West Side Story

[ISpyCobraKai]

Anyone seen it?
I absolutely loved it, loved, loved, loved it, and I thought I'd stay faithful to the original but I'm wavering.
I just saw the original in the cinema this summer too, seen it loads of times but never in the cinema.
Ansel Elgort, (Tony), reminded me of a young Patrick Swayze which is clearly no bad thing!
I didn't even miss Natalie Wood, and I love her, Splendour in the grass is ones of my favourites.
I feel unfaithful.
The one thing, and there really is only one, though it's a big one for me, is, "I feel pretty".
Completely, totally does not work where it is, I can see what they were trying to do, but for me it didn't work at all, I hated it.
It's a big thing, but in the overall film I can get over it. (In years to come I bet I rant about it)

I thoroughly enjoyed it! I'd only seen the original once many moons ago, so I'm not a purist. I thought the film stood up very well on its own.

Somewhere kicked me right in the feels. I loved America. And Gee, Officer Krupke was perfection.

And actually, I loved the placement of I Feel Pretty. It made what came before that much more harrowing and pointless.

I thought since it's a Spielberg film, it'd be getting a lot more buzz. But it seems to have passed people by so far? I hope more people go to see it!

I loved it.

I saw it on stage in 2019 - I think the songs are differently placed in the stage version to the original film maybe?

I loved it! I was disappointed to read the Ansel Elgort allegations afterwards though. But it doesn't take away from the incredible performances of everybody else. I really liked how Cool was done & where it was placed in the movie.

I thought the characters were developed so much better & loved Tony and Maria's date.

The new Maria was just phenomenal. I also loved the America number. I basically was just. A massive fan of it all. I like that the stage performance and the movies have everything in different orders... I was kind of expecting things to be mixed up a bit because of the differences between the 1961 movie & the stage show so found it quite an exciting part of the whole experience.

Cried like a baby as I always do. Loved it. Loved it a. Lot. Would go back tomorrow if I could.

It’s like Marmite.

I have the soundtrack LP from the 1961 film
(it belonged to my parents) and I can’t stand the songs/music.it’s just not my thing.

I tried to watch the film but the soundtrack made the acting/dancing/‘energy’ really annoying!

I know plenty of people who love it.

@SisterA
Ansel Elgort allegations?

I think he looks like a young Patrick Swayze in the film which is no bad thing.

Just back from seeing it and thought it was totally amazing!

I loved the original and can't bear to see a remake. The original was probably the first grown up tragedy/romance that I was old enough to understand. I can't have another Maria or Tony. I just couldn't.

I thought I'd feel the same way as ancientgran but I surprised myself by absolutely loving it. Agree with Tony and Maria being better developed as characters and, particularly, Riff and Bernardo were much more than simply opposing hoods. I'd never given them much thought but ended up really getting a sense of who they were and where they had come from. Also loved that Rita Moreno was such a big part of the production.

The music was wonderfully performed too, props to Gustavo Dudamel for stepping into Bernstein's shoes - not an easy task!

Has anyone seen the recording sessions on the making of West Side Story by Bernstein? It's the opera version and it's on YouTube. Absolutely brilliant.

i also could not bear to see a remake, i love the original

I adore the original, but I did enjoy the remake.
I found the remake grittier in places, which worked well. I liked the character development of Riff, although he's not as likeable as in the original. Chino's character had a little more to it as well.

I loved Gee Officer Krupke, and Valentina was a joy. I thought Ansel Egort was very well cast (but yes, disappointed to hear of the allegations made against him), also loved Ariana DeBose.
Whilst I'd watch the original over and over, I'm not sure I'd go back to the remake as readily. It's definitely worth a watch though.

@HollowTalk

Has anyone seen the recording sessions on the making of West Side Story by Bernstein? It's the opera version and it's on YouTube. Absolutely brilliant.

I watched that when it was on TV a good few years ago, and loved it then - thank you for letting me know it's on YouTube, going to watch it again over Christmas! :)

@HollowTalk

Has anyone seen the recording sessions on the making of West Side Story by Bernstein? It's the opera version and it's on YouTube. Absolutely brilliant.

Is that the version with Kiri Te Kanawa as Maria and a young José Carraras as Tony, where Bernstein kept making him redo bits, wasn’t impressed and getting his name wrong?

I’m tempted to see the new one if only for Rita Moreno.

Just been to see it. I'd only seen the original film once, years ago, but one of my DC was in a school production of it so I know all the songs from the practicing and know the story.

