Spielberg’s West Side Story flops at box-office
NewsDespite uniformly rave reviews,the first week of release netted just $10.5 million at 2,820 movie theatres, way below expectations and far short of the $100 million cost.
Disney is expected to lose much of its investment unless there is an upsurge in the holiday fortnight.
Analysts blame a widespread reluctance to resume cinema going in the latest Coid wave, especially among the young.
As for the mature audience, tell anyone over 50 that they’ve remade West Side Story and the response is usually, ‘why?’
Was it useful to make a remake? Frankly… That reminds me when few years ago they did a remake of Far from the madding crowd… Impossible to surpass Julie Christie.
I felt the same about FFTMC, whose perfection I attributed more to the casting of the three men — I was reading the book not that long before the film came out and in my mind I had exactly those actors. So I resisted the new one for a long time. But it was actually very good.
WSS is marvellous. I find the Tony and Maria much more credible, and him more attractive. What a pity if it is done in by Omicron.
Excuse me for asking, but what is “FFTMC”? And what is “Omicron”? A character in the film?
Larry Kert was marvelous, beautiful, exquisite. No one can touch his performance, which made him a star. And Carol Lawrence also became a major star from the one performance.
Contrary to what many, if not most people think, the reboot/remake of the film version of West Side Story was totally unnecessary. It won ten well deserved and well earned Academy Awards, including Best Picture, when it came into the movie theatres in October of 1961, and there’s nothing that’ll beat the old, original 1961 film version of West Side Story, or even come close to doing so.
At least it doesn’t have James Corden in the role of Anita. I hope.
But anyway, I always thought Spielberg had good musical judgement in his films, so I’m going to go along and hope it’s good.
Sounds like this was his vanity project before he threw a seven.
It really is a fantastic remake – Rachel Zegler is wonderful.
‘As for the mature audience, tell anyone over 50 that they’ve remade West Sie Story and the response is usually, ‘why?’ How many people over 50 did you survey for this analysis? I’m over 50 and I can’t wait to see it, along with a considerable number of my mature friends.
Low attendance during the latest COVID-19 uptick is not a result of the quality of the film. I’m over 50, i was skeptical of the need for a remake, but came away from it absolutely flabbergasted! The mastery and skill demonstrated by Spielberg in his interpretation of this timeless work are utterly magnificent. This film is here to stay, and it will catch on big-time in the very near future. Remember, the opera Carmen also flopped at first…
That’s great to hear. I must admit to being sceptical when I saw that Disney was involved, but the trailer revealed some incredible film techniques.
I am exactly 50, haven’t seen the film yet but have already bought the soundtrack because I didn’t like Bernstein’s own recording in the 80s and I have great trust in director Steven Spielberg and music consultant John Williams.
I think NL’s arithmetic has let him down. By the time a 50-year old was born, in 1971, the first film (1961) was long gone from cinemas and was rarely on the TV. Like most over-50s I got to know it from the sound recordings (film soundtrack and original Broadway cast).
As to whether it needs to be remade – emphatically yes. You might as well ask whether we need another Beethoven 9 or another production of Bohème.
The original was excellent except for the finger-snapping, the over-acting of John Astin (embarrassing actually) and Simon Oakland, as the police office. These scenes let the film right down.
Robert Wise should have controlled those excesses. The opening aerial shots of NYC were inspired and Wise used this technique again for “The Sound of Music”.
Frankly, I disagree here,. I thought that the old, original 1961 film version of West Side Story was ;perfect, and so was the acting of Simon Oakland as Lt. Schrank, and Bill Bramley as Officer Krupke.
Hmm…the film was a reference for people for decades, not just those born within mambo distance of 1961.
It’s absolutely incredible in every respect and the orchestral playing by the NY Phil. is utterly extraordinary (but then they’ve known it since its inception of course). Go see it, you won’t be disappointed.
Was it the NY Phil or the LA Phil? Since Dudamel was listed as being the conductor of the soundtrack, I assumed it was the latter (although I know he’s guest conducted in NY before and is scheduled to do so again soon; might he be a contender for their music director post?)
The first announcement I saw about this well over a year ago said it was Gustavo with the NY Phil, but I saw a Variety article recently that said “NY Phil and LA Phil.” So I wonder if they split duties, or how exactly that worked.
In this era of consolidation it’s a NEW orchestra: the LANY Philharmonic!
