Amph "I like to be in America!" the West Side Story thread (all versions)

I wanted to create a thread to focus on West Side Story - both the Broadway musical and the two screen versions that have been made.
(It is just over a week before the Steven Spielberg remake opens in theaters - but early reactions are spectacular and many expect it to be an Oscar frontrunner).
The 1961 version is the one I grew up with and I'm glad my parents introduced me to it via VCR when I was still too young to understand everything in it. Or why it is one of the greatest musicals of the 20th century.
I've been very lucky to have since watched WSS '61 in a revival theater, shown in magnificent 70mm, and iet is truly an experience to be treasured. (Obviously I am very much aware of how the whitewashing in the original movie is a disappointing element of it even if people at the time didn't think anything was terribly wrong with it)
I've already got opening night tickets to the new Spielberg version and hope to watch it in Dolby Cinema and IMAX for that short week before Spider-Man takes over all the premium screens in North America.


If you want to know more about the new version I recommend this Vanity Fair article: https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywoo...l-type=owned&utm_source=twitter&+utm_brand=vf

 

Somehow West Side Story returned.

 

This is very trying. I'm staying out of cinemas at the moment for my Dad's sake but between this and DUNE it's very trying.

 

reviews are pretty good. The last time I went to a musical over the holidays was "Into the Woods," and I have never stopped regretting it.

 

Oh it's coming out now? I've not heard any news on it. I should tell my brother, he like this

 

It opens next Friday but they also have early showings on Thursday evening. If you want to catch it in IMAX or Dolby Cinema, you should hurry because it's only going to be on the premium auditoriums for one week.

 

I'm in Korea. They show new movies for a weekend, maybe 2 if nothing big comes out. So my only chance would be this weekend probably.

That is if I do. I don't know, I never really liked it except for the "I feel pretty" jokes. My brother liked it, he liked playing the music on his cello. It's not really my type of thing

 

Many people are saying it's one of the best movies of the year

 

2021 , like , not exactly a great year so far. it's better than Jungle Cruise?

 

How many movies have you seen this year?

 

If you can get past the paywall this article may be of interest.

 

Just one more day!

I guess with so many enthusiastic reviews it's not surprising that talk is quickly turning into whether or not this will become the Oscars frontrunner....

 

What a coincidence, I likewise played along on my cello. Small world.

I saw the 1961 movie with the music played by a live orchestra. I love the score, very popular in my household. Yay Rita Moreno!

 

My daughter is super excited about this. Musical theater is her jam. I took her to see Hamilton last week here in Dallas and she was in heaven (I adore the show too).

So this is the next big thing on her radar. I’m very interested to see what SS does with this classic. Seems timely in a way with all the racial animosity getting stirred up by the far right at this point in our country’s history.

 

That's exciting to hear Kiki, I hope you and your daughter will enjoy the film a lot.
I'm really excited that the movie starts playing this evening....

 

I saw Leonard Bernstein conduct the Vienna Philharmonic once, and it was an amazing experience. That was near the end of his life, but he was so charismatic on stage. I don't know if West Side Story was his crowning achievement in music, but he was a prodigious, virtuosic talent. I'm interested to see what Spielberg, who when he directed the film was about the same age as Bernstein was when he died, has accomplished. Musicals are hard. Maybe comedy is harder. (1941!)

 

have they added or dropped any songs?

 

From what I've read the order of some songs has been rearranged to be closer to what it was in the Broadway version.

 

At the end of "Gee Officer Krupke" instead of "Krup you!" they changed it to "Back the Blue!"

 

I know you're only kidding.

 

Cross-posted from the "last movie you saw" thread - I should also have mentioned the wonderful work of Gustavo Dudamel as the orchestra conductor.

West Side Story (2021)
I haven't been blown away by a movie like this in many years - this is a remake that truly deserves to be called a masterpiece, and far and away the best movie of the year.
Everything about it is perfect from the first frame of the film - the music, the casting, the orchestration, the cinematography, the production design - right down to the last minute period detail that is absolutely right -, every camera movement, all the costumes and makeup, in short, everything.
Don't be scared when you hear much of the dialogue is in Spanish and there aren't any subtitles in the whole movie - I could have easily understood every bit of it even if I didn't speak any Spanish. Any subtitles would have been insulting to the audience's intelligence, imho.
I was especially impressed by the way some of the best numbers have been moved to new locations, to great dramatic impact. "I Like to Be in America" now takes place in the streets of NYC, "Officer Krupke" is set at an empty police station, and "I Feel Pretty" is now set at a department store.
More importantly, the movie is keenly aware of the class dynamics at play and the way gentrification was changing NYC in the late 50s. This last part was completely missing from the 1961 original.
The whole cast is excellent, with Rita Moreno a total standout filling in the role previously played by Doc.
While this movie does not and cannot erase memories of its predecessor, it does away with the problematic whitewashing that mars the 60s screen incarnation. Rachel Zegler is divine as Maria and so are Ariana DeBose as Anita and David Alvarez as Bernardo. Irene Menas is perfect as Anybody and so are Brian d'Arcy James as Officer Krupke and Corey Still as Lt Schrank.

 

Holy crap that movie was great. Just saw it. A lot like the old film but contemporized just enough. Maria was great, Tony was great ( I had no idea that actor could sing). Riff and Anita are standouts, not surprising as they are Broadway stars. And it was touching seeing Rita Moreno, what a great coda to her career and link to the original.

 

Spielberg's adaptation just might be the most faithful to the original Broadway show, having had extensive input from those who know it better than anyone, as this article explains:

How ‘West Side Story’s’ First-Class Music Team Preserved the Authenticity of Leonard Bernstein’s Score

 

My favorite part of the score is when Tony sings "Something's Coming." When he sings "around the corner or whistling down the river comon deliver to me" the camera pans around him and there is some lovely swirling music. It's just magic.