mplo2022

Hi, purplekow. Thank you for your nice reply to my post. That was very cool and nice of the woman who you ended up marrying to buy you a copy of the original 1961 film version of West Side Story, knowing that it's your favorite movie. The original 1961 film version of West Side Story is my all time favorite film, as well. As a devout fan of the original 1961 film version of West Side Story, I've admittedly seen it more times than I'm able or willing to count at this point, in the movie theatres, on TV, and even on my computer. Although I have not seen the whole new movie version of West Side Story, I've seen enough of it (i. e. 3 trailers and extra photographs of it), to form the opinion that like remakes of other older classic films, that Spielberg's film version of WSS totally lacks the charm, charisma and personality of the original movie. Admittedly, I've always had a gut reaction against remakes of older classic films, generally, especially something such as the 1961 film version of West Side Story. Late last fall, when there was a 2-day nation-wide 60th Anniversary screening of the old, original 1961 film version of West Side Story in selected movie theatres throughout the United States, I went to see both evening screenings of it, both with friends, and solo. The print was absolutely pristine, without a scratch or other flaws anywhere on it, and the soundtrack totally stellar. I and my friends had lots of fun.

Sorry, folks, but as a Senior citizen who occasionally hitchhiked and even picked up an occasional hitchhiker during the early to mid-1970's, I would not give anybody I didn't know from a hole in the ground a lift, much less hitchhike nowadays. It's far too risky and it deprives one of any control over what may occur if things go south, if one gets the drift.