NY Philharmonic
Yes, when the sound recording was done in 2019. But during the pandemic, additional recording was needed and — possibly because of conflicting commitments, or because of travel restrictions — additional recording was done by the LA Phil.
I saw it yesterday. Not really a remake as it’s more similar to the stage show rather than to the now 60 year old film.
Re: poor attendance – err – there is quite a good reason why folk aren’t getting out much !
Strongly recommended
It is new and fresh and wonderfully done! Can’t recommend it enough!!
we should all have such a “flop”
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2021-12-10/commentary-is-west-side-story-best-as-film-or-opera?mc_cid=56a8919c51&mc_eid=0fdfb3ae7e
Corrected headline:
Steve went “woke”,
Steve goes “broke”.
The perpetually aggrieved Leftist lot never learns while dying by their own hand as they force their mental illness on others. Still they get riled up at others when they can’t pay their bills. It’s a very common cycle illustrating Steven’s white privilege.
Que?
That’s right, nobody in America really believes any more in all that lovey-dovey liberal sissy stuff about love transcending the (God-given) boundaries of warring ethnic factions. What we really believe in, after over forty years of culture-war propaganda, is nothing but ideological disagreements and redemptive violence. If Spielberg wanted to remain relevant, he should have remade a real Hollywood classic like Dirty Harry or Death Wish. Right, Dawn? (And Spielberg has always been woke. People were denouncing ET as soft on communism back when it came out.)
How does your comment relate to the news story? Seems rather off-topic to me.
Spielberg has a history of using his white privilege to make money off of the backs of POCs. Audiences have finally seen him and Hollywood for what it is and decided rightly to boycott such offensive material.
He is using the Latino community here just as he used blacks during The Color Purple to make money off of slavery. He and white studio executives need to stop using POCs. The oscars are proof as black actors are demanding the recognition and money they deserve.
As a white man, he and his comrades needs to return every cent of profit to the black community for reparations!!!
EZ: Your thoughts on Schindler’s List?
Re-imagined with an African American cast of course.
I think you posted this on the wrong site. The Guardian is over there somewhere on the virtuous left and in a moment of abberation they gave it 5stars. Cancel them!!!!
These comments are so sad. Full of tragic, as yet unassuaged, grievance. See your doctor.
For once — must be Christmas! — I agree with you. All of us here who have seen it seem to be pretty happy about the film, while the naysayers are basing their opinions upon other things.
As you and all here well know, there is zero value to the critiques of someone who has never seen the show or read the book or looked at the picture though that’s usually more a rightwing than a leftwing approach, in my experience. (Mrs. Whitehouse, and the sort of American conservatives who try to get books like Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird out of school libraries).
Spielberg is a very uneven film-maker, and I was among those who were very suspicious about this film. But curiosity got the better of me, and I am glad it did. I am inclined to think it is better than the 1961 film. And I don’t think it has fallen victim to “woke,” which I thought it might — the contextualisation of the animosity between the groups — using urban renewal as a hook — strikes me as an understated (yes, I know– Spielberg!) way of dealing with it.
But I think Omicron, young people who have no interest in or concept of the stage musical aside from Hamilton and things adapted from movies they have seen (none at all of shows that went the other way) and a general timidity about returning to cinemas will hurt its box office.
As Disney has its own streaming service, which I gather is an expensive one, it may be a good long time before a lot of people have the opportunity to see it. And can DVD sales, which were the making of many a film’s earnings, be anticipated to make up the shortfall these days?
If your local cinema is restricting admissions in order to socially distance, I urge SD readers to mask up and go — it’s a wonderful holiday outing.
In this day and age, White and Puerto Rican people can’t relate to “street gangs” of long past. Nobody reports on gangs anymore either. That became too politically correct.
Why continue to keep people down with negative images of themselves anyway? It’s not selling.
Were Mr. Spielberg’s group of ethnic people involved in gang activity or financial crimes? He should focus on his own people to profit from then.
Today BLM is the dominant topic with only black issues woven in every narrative the left can cram into a story. No other groups struggles or opinions count in the media or educational system. BLM doesn’t see themselves as the gang they are as it is. They don’t want someone who looks like him exploiting their issues either.
People like Steven have done this throughout history while playing victim as they project on those who call them for what they are.
He and his fellow producers never help out others like blacks, Hispanics or goyam then cry when retaliated against.
oh my Graham are you ever wrong and really need to take a course in film history. Or at least see Spielberg’s Amistad, or even Gone with the Wind/ btw, it is spelled Goyim and the Hebrew word translates into “nations” not non-Jews.
