Here’s the News: The Movie Musical Is <i> Not</i> Dead

It’s erroneous to base your assessment on the box-office fate of “Newsies.” As good as the film is and as refreshing as it is to really see musical numbers properly photographed and edited, it was a major miscalculation to do this subject as a musical.

I don’t know if it was a mistake of following demographics or ignoring them, but this is a subject whose strongest appeal is to 8- to 12-year-old boys, most of whom are automatically turned off by the musical elements. The story is too adult for younger kids who might appreciate the dancing, and though that’s something for which we should give thanks, the teen-age protagonists may also have scared off the older audiences who might appreciate its respect for the standards of classic film musicals.

Rather than dumping the picture, perhaps Disney should try playing it in the equivalent of revival houses, and let it find an audience that realizes that this excellent example of Panavision should be seen on the wide screen rather than video.

RICK MITCHELL

Los Angeles