Steven Spielberg's West Side Story

py2006 · 26-04-2021 7:48pm #1

I remember reading about this, didn't realise it was coming out already. First musical for aul Steven too.

An adaptation of the 1957 musical, West Side Story explores forbidden love and the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Taelr72RHZ8

jasonb · 26-04-2021 8:01pm

Oh, don't know how I feel about this, hadn't heard of it until know. West Side Story is *the* classic take on Romeo & Juliet.

branie2 · 27-04-2021 2:20pm

I hope it's great

branie2 · 27-04-2021 2:24pm

Maria's party dress - like the one Natalie Wood wore in the original

pixelburp · 27-04-2021 2:32pm

Strange decision - or at least, it seems strange to me at first blush - for Spielberg to not only take a swing at a musical at this stage in his career, but to remake a hallowed entry at that.

branie2 · 27-04-2021 2:50pm

I wonder if the songs will be in the original order as in the broadway version - in the 1961 film, Gee Officer came before the rumble, and Cool after it.

jasonb · 27-04-2021 6:49pm

After my initial reaction I've read up about this and it seems like they aim to be truer to the initial Broadway play than the film. It'll be interesting to see it, but going up against such a classic it's going to have to knock it out of the park to be considered a success. However, Spielberg clearly knows what he's doing and obviously the source material is excellent, so it could be amazing.

Wedwood · 27-04-2021 11:43pm

I’ve seen all of Spielberg’s movies over the years and the only real misfire was his comedy ‘1941’ starring John Belushi. (Crystal Skull has its detractors but it’s still a critical and financial hit)

You could split his career into two halves, the movies he made up to Saving Private Ryan in 1998 and everything he made afterwards. There’s very few movies in the second part of his career that I would rate over his first half. I’m not suggesting they are bad movies, but he doesn’t knock it out of the park like he did in the 70s/80’s/90’s.

That said, I’m looking forward to seeing his unexpected take on what you could describe as movie royalty. There aren’t too many remakes of classic movies that compare well with the originals. (Eg Psycho, King Kong, Ben-Hur)

The Black Oil · 28-04-2021 9:00am

Presumably, Ansel Elgort won't be involved much in the promotion, given the allegations against him last year.

johnny_ultimate · 28-04-2021 9:07am

Given the trailer conforms to modern expectations and includes a slow, moody piano version of a recognisable song... I'm just angry it wasn't a slow, moody piano version of Gee, Officer Krupke.

28-04-2021 9:11am

Wedwood wrote: »

I’ve seen all of Spielberg’s movies over the years and the only real misfire was his comedy ‘1941’ starring John Belushi. (Crystal Skull has its detractors but it’s still a critical and financial hit)

You could split his career into two halves, the movies he made up to Saving Private Ryan in 1998 and everything he made afterwards. There’s very few movies in the second part of his career that I would rate over his first half. I’m not suggesting they are bad movies, but he doesn’t knock it out of the park like he did in the 70s/80’s/90’s.

That said, I’m looking forward to seeing his unexpected take on what you could describe as movie royalty. There aren’t too many remakes of classic movies that compare well with the originals. (Eg Psycho, King Kong, Ben-Hur)

He stopped directing after 1998, that was when Senor Spielbergo took over

pixelburp · 28-04-2021 9:24am

Spielberg's latter-day work seems to shuttle from sombre, solid "grown-up" films like Bridge of Spies or The Post, and flaccid blockbusters like Ready Player One or The BFG. His heart hasn't seemed in these bigger productions, maybe. more enjoying his scaled back work - so to take on the biggest musical in modern times seems brave.

IMO, 2011's Tintin is possibly an underrated entry in his late-career work; dunno whether it was just the relatively unknown IP - or how his friend Robert Zemeckis caused a huge backlash against "realistic" CGI - but either way, the film deserves more praise than it got.

As to the rest of his post "Ryan" work? War of the Worlds is fantastic, and arguably the best adaptation of the original material; Catch Me if You can is distilled cinematic fun and eminently re-watchable; while AI was his most enigmatic and complex work in years. The coldness of Kubricks script clashing with Spielberg's constant desire to ramp up the heart.

johnny_ultimate · 28-04-2021 9:45am

Spielberg has a lot of forgettable and misguided fare in the 2010s particularly (and Ready Player One is IMO quite a nadir in that regard). But I would suggest the double bill of Minority Report and Catch Me If You Can in one year was the man firing on all cylinders still (I'd take both films over most of his often sickly sentimental 'prestige' fare), with scattered good to great films for the rest of that decade.

pixelburp · 28-04-2021 10:00am

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Spielberg has a lot of forgettable and misguided fare in the 2010s particularly (and Ready Player One is IMO quite a nadir in that regard). But I would suggest the double bill of Minority Report and Catch Me If You Can in one year was the man firing on all cylinders still (I'd take both films over most of his often sickly sentimental 'prestige' fare), with scattered good to great films for the rest of that decade.