Don’t even attempt to bat away anti-semitism.
Steven only makes money off of the misery of blacks as a matter of ‘film history’ but he sure won’t choose a black neighborhood to settle in or send his daughter to a…public school. HA!
His films exploit only the worst of circumstances and perpetuate racism. No positive images of blacks unless it’s scripted.
Please check your own white privilege Helene. It’s highly offensive. Unless of course you or he chose to live in a predominantly black neighborhood??? Waiting… NEVER; like the rest of your kind. You people always live in ‘certain’ places influenced by the same lot. No signs of diversity among your own areas or houses of worship unless they service you from the fringes. Always crying foul for the police to protect yourselves when a dark-skinned person dares to set foot in your inner circle.
Occasional pandering does not make you people intellectually or spiritually superior. You live as if everyone is beneath you showing your fear of all outsiders. Then you might throw a few bucks at causes to feel better you never have to actually live around POCs.
No black characters in Schindler’s list so no credibility is given even if he’s re-imagining that narrative as well.
No Helene, the facts stand on their own making them too painful for POCs. Let the protests commence.
To Trina: You wrote: ” your kind. You people” re: choosing one’s own neighborhood and schooling format. I agree with you completely, but please answer me why POC want out of their ghettos and even prefer not to live in government subsidized housing. Watch many sitcoms lately? JJWalker, remember him. Btw, your scenario, which I fear is being preached throughout POC’s communities no long washes. It’s time to look to your own, ie your kind. You people who have made it. Charity begins at home and so does civility and gratitude.
Contact me privately, and I’ll be glad to do my part and buy you a ticket to “Steven’s” West Side Story, and I dare say it’s more than you would do for me or my people and my kind.
I don’t believe what I am reading here. Wading through the offensive invective, let me just check one fact. How many “POCs,” as you call them — I assume you mean blacks — do you suppose were living in Poland, where Schindler’s List is set, during WWII? (Or now, for that matter?).
It is the current vogue to try to fix up the predominant (but hardly the only) racism of today’s society to prang POC” into all sorts of scenarios that are inaccurate. Yes, it is urgently imperative, if that is not a tautology, to get more representation of the whole society into films and television, among other occupations. But rewriting history is not the way.
A recent, reasonably good, film called King Richard, about the Williams sisters and their father, is the kind of film we should see more of. But, alas, it sadly underperformed at the box office too, despite a performance that will at least net Will Smith an Oscar nomination — and possibly, from what I have seen this year (admittedly not that much) the award.
I don’t know if blacks are low percentage film goers, or if there is as much interest in tennis and its stars as there is in street gangs of New York in the 50s and musicals, or if the film was also just affected by Covid-anxiety. Surely Will Smith is as much of a box-office draw as Steven Spielberg.
I am not a Spielberg devotee, so my viewing of his canon has been sporadic. But he seems to paint on a pretty wide canvas, and I doubt that it is with the intention to exploit other races. He has tried to tell stories, and some have worked better than others in my view. I did not like The Colour Purple, but only because I thought it emotionally manipulative.
Spielberg got criticised for doing the film at all because he was white. But had anyone else stepped up to offer for the book? Would a lot of us even know about it without the film? (Yes, it was probably before black directors were getting a look-in in Hollywood, but that film made Whoopi Goldberg, did Oprah Winfrey no harm, used Quincy Jones rather than Spielberg’s usual musical collaborator John Williams, and introduced Alice Walker to many people.
It may well have opened Hollywood’s eyes to the breadth and depth of black talent and opened doors for black directors and others to finally get the opportunities they had been denied.
I frequently disagree with Helene Kamioner on issues around here, but I find this ad hominem on her and, through her, her people, to be stunningly, egregiously offensive. We are discussing a film, and those involved in making it, here. Your divisive language contributes nothing.
Your obvious white privilege justifies the outrage against your people who perpetuate systemic racism V.Lind.
Please get educated before you inflict more harm on society.
BTW for those of you attempting to goad others into seeing Spielberg’s remake before judging, you failed educate yourselves on the fact that only SPANISH is spoken! The entire point of the movie’s abject failure is that no ENGLISH is either spoken or subtitled. And no, asking your Hispanic maid, gardener or drug dealer to accompany you and interpret doesn’t count.
step back much in history Lakisha. it’s about Black privellege these days momma
How much do your people engage in African American outreach at your local level to include us in Temple and Synagogue services Ms. Kamioner?
