kelly
David Moscow	David
Luke Edwards	Les
Bill Pullman	Denton
Ann-Margret	Medda
Robert Duvall	Joseph Pulitzer
Max Casella	Racetrack
Marty Belafsky	Crutchy
Arvie Lowe Jr.	Boots
Aaron Lohr	Mush
Trey Parker	Kid Blink
Gabriel Damon	Spot Conlon
Dee Caspary	Snitch
Joseph Conrad	Jake
Dominic Maldonado	Itey
Matthew Fields	Snipeshooter
Mark David	Specs
Ivan Dudynsky	Dutchy
Robert Feeney	Snoddy
Michael Goorjian	Skittery
Dominic Lucero	Bumlets
David Sidoni	Pie Eater
Kevin Stea	Swifty
Ele Keats	Sarah Jacobs
Jeffrey DeMunn	Mayer Jacobs
Deborra-Lee Furness	Esther Jacobs
Marc Lawrence	Kloppman
Kevin Michaels	Ten-Pin
Sylvia Short	Nun
Melody Santangelo	Nun
Lois Young	Nun
Jo Ann Harris	Patrick's Mother
Gregg Kent-Smith	Toby the Candy Butcher
David James Alexander	Teddy Roosevelt
Michael Lerner	Weasel
Kevin Tighe	Snyder
Charles Cioffi	Seitz
Shon Greenblatt	Oscar Delancey
David Sheinkopf	Morris Delancey
Mark Lowenthal	Jonathan
William Boyett	Judge Movealong Monahan
Ryan MacDonald	Mayor Van Wyck
Frank Girardeau	Chief of Police Devery
Shay Duffin	Captain McSwain
Terry Kohl	Bailiff
Tom Finnegan	Bunsen
I.M. Hobson	Gammon
Frank Novak	Policeman
Ogie Banks III	Newsies Dancer
Daxon Calloway	Newsies Dancer
Scott Caudill	Newsies Dancer
D.J. Dellos	Newsies Dancer
Chris Dupre	Newsies Dancer
Dak Eubanks	Newsies Dancer
Brian Friedman	Newsies Dancer
Todd Jenkins	Newsies Dancer
Terry Lindholm	Newsies Dancer
Alan Luzietti	Newsies Dancer
Kevin McCasland	Newsies Dancer
Dean McFliker	Newsies Dancer
James Earl Miller	Newsies Dancer
David Evans	Newsies Dancer
Craig Raclawski	Newsies Dancer
Michael Rohrbacher	Newsies Dancer
Gregg Russell	Newsies Dancer,Newsies Dancer
Joshua Wiener	Newsies Dancer
Jesus Fuentes	Newsies Dancer
Tony Gonzales	Newsies Dancer
Robert Jaquez	Newsies Dancer
Larry Jones	Newsies Dancer
Kevin Kruger	Newsies Dancer
David Larson	Newsies Dancer
Patrick Lars Olsen	Newsies Dancer
Travis Payne	Newsies Dancer
Jim Raposa	Newsies Dancer
Damon Butler	Newsies Dancer
Christopher Bonomo	Newsies Dancer
Bret Dieball	Newsies Dancer
Rob Grayson	Newsies Dancer
Michael Irvin	Newsies Dancer
Eric Pesqueira	Newsies Dancer
Scott Thysell	Newsies Dancer,Newsies Dancer
Wes Veldink	Newsies Dancer
Michael Warwick	Newsies Dancer
Jason Yribar	Newsies Dancer
Alan Menken	Composer
J.A.C. Redford	Composer
Danny Troob	Composer

Technical Credits

David Fallon

Noni White

Tom Rickman

Bob Tzudiker

Kenny Ortega	Director
Michael Finnell	Producer
David Fallon	Screenwriter
Bill Taylor	Special Effects
Elisabeth Leustig	Casting
Noni White	Screenwriter
Syd Dutton	Special Effects
Tom Rickman	Screenwriter
Bob Tzudiker	Screenwriter
William Perry	Stunts
David Kelson	Sound Mixer

Editorial Reviews

Touted by its makers as an attempt to bring live-action musical motion-pictures into the '90s, Newsies fails not because it lacks what the great musicals of the past had, but because it inserts nothing new into the genre, simply rehashing the archetypes and clichés that beat movie musicals to death in the first place. But just because it didn't incite '90s remakes of Bye Bye Birdie and Singin' in the Rain doesn't mean Newsies is completely worthless. For fans who enjoy even the more mediocre song-and-dance flicks of the '40s, '50s, and '60s, it's got just about everything. The songs are catchy and enjoyable, the story is simple and secondary to the music, and the cast isn't bad. Even Ann-Margret is in it, so at the very least audiences may want to squint and imagine they're watching a second-rate musical from the early '60s.

All Movie Guide - Matthew Tobey