Minority Report is a great movie, as long as you quieten the part of your brain that tries to work out the time-travel logic once the credits roll. Especially once the twists and truths come out in the last act; cos IIRC, the entire structure of the plot fails significant smell tests once you apply the smallest amounts of "wait, if X happened, then that means Y..."

Sad Professor · 28-04-2021 10:26am

Agree about Minority Report and Catch Me If You Can, both among his best.

Re: Tintin, I am suspicious of live action directors who direct animated films and always assume that there's an lowly credited animation director doing most of the actual work.

Anyway it's been a while since I was excited for a Spielberg film and this is no exception.

MfMan · 28-04-2021 10:33am

Because Minority Report and 'Catch Me..' star the gurners Cruise and LDC, I can't take them seriously among Spielberg's cannon. A.I one of his most underrated I feel.

quickbeam · 28-04-2021 11:47am

The Black Oil wrote: »

Presumably, Ansel Elgort won't be involved much in the promotion, given the allegations against him last year.

I certainly hope that wouldn't prevent him from being involved in promotion.

Sad Professor · 19-09-2021 2:24pm

Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5GJLwWiYSg

Need a Username · 19-09-2021 7:18pm

Anytime there is remake there are people complaining (justifiably) for various reasons.

This thread is the first place I’ve seen comments against this film.

Empire even had a complaint in their report about Disney’s Flight of the Navigator remake while further down the page no such comments in an article about this movie.

As to why Spielberg is remaking a solid gold classic? Probably because the original is good that he thinks this increases his chance for an award. That seems to be all he is interested in.

pixelburp · 19-09-2021 7:30pm

Has Spielberg made a musical ? Could simply be the case he never has and thought f*ck it, I wanna try while I still can. He has touched every other genre at this stage. They're vaguely back in fashion too, so probably figured he would meet less resistance.

py2006 · 20-09-2021 4:19pm

It looks stunning I have to say, as in the cinematography

20-09-2021 4:33pm

While the original was made long before I was dreamed up, it was the version we all grew up with- but I do get the attempt at a remake in that many many younger people will never sit down to watch the original -it’s not shown on TV that much and anyway younger people don’t watch TV like older people did- in fact there’s a whole rake of Hollywood classic movies from the 1940s onwards that just won’t interest people who grew up with CGI and great production values- they just won’t have the patience for an outdated looking film

I think this brings a great story to a new generation of viewers who may never have watched the original so that can’t be too bad- can it?

conorhal · 21-09-2021 11:25am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117912444#Comment_117912444

He's always aspired to make a musical, so much so that he turned the opening of Temple of Doom into a Busby Berkeley inspired big stage musical number of 'Anything Goes'. People often forget just how wierd it is that an Indiana Jones movie opens with a fantasy musical number, just because the director fancied making one.

expectationlost · 21-09-2021 1:21pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117911025#Comment_117911025

very little dancing in that trailer, which was the stand out in the original I guess he going more for the story.

Agent Coulson · 21-09-2021 2:33pm

Looks stunning, Keeping the signing and dancing for the actual film by the looks of it.

Great to see Rita Moreno in it who rarely gets mentioned when the lists of the greatest actors are talked about.

p to the e · 23-09-2021 4:50pm

Having a slightly older sister I grew up watching and enjoying musicals of all types (Grease 2 being a guilty pleasure) but I just never liked West Side Story. I never got the love for it and am baffled that it's judged a classic. This new version looks beautiful thanks to Spielbergo working with his frequent collaborator Janusz Kamiński. I remember previously saying how I loved his work on Saving Private Ryan and someone saying he was basically a hack copying other people's ideas/motifs. Well hopefully this converts the unconverted.

As a note I read that a recent Broadway version cut the song "I feel pretty" because reasons so I wonder if it's removed from this.

JP Liz V1 · 10-12-2021 4:32am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117018558#Comment_117018558

As the star I assume he has to promote it

gmisk · 10-12-2021 4:12pm

I saw this morning.

I loved every minute of it.....there are a lot of minutes! It's a long film, but it looks gorgeous and I loved the staging of the songs. If you don't like musicals this isn't for you.

Elgort has a really good voice (I had only heard him sing a dance song with Don diablo before) bags of charisma as well.