Blacks are indeed worthy of Jewish inclusion.
A great deal in fact, if you must know.
i use the word gentiles.
much nicer
FACTS.
Spielberg needs to give the money back to each group he chose to EXPLOIT to make money off of using his white privilege.
Black folks have historically been used by those white only producers and studios. They’re fighting back today including at the oscars with every protest speech. Their particular white ways of Hollywood are the inner root of systemic racism. Their neighborhoods and schools exemplify segregation to this day. They still discriminate against blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Indians, Christians in business and religious dealings using their closed social construct. Props to BLM for protesting those racists and bless the Clintons, Obama’s and Bidens for supporting the cause.
You forgot to include ET and his race/ethnicity. How will he get Spielberg’s money. Will he come back? Visit Elliot?
Have you seen Obama’s Estate in Martha’s Vineyard?
His people use anti-semitism in a crude projection of their overt racism toward others.
Let’s see a POC finally heading the ADL!
Good comments, completely wrong context. Let’s see the film first, aye?
There is absolutely no reason not to remake any more reason than not to recycle Aida in the opera house. I look forward to seeing it sometime. I see no reason to crow over its lack of success.
If the first movie was bad with no success ok or you can keep the title, keep the story and do something in an onther period like they did twice for A star is born. But do the same story at the same period…
Was the original West Side Story really all that great?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdMtf-O6tZk
You can ask the question. But it was an important movie. For me the best musical movies of all times is without doubts are Cabaret and All that jazz.
I hated All That Jazz. Cabaret was good.
Both of them bored me rigid.
I’ll nominate “Hello Dolly” and “Chicago” for best musicals. But that are just my favorites. To each his own.
The ’61 movie is no untouchable classic to me. Rita Moreno was great, but the other performances ranged from “meh” to terrible. I’ve heard nothing but good things about the new movie from people whose opinions I trust, so I look forward to seeing it. I’ve always liked the stage musical more than that film.
I’m glad Jerome Robbins’ brilliant choreography is preserved in the 1961 version.
To be honest, having seen parts of the new West Side Story film version, I much prefer the old, original 1961 film version of West Side Story to this one.
I was excited for this, but if Spielberg continues to insist that subtitles are racist for the home video release, I hope deaf people sue him and Disney to infinity and beyond.
The late Stephen Sondheim, in an interview with Stephen Colbert on CBS in September 2021, thought the ‘remake’ was fabulous. Recommendation enough for me.
Studios would be wise to release films like this on streaming services right away. I assume they don’t because they’ve cut deals with cinema chains.
The thing is, the movie-going audience isn’t as well-behaved as the classical concert crowd. They may not wear masks properly, vaccination checks aren’t universal in theaters, and many people talk or text during the films. Better to wait for the streaming release in a few weeks or months.
From the NY Times: “Among A-list filmmakers, Spielberg is one of the last streaming holdouts. Although his company, Amblin, signed a multiyear deal in June to make feature films for Netflix, Spielberg has pushed for his directorial projects to remain theatrical exclusives. At the New York City premiere of “West Side Story,” he thanked Disney executives for giving his film an old-fashioned theatrical rollout, despite the pandemic, rather than rerouting it to a streaming service, as the company had notably done with “Hamilton.”
I was very happy to see the movie on the big screen. However, I don’t reqlly believe that it will be a success. For younger folks the music just sucks, and the older ones don’t go to the cinema in droves, in particular with Covid still lingering.
It’ll be streaming soon enough, but even my 65″ screen is inadequate for something like this that should be experienced on the big screen.
You are so right about this. Cinema-going is too much of trial these days for all the reasons you suggest. Bad behaviour is a sign of our times, very sadly. It’s consistent enough to draw our attention, unless occasional concert audiences:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQY_mwgisfo
The only problem with streaming, however, is that Spielberg has insisted that his film version of West Side Story only be played in movie theatres.
At least DG has now got a new version with better singers and orchestra playing, replacing the ridiculous production with Carreras, Te Kanawa, and Bernstein himself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoKZlcidbms
Ridiculous, really? I love that recording and I’m glad it was made. The TV documentary from which that clip is taken is captivating and well worth watching in its entirety.