I didn't like Tony at all, he didn't seem to have any real chemistry with Maria, who I thought was amazing, plus he looked about 12. I never have liked Gee Officer Krupke, it just seems silly and time wasting. I also didn't feel much emotion at the end, probably because of not liking Tony, I expected to be in floods of tears.

Loved Anita and Valentina, I didn't realise she was Rita Moreno till the credits rolled. The settings and scenery were great and I could feel the tension in the fight scenes. Overall I really enjoyed it and would definitely watch it again on TV.

Just seen it and thought it was fabulous. The actor who played stiff was absolutely standout.

Riff

DD saw this a couple of weeks ago. I'm a massive fan of the original so wasn't keen but might have to check it out after reading this.

I adore the original and have watched it a million times. Was unsure how I would react to a remake but I absolutely loved it!

Also loved reading afterwards that Spielberg agreed to delay filming so that the actress who played Maria could fulfil her commitment to starring in her school production of Shrek! So cute! She was amazing!

Valentina was great, loved the touch of the old picture of previous Doc on the shelf. Didn't really get the chemistry between Maria and Tony and thought he was not as strong a performer as her. Expected more expansive cinematography of Spielberg but it worked.

The original was in BBC 2 last Monday if you missed it.
I recorded obvs and am on to my 4th watch in a week!
I might see the new one again this week.

I loved it too-in lots of ways more than the original!

I liked it a lot, but it didn't reach the splendours of the original for me.

Things I liked:

• the Jets really looked like teenage juvenile delinquents, rather than 20-something preppy Broadway actors

• Riff being a much more tragic figure, and his self-destructive behaviour brought to the forefront

• Chino being given more character development

• the dialogue between Tony and Maria when they first met, very charming

• the setting of the slum clearances. It really emphasised how futile it all was, and that they were just cockerels fighting over a dung heap

• Maria's singing voice. I actually wept with joy in the cinema, like an idiot.

• the cinematography was gorgeous (but then, so was the original's)

• the new take on Crazy, Cool. A good idea not to try to compete with the original choreography, and instead to make it about the tension between Riff and Tony.

Things I didn't like:

• Maria and Anita were both fabulous singers and dancers, but their acting wasn't a patch on Natalie Wood and Rita Moreno.

• the padded out screenplay where everyone spoke like they were on Twitter, constantly banging on about their identity and socio-economic status. It was all too self-aware and there was no subtext. The nadir was when Lieutenant Shrenk launched into a Ted Talk about gentrification, like he was a sociology professor or something. The dynamic was far more interesting in the original, where he was a racist prick failing to control the situation.

• in the same vein, Kushner's screenplay didn't trust the lyrics to deliver the detail. Everything he added about the Jets being underclass and the Sharks being aspirational is right there in the songs. It's like he thinks people don't listen to the lyrics or comprehend subtext.

• Maria reprising "Only You" instead of "There's a Place For Us" at the end. The tone was all wrong. In fact the end in general lacked the timing and emotional punch of the original, which breaks my heart every time, despite countless viewings. Natalie Wood is masterful, and the tension builds and builds. The new ending was rushed, and didn't bring the tragic catharsis for me.

I thought that 'Tony' did not get as much on screen time as I thought - I know in the trailers he was almost incidental because of the (so far unproved allegations)
I loved 'Officer Krupki' was fab and I have had a soft spot for Corey Stroll since 'House of Cards'
I thought Riff / Bernardo / Valentina / Anita were sensational - Rita Moreno for an Oscar!

Interesting reading. I'm a lifelong fan and also teach it a lot, so know the play/ movie inside out. Was trepidatious but loved it.

My first words when it finished was that Riff was the stand out for me. He comes from musical theatre and it shows. Tony was a bit blah but okay. Choreography was outstanding- true to the original but with edge. Agree that some characters were fleshed out, which is great. Officer Krupke was a hilight for me: the points are even more relevant today about kids having huge ACES which are never addressed. I hate 'I feel pretty' anyway so that was fine for me, and the 'Take of our hands' was certainly less cheesy than the original.

Only bits I was really disappointed about: like PP, Shrank was supposed to be a racist shit not sanitised, that's important to show that the authorities are biased and dangerous at times; the rape scene wasn't obvious, it needed to be more so; Valentina singing 'There's a place for us' didn't work for me, it needs to be Maria; Maria didn't have the raw anger at the end that she needs.

All in all I still loved it.

Quite a few articles coming out now dissecting why it flopped.