Rachel Zegler wow.

gmisk · 10-12-2021 4:13pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117919243#Comment_117919243

There is plenty of dancing in the actual film

branie2 · 11-12-2021 12:51pm

I saw it yesterday, and I really enjoyed it.

santana75 · 12-12-2021 1:32am

Saw this earlier and it was just not my thing. I found myself drifting off, couldn't really get into it. But what do I know, there Was significant amounts of sniffling coming from the row of ladies seated behind me so I'd venture to guess that I'm not the target demographic here.

silverharp · 12-12-2021 12:01pm

it appears to be having a poor opening, Spielberg didnt allow subtitles for the Spanish because it would give English power over it, lol what has he been smoking

speedboatchase · 12-12-2021 1:47pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118308569#Comment_118308569

That's hardly a factor in its underperformance. It's an adaptation of a movie most people aged over 40 haven't seen, and those who have seen the original seem as though a remake was unncessary. Add in a lack of stars in the cast and there's no reason it should have been expected to do more than fellow flop In The Heights.

Sad Professor · 12-12-2021 7:52pm

Worse opening than In the Heights. Ouch! I guess that's the end of big studio musicals for a while.

speedboatchase · 12-12-2021 10:04pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118311238#Comment_118311238

Wicked will do well because it has Ariana Grande. In The Heights, West Side Story and Dear Evan Hansen had one thing in common: zero stars.

johnny_ultimate · 13-12-2021 12:13am

This is definitely the most I've enjoyed a Spielberg blockbuster in quite some time. There's a real energy to the filmmaking, and he isn't overindulging in the SFX like almost all his recent 'blockbuster' efforts have. Indeed, there's a proper physicality to the filmmaking - Janusz Kamiński's camera is constantly swooping in glorious crane shots or indulging in wide shots full of movement and colour. Spielberg isn't cutting frantically like many modern musical filmmakers, so there's lots of space for the choreography and set design to do their job without distraction.

I think most of the changes from the original are well-judged and effective. The change of context and setting for 'Cool' is excellent, and the 'Officer Krupke' (a song I adore, with some thanks to Larry David!), ‘America’ and 'I Feel Pretty’ set pieces also benefit from a new take. I think the extra emphasis on Spanish language is a fitting and impactful thematic choice too: it gives the Puerto Rican characters more power over the English-only characters (and by extend a non Spanish speaking audience too).

The weak point of it all is probably Elgort, who I don’t think really works. Zegler’s superb though, and ditto most of the rest of the cast (even if only a few have much to do).

I don’t think it surpasses the original - the opening sequence of the 1961 film in particular is so **** good that I don’t think Spielberg even tries to top it. That film still feels startlingly modern in so many ways. But it’s an interesting and fresh take while still being extremely loyal to the source material. It definitely has more grit here - there’s more of a sense of danger and violence to the central conflict. Mostly it was refreshing to see Spielberg being really old fashioned, without leaning too heavily on new tech. As much as all remakes are fundamentally redundant and familiar, this is nonetheless a good and entertaining version of a familiar classic.

KevMayo88 · 13-12-2021 12:24pm

Given that the movie has been a financial disaster, I would imagine that the studio will insist on updating the movie prints to include subtitles in order to try and recoup some revenue over the Christmas season. Subtitling a film does not show disrespect for a language, it shows respect for it, and the dialogue of the characters.

Sad Professor · 13-12-2021 12:36pm

What are we talking about, a few scenes in Spanish where it’s probably perfectly clear what they are talking about or half the movie? If the former then I doubt it had anything to do with the box office results.

Spielberg just doesn’t like subtitles. I assume his preference would have been not to have any significant Spanish dialogue but that’s not really possible with a film like this in 2021 unless you want to get yourself and your film cancelled.

johnny_ultimate · 13-12-2021 12:44pm

The film is an English language film. The Spanish-speaking characters tend to throw in the odd Spanish word or Spanish sentence. There are a few scenes where the Sharks use Spanish to gain a tactical or psychological advantage over the Jets or police, and a few others where Anita scolds her friends for drifting into Spanish during casual conversation as she believes they should be speaking English.

The film and plot and characters and moment-to-moment drama / emotions are entirely understandable without subtitles for those bits. It’d be absolute madness for anyone to not go to see the film because of the lack of subtitles.

pixelburp · 13-12-2021 5:15pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118311238#Comment_118311238

It's funny how the Big Studio Musical seems to swing back into fashion every few years. Wonder why that is: we're far from the truly high-point, such that we'll never again see another Hello Dolly scale disaster - but still. It's a funny genre that comes in waves.