Ok granted Carreras was a weird choice of tenor, but the rest of the casting works. There is no better rendition of ‘America’ than the one with Troyanos. If you can watch this without smiling there is something wrong with you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wco-74BSFbI
Absolutely! Bernstein’s own souped-up, “operaticized” version is a complete trainwreck. It must have something to do with his inferiority complex over having had his greatest artistic success with a “mere” musical.
And Baron Lloyd-Webber was more successful in that sector (except Cinders).
For me, Lenny’s greatest artistic achievement is his Viennese Mahler cycle for TV and his Sibelius and Shostakovich recordings on DG.
I also like his Rosenkavalier recording.
Indeed. It’s hard to imagine more inappropriately cast leads than Te Kanawa and Carreras (and IIRC Bernstein’s kids recorded the dialogue in those roles). What were they thinking?
For God’s sake, nobody was forced to buy it and not everybody is concerned about the authenticity of the musical. It is not of universal importance.
Aficionados can buy other versions and those who like the voices employed can be left to enjoy it.
Too many people seem desperate to sound oh-so-discerning. It has a distinctly phoney ring to it. It was just an alternative approach, that’s all.
The only thing that’s phony here was Bernstein’s misguided attempt to turn his musical into a tragic opera and, thereby, draining all the color and rhythm from it. Te Kanawa and Carreras were the poorest choices possible.
Really, you’re telling a community that obsesses over music written 300 years ago or more – much of it unheard or unappreciated during it’s creator’s lifetime – that we should judge the merits of a film based on how many tickets it sold in its first three days?
At current ticket prices, that’s actually close to a million people who went out to a theatre to see it, which is impressive during COVID. But I guess I better not wait long.
A remake can easily be justified by the casting alone, and the material has been cautiously modernized, too. Some of the vocal performances in the new version are outstanding, and in contrast to the stagy 1961 version, here it’s the actors themselves who are performing the songs. Excellent cinematography (much, MUCH better than the original).
Don’t agree about the cinematography of the original WSS: Fapp’s was excellent – especially in the lighting and the use of dollies and cranes; the closing credits were inspired, as was the editing. It’s so very difficult to shoot scenes with very athletic dancing. “Play it Cool, Boy”; the camera was placed right in amongst the dancers in that garage.
There is much to cherish in Wise’s production.
I totally agree with everything you’ve said here. The fact that the late Boris Leven seemlessly combined on-location scenes with sound-stage scenes to create a backdrop that looked uncannily like the impoverished, rough and rundown parts of the city, as well as the cast, and the beautifully-choreographed dancing by Jerome Robbins, and the fabulous use of reds, blues and purples to create passionate scenery and backgrounds, as well as the fact that when West Side Story was transferred from theatre to screen, it was preserved as a larger-than-lifesized piece of theatre also gave it its strength and character.
Having said all of the above, as a devout fan of the old, original 1961 film version of West Side Story, the old, original film of WSS is the real deal for me.
Covid is one reason for low attendance, but far from the only: currently in the US, movies are being released simultaneously, or nearly so, on Netflix and in theaters. WSS isn’t one of those, but it will soon enough be ready for streaming and I’ll wait. Another reason is that it doesn’t have Marvel on it; that’s the low level to which American movies audiences have sunk.
They’re giving the public what it wants with those low-level entertainments. Reminds me of the famous story about the death of the widely-loathed Harry Cohen, from Columbia Pictures. His funeral was huge and it was Billy Wilder, I think, who quipped, “well, it only proves that if you give the people what they want they’ll turn out in droves”!! If it wasn’t Wilder it certainly could have been.
I gues I never saw need for a remake because I never thought the original was all that great.
Truth be told, the original film isn’t very good, quite overrated. All the principals are dubbed. That wouldn’t be a problem if they brought something truly special to their roles (think Deborah Kerr in King and I) but none of them can really act and are all duller than cooled lettuce. But I still have no interest in the new film.
Agreed. I find it surprising how much affection there suddenly is for the original version. It’s unintentionally campy (the filmmakers really thought that teenagers talked like that, that this is what NYC gangs were like); the actors having to be dubbed by singers; and the white actors in brown face, which has been ridiculed for decades.
Actually, George Chakiris did all his own singing. Moreno did most of her own as well.
And also Richard Beymer. (He and Natalie Wood couldn’t stand each other!!)
Actually, however, it was Natalie Wood who couldn’t stand Richard Beymer, and actually tried to get Beymer kicked off of the set on several occasions.
Afew months later, however, Richard Beymer and Natalie Wood met by chance in a California diner, Richard Beymer was attracted to Natalie Wood, and they both made up and become friends after that.