Sad Professor · 13-12-2021 5:29pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118315885#Comment_118315885

Yeah and I guess that's part of the reason why Spielberg was so hesitant to make a musical in the first place. He kinda prides himself on knowing what audiences want (most of the time) and it looks like he really misjudged this one.

I am not sure it can be entirely explained by audiences not being interested in big studio musicals right now though. I think the "boomer nostalgia" factor was a big one in turning off younger viewers.

The Black Oil · 13-12-2021 9:54pm

Is there something that helps a musical's success, word of mouth? I wouldn't have thought language or subtitles would be a particular barrier, given the solid success of the likes of Sicario. Maybe some just said 'Spielberg, doing a musical? Not having that'. The state of the world probably isn't helping.

gmisk · 13-12-2021 11:24pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118317209#Comment_118317209

It's a real shame.

The pandemic has clearly hit it. I think a film like this would draw an older audience who will still be a tad nervous to go to the cinema.

I remember maybe two or three small sections with Spanish but it didn't bother me at all, I speak a bit of it so wasn't lost, even if you don't I wouldn't see it as an issue, it was fairly obvious to get the gist.

Maybe the good word of mouth and awards can give it some legs, musicals can sometimes hang around a long time, but I can't see it doing something like the greatest showman, the songs just wouldn't have that radio friendly broad appeal.

Chris_Heilong · 14-12-2021 3:22am

I heard it was completely Woke-washed using current day talking points that do not fit in with the time it takes place, there is also a decision by Spielberg to not subtitle the Spanish in the US which is nuts if true. I liked the original but think I will give this one a miss as I dont think it needed to be remade, none of the classic do.

Hontou · 14-12-2021 8:20am

Saw it last night. It was glorious. I'm a huge fan of the original so had very high expectations, but was not disappointed. The dancing was astounding......again. It felt dark and sinister in the second half - which really added to the atmosphere of a heartbreaking, violent story. Some parts were better than the original - "Officer Krupke" was a high point. Ansel Elgort is a better Tony than Richard Beymer was. The Bernardo and Riff characters are grittier in this version. Ariana DeBose as Anita was every bit as fabulous as Rita Moreno in the original. (Spoiler alert) The "I Feel Pretty" scene was hard to watch after the Rumble scene. I'm guessing that was done on purpose. It felt like an ode to the original rather than a remake. I'll go and see it again.

johnny_ultimate · 14-12-2021 8:53am

God give me the confidence of someone who decides to complain publicly about how 'woke' a film they haven't watched is :)

gmisk · 14-12-2021 9:28am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118318210#Comment_118318210

I have never heard that term before...but I would say judge it yourself rather than listening to nonsense like that. I thought it was better than the original.

Kingp35 · 14-12-2021 10:50am

IMC Cinemas don't seem to showing this for some reason.

Chris_Heilong · 14-12-2021 3:48pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118318369#Comment_118318369

Dude get over yourself, It is my opinion and is probably best not to gatekeep the forum. I gave reasons why I might not watch it, I never said you cant enjoy it. I come here for different opinions and do read what others have said, If someone says yeah there is a little bit but it is not that bad then I might watch at some stage.

DoctorEdgeWild · 14-12-2021 3:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118318322#Comment_118318322

This is what I wanted to hear when I clicked into the thread. Going to see it ASAP, usually don't like to see things re-made, when they have been made perfectly the first time around... but I'm all in for this one!

johnny_ultimate · 14-12-2021 4:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118320588#Comment_118320588

I just honestly find it frustrating when yet another discussion about films gets drowned out by IMO hyperbolic 'anti-woke' complaints - often before people have seen the film! I think it's fair enough to suggest it's worth giving the film a look before weighing in with an opinion about what it gets wrong / right :)

The film is an interesting take on the material with a handful of modern (and for my money entirely sensible and logical) updates. I mean, I don't think anyone would argue casting actual Latino actors rather than relying on 'brown face' makeup is a bad call, nor that original film star Rita Moreno is a more interesting casting choice as Doc's wife rather than a mere lazy gender swap. Indeed, I think that casting choice is extremely smart as it adds rich metatextual substance to some of the later scenes (plus one of the strongest songs of the film).

But ultimately it's an extremely loyal take on a classic story. Like I find it hard to imagine anyone thinking Spielberg has radically transformed the material despite the tweaks. It's worth a look for anyone who did enjoy the original, as *by far* the biggest changes to the source material are how scenes / songs are framed or narratively recontextualised within the structure of the original story.

Steven Spielberg's West Side Story

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