You prefer your lettuce warm?
Spielberg is going to be out of luck in Northampton, England. Spiderman will have dispatched the Jets and the Sharks to the two arthouse cinemas at the end of the week.
Wow, I always thought Northampton was in Wales. Thanks for clarifying!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northampton,_Massachusetts
I shall have to put Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts on my bucket list to compare with Northampton, Northamptonshire, England.
Northampton, England has been getting it act together culturally with the Derngate Theatre that put on opera and ballet. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra visit as well as other shows. The Royal Theatre has an imaginitive programme and there are smaller theatre venues too.
The Northampton Filmhouse which shows independent films as well mainstream films has two screens and joins the Lings Forum Cinema in this endeavour.
But the main shopping street is a disaster area now.
I would LOVE to see this. I’m particularly interested in Justin Peck’s choreography. But I’m well over 50 and despite being vaxxed and boosted, there’s no way I’m going inside a movie theater — particularly since I live in Floriduh.
NPR has been falling all over themselves on a daily basis to emphasize how much more woke this version is than the original musical. The corner store owner is now a woman, and she has a back story! More screen time is given to the Puerto Rican gang members! Chino is now a sympathetic “catch” instead of a murderous thug! There are no subtitles for spoken Spanish because many audience members speak Spanish!
Not mentioned in any review is that the singing is constantly auto-tuned throughout, resulting in a mechanical, lifeless quality to every damn song. This is the vocal equivalent of the Uncanny Valley. The fact that the singers can’t actually sing is underlined when one realizes that almost none of the promo clips for the film include **any** singing, instead focusing on orchestral moments.
What is the point of going to see a musical in which the music itself is an afterthought? I’m sure Spielberg’s camerawork is awesome, and if you’re into woke re-imaginings of classics, it’ll be great. If you actually care about the music? I guess stick with the original cast album.
And the orchestral moments I heard weren’t too good either. They fudged with the score, and the orchestra sounds digital rather than live.
Spielberg is the director, not the cinematographer. He can tell the latter what he wants – and it’s possible he story-boarded first – but the lighting, depth and focus are the prerogatives of the cinematographer.
Correct, but since the cinematographer is the great Janusz Kaminski, who worked many times with Spielberg, we can safely assume that the director got what he wanted.
This over 50 guy is just fine with seeing a remake…if it’s truly good (and I’m hoping it’s great). If I didn’t want to see “remakes”, I wouldn’t go to new opera productions all the time. After all, nothing is every better than the original, right?
To each their own, but the old, original 1961 film version of West Side Story is the real deal for me, if one gets the drift.
Premature schadenfreude. The reactions from my mostly over-50, mostly musically literate acquaintances are largely ecstatic. The Van Hove-de Keersmaker stage version was wrong-headed and, understandably, a flop, but this seems to address many of the failings of the 1961 film. I can’t wait to see it.
I plan to see it this afternoon. As for the older set, it’s worth a look at today’s headline in the NYT that reports one out of every 100 Americans over 65 have perished from the coronavirus (some 600,000). As for me (64 and Anglo-Puerto Rican), I was born the year WSS hit Broadway (1957) and can only imagine what those first audiences – accustomed to Rodgers & Hammerstein, Lerner & Lowe tuneful shows – must have felt in that electrifying jolt of musical energy. I do remember when I was very young how “Tonight” ruled the pre-rock radio waves in ‘60 or ‘61. I didn’t see the movie until it played on TV for the first time about a decade later, and I took my own family to see/hear the Broadway Spanglish revival in, was it 2006?
So I’m excited to see the new film revival, have been looking forward for years, feel envious of those lucky theater goers who saw it in 1957 and feel quite confident that audiences will still thrill to it 100 years from now.
Absolutely agree….like the Rite of Spring in 1900’s….electric! Enjoy the film this afternoon Byrwec
Uniformly rave reviews?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/12/09/im-over-west-side-story-can-we-tell-puerto-rican-stories-that-really-matter-now/
I’m 66 years old. I own LPs, CDs, and DVDs of the Original Broadway recording, the 1961 movie and Bernstein’s DG remake. I love this musical, I know it intimately, and will eventually go to my local theater to see it. BUT… how many under the age of 40 are familiar with WSS, or have even seen the 1961 movie? Under 30? Under 20? So I think all the hype and interest in this classic is mostly limited to an older demographic, hence the low box office numbers. I hope positive word of mouth about the new movie will help increase viewership, but I’m skeptical.
West Side Story seems to put on as a stage show in England quite often. So presumably Spielberg thought there was a market for it. I am planning to go and see it, UK Government restrictions permitting.
Highjacking this thread more than somewhat, but it’s a good opportunity to consult fellow musicians.
Does the dancing look speeded up to you?
The dancing in Spielberg’s reboot/remake of the film version looks extremely hyped up.
The violas are TOO LOUD!!!
Thank you!!!
The story needs to be reset in the 90s or 2000s. Most people can’t relate to a plot set in the late 50s with teens street fighting. The box office speaks for itself.
Most young people can’t relate to anything that is not of their own experience (and I include in that their steady diet of fantasy films and those based upon comic books or written as if they were). Is this really going to be the death of history?
West Side Story was originally conceived as a Jewish Story….would it have been better….it didn’t hurt Fiddler on the Roof
https://forward.com/culture/479433/original-west-side-story-jewish-musical-gang-bang-arthur-laurents-leonard/?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_3364028
It’s an enjoyable time at the movies…and there are some spectacular set pieces.
The sound design of the music is “soupy” and overly digitized. The singing is auto-tuned, with every singing actor (including Rita Moreno) sounding like a Stepford diva
Overall, it is still better than the stagey original film.
As for Sondheim’s praise- he also praised the dreadful “Sweeney Todd” movie.
I’m 66. It is astounding. The movie excellent, too.
Little early to call it a flop. I plan to see it very soon.
Even watching the two or three minute trailer was an earsore, so why put up with two hours? It looked faker than a three dollar bill, and cannot be as magic as the original (that is, if you overlook the poor acting and accents).
I prefer the original 1961 film version of West Side Story to Spielberg’s reboot/remake of this classic movie-musical. I saw part of Spielberg’s reboot/remake of the film version of West Side Story on my computer this afternoon, as well as on a TV program that emphasized the comparisons between the old and the new film versions of WSS, and listened to the whole soundtrack on youtube just out of curiosity. The accents of the actors/actresses in the reboot/remake of the film version of West Side Story were just as phony, if not phonier than the accents in the old, original 1961 film version of WSS
After posting yesterday, my significant other and I attended last night…large theater with only 9 in attendance. We were underwhelmed. Bernstein and Sondheim were the stars that were, at times, overlooked. The filming is broad and interesting at times. Only the large ensemble numbers catch fire. The Anita is outstanding and the Maria is very good as well. But, the Tony is really weak in my opinion…he just didn’t have the energy I’d like to see in the role. The Sharks would have dominated the Jets in a real fight. A few things to like…and I’m glad they remade the show…it surpasses the first show in movie making…but not in the same league for music and choreography.
Stevie Spielberg has just run out of really great stories. Don’t worry, I have more, many more! Just start paying for them is all I ask.
My ‘mature’ friends who have seen this version are loving it. We look forward to going soon.
Personally, I had mixed feelings about the original film and some at the time who saw the show on Broadway found it to be superior to the film.
So I guess I’m interested to see what a great film director like Spielberg has to say about a great musical the same way that I’d be interested to hear what Claudio Abbado (or pick your own favorite conductor) has to say about some great work in the canon.
(PS – You have a missing ‘v’ in Covid in your post above.)
A remake of ANYTHING and especially a classic can be a bust! Westside Story is one you really don’t want to touch. Hollywood seems to have lost it’s creativity and imagination when it comes to ideas, too many remakes and serial remakes, YUCK!
That’s very true, Marcia Fierro. Hollywood has run out of creative original ideas, which has an awful lot to do with why there are so many sequels and remakes of older classic films taking place.
To be truthful, I don’t think that Spielberg made a wise decision when he decided to reboot/remake the film version of West Side Story, especially since it won ten well-deserved and well-earned Academy Awards, including Best Picture, when it came out into the movie theatres in October 1961. I’ve always had a gut reaction against remakes of good older classic films, generally, especially something such as West Side Story.
In today’s world, a hit movie, or at least a non-flop movie, has to attract pretty vast numbers of an audience demographic that I think is unimaginable for having any interest whatever in a “movie musical” with the kind of singing and kind of voice that WSS demands. At one time traditional movie musicals were popular and could be hit movies. I think those days are gone, and the quality of the film or of the music or of the performances just doesn’t matter. WSS is a friendly ghost. It can be enjoyed but it can’t generate the numbers.
The genre has changed, and I for one, who was antipathetic to a lot of earlier musicals, was not sorry. Originally. But the day is coming when the musicals of ALW are going to look like the good old days — the musical of today is Mamma Mia! and its spawn — all these shows based upon a nostalgic look at pop music. Nothing at all wrong with that, and it certainly caters to a younger demo — while still drawing out the older patrons, who remember Cabaret and The Rocky Horror Picture Show (gag) with affection.
But quality may out in music as it has elsewhere. I remember, as a very young dance critic, discussing a bountiful summer of dance films — never a very crowded field — with my editor at a dance mag. We discussed the contemporaneous release of Nijinsky and The Turning Point, and concluded that the best film of the summer about DANCING was Saturday Night Fever.
And, although I never much cared for country music, probably the best movie musical I have ever seen is Nashville — by another director without a track record in musicals.
Since “Grease.” You might add the even more egregious “High School Musical.”
Yecchhh!
Aside from all the conversations about the shortcomings, or attributes of the lead actors, there was absolutely no need to remake this movie. I watch the original with Natalie Wood, and Richard Beymer at least once a year, and I still get goose bumps from the soundtrack. The movie was flawless, and will be watched long after we are all gone. This remake was the egomaniac Spielberg at his worst decision making to date.
I’m over fifty and it’s probably one of the greatest and most satisfying films ever made.
The old, original 1961 film version of west side story is the real deal, and always will be. For a number of reasons that would take too long to post on here, I am voting my.pocket book and boycotting spielbergs reboot/remake of the film versionof west side story.
To Trina: You wrote: ” your kind. You people” re: choosing one’s own neighborhood and schooling format. I agree with you completely, but please answer me why POC want out of their ghettos and even prefer not to live in government subsidized housing. Watch many sitcoms lately? JJWalker, remember him. Btw, your scenario, which I fear is being preached throughout POC’s communities no long washes. It’s time to look to your own, ie your kind. You people who have made it. Charity begins at home and so does civility and gratitude.
Contact me privately, and I’ll be glad to do my part and buy you a ticket to “Steven’s” West Side Story, and I dare say it’s more than you would do for me or my people and my kind.
Nobody is interested in a new “West Side Story” nor “Sound of Music” remake.
what a waste of money … remaking a masterpiece
You can say THAT again! Boy, oh boy@
https://foyer.de/mediathek/west-side-story-bernsteins-broadway-hit/
Isn’t Spielberg’s West Side Story more of an adaptation than a remake?
I think it is a remake in the way the word is usually used in the movie biz.
Nope! A remake of a film is a remake of a film, regardless of what anybody says or things, and Spielberg’s film version of West Side Story is no exception.
Cats
Dear Evan Hansen
West Side Story
Jeezus squeezus, hollywood, learn your damn lesson already!!!
I want to leave my exquisite memories of tony Beamer, Natalie Wood, Sondheim, Bernstein, Robbins, Marino, Chakiris, et al intact. I saw it with my parents who were movie and music aficionados and have no desire to disturb those beautiful thoughts. If Spielburg wants to update the story for a new crowd it ll happen online which is where they live anyway. I for one have no interest in it.
https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/VIDEO-Rita-Moreno-Ansel-Elgort-Talk-Remaking-WEST-SIDE-STORY-for-a-New-Generation-20211209?utm_source=newsletterweekly&utm_medium=email
Hooray. Perhaps that will teach them to mess with a classic?
I’m looking forward to seeing this and several other movies – but nothing is getting me into a theater right now.
I went both with friends, and solo, to see the 60th Anniversary evening screenings of the old, original 1961 film version of West Side Story (which is my all-time favorite movie, hands down!), and we all had a wonderful, wonderful time! The print that was shown on a great big wide movie theatre screen, in Boston and other selected movie theatres throughout the USA, courtesy of fathom events.com and Turner Classic Movies, was absolutely and totally stellar–not a scratch anywhere on it—and the soundtrack absolutely pristine.
As I’ve pointed out in another post on this thread, the old, original 1961 film version of West Side Story is the real deal for me.
I saw parts of the new West Side Story film version on a TV Program that compared the new West Side Story with the old, original 1961 classic film version of WSS, and listened to the soundtrack of the new WSS film on youtube, just out of curiosity, and saw both trailers and extra photos of the new WSS film version, which re-enforced my opinions.