As a devout fan of the old, original 1961 film version of West Side Story, the original 1961 film version of West Side Story is the real deal for me, all around. Here's why: A) The fact that it opens with the pencil marks that eventually turn into buildings on the island of 1950's-1960's ManHattan, showing various colors beforehand, followed by the aerial viewpoints of the West Side of 1950's-1960's Manhattan, when gradually zeroes down in on the finger-snapping Jets is a fantastic opening and a great moment to a fantastic classic movie-musical. B) The intensely brilliant Leonard Bernstein musical score is stellar, and doesn't go flat inso many places, the way the soundtrack to the 2021 film version of West Side Story does, and does not haver a metallic sound to it, either. C) The voices of Richard Beymer and Natalie Wood, despite being dubbed by the late Marni Nixon are projected much more forwardly than Ansel Elgort's or Rachel Zegler's. D) The seamlessly-combined on-location scenes with sound-stage scenes by the late Boris Leven look uncannily like the impoverished rough and rundown parts of the city, rather than the tonier, wealthier parts of the city, the latter of which occurs in Steven Spielberg's new film version of WSS. E) Having grown up seeing a lot of movies, including the original 1961 film version of West Side Story in technicolor, that's that I tend to prefer. The cinematography of the late Daniel Fapp involves the use of hot, passionate colors such as reds, purples, and blues, as well as other colors, to illustrate the story behind West Side Story, unlike the Spielberg vfilm version of West Side story, which seems to use too much blue and to go from much duller colors to suddenly go to colors that are way too jarring. G) In the old, original 1961 film version of West Side Story, the Jets, the Sharks and their girls looked way rougher and tougher than the Jets and the Sharks and their girls in the 2021 film version of West Side Story. The same thing is true of the late Simon Oakland's Lt. Schrank, the late Bill Bramley's Officer Krupke, and even the late Ned Glass's Doc, who was the Candy Store Owner. H) Russ Tamblyn played a fabulous role as Riff, the tough socks and arrogant Jet gang leader, and he had both the personality and the looks for the role of Riff, as well as the acrobatic ability, as well. The late Tucker Smith was also perfect in his playing of the role of the more mature, calm, cool and collected Ice, who not only kept Action in check a number of times when he'd go out of control, but took over the Jets gang leadership after Riff's death during the Rumble, and advised the Jets to keep cool, and not to continue to wreak revenge on the Sharks, at this point. I) All of the cast in the original 1961 film version of West Side Story fit their roles beautifully. Rita Moreno was fantastically spectacular as Anita, the fiery girlfriend of the sardonic Bernardo, the Shark gang leader, which was fabulously played by George Chakiris. Both Rita Moreno and George Chakiris won well deserved and well-earned Academy Awards as the Best Supporting Acttress and the Best Supporting Actor. J) In the old, original 1961 film version of West Side Story, Susan Oakes played the part of the tough tomboy, Anybodys, wTonyho fought to be accepted as an equal by the Jets as an equal, which she eventually won. I've always thought of Anybodys as a straight but tough tomboy of a girl, who proved that she could take care of herself. There are plenty of straigh tough girls and women like that in real life. K) When Ice assigns the Jets and their girls to various places to search for Tony, after the Jets have learned from Anybodys, who's been spying around, and ultimately tells the Jets about Chino's gunning for Tony, Ice assigns Anybodys to go in and out of the shadows ro look for Tony. Imo, the fact that Anybodys gets all dreamy-eyed when Ice gives her the compliment of "Hey! Ya done good, buddy-boy!", and she responds with a dreamy-eyed, smiling "Thanks, Daddy-o!" indicates that anybody's has kind of fallen in love with Ice, although Anybodys acts worse than the Jets when, while they're in Doc's Candy Store protecting Tony (who's hiding in Doc's cellar), (who Anybodys found while going in and out of the shadows), when Anita made a sincere attempt to help protect Tony from Chino, who's gunning for him), Anybodys says to the Jets "But she wants to help get Tony!", which results in the Jets' insulting and roughing up Anita, who's saved from sexual assault by the Jets, when Doc comes in. L) The very fact that in the original 1961 film version of West Side Story, in the various scenes/songs in West Side Story, including the playground skirmishes between the Jets and Sharks, as well as the "America", "Dance at the Gym", the pre-Rumble Ensemble of all the characters, especially the Jets and Sharks, but Tony, Anita and Maria as well, are getting ready for a big night, and the various reds and purples are emphasized to indicate passion here, as well as the dance scenes of the Rumble, also make for a great climax. So does the "Cool" scene in the Garage after the Rumble, that's led by Ice, who's taken over the Jet gang leadership after Riff's death during the Rumble. M) I like the fact that the "Officer Krupke" scene was played in the 1961 film version of WSS prior to the Rumble, that the "I Feel Pretty" scene by Maria and her girlfriends in the Bridal Shop Prior to the Rumble and the deaths, and the fact that the "Cool" scene was played after the Rumble, when the Jets were tense and upset by the killings. The order of these songs in the original 1961 film version of West Side Story wea much more fitting. The fact that the Shark Girl, Rosalia, was treated as an equal by her girlfriends, rather than being constantly bullied, teased and made fun of by her fgirlfriends was much better, as well. N) The fact that there seemed to be a hint of possible reconciliation after Maria gives her angry message after Tony has been shot and killed by Chino was the catalyst that helped lead to a hint of a possible truce between the Jets and Sharks, especially when several Jets and Sharks come together to carry Tony's body off, as well as the fact that baby-John gently puts Maria's mourning shawl over her head and shoulders, and that even the combative Action approaches Maria in a gentle manner, iprovide a ray of hope and a possible unification by the Jets and Sharks. O) The fact that Tony and Maria sing "Somewhere" together in the end and when they plan to elope together indicates a ray of hope and a plea for peace and acceptance. P) In the original 1961 film version of West Side Story, it's clear that, despite their different backgrounds (i. e. the White European Ethnic american Jets and the newly-arrived Puerto Rican Sharks) have very different backgrounds, they also have much in common, as well: the fact that they're both competing for the small turf, and the crumbs that the Continental United states has left the Jets and Sharks to compete for and fight over, as well as the Jets' racism. Q) While the new film version of West Side Story portrays the newly-arrived Puerto Rican Sharks as good, upstanding guys who are determined to lead normal lives, the Jets are portrayed as people who are portrayed as failed people who are simply unalloyed racists who are to ge repelled and don't stand a chance for making it in society, the original 1961 film version of West ?Side Story makes it clear that both the Jets and the Sharks not only have a lot in common, but theat both gangs bear responsibility for the lives that are lost on both sides. Both the Jets and Sharks are just ordinary kids in the original 1961 film version who'e green driven to gangsterism and gang warfare, due to not only racial/ethnic hatred, but competition for territory, and, in general, the crumbs that American Society has left then to compete for. R) In the original 1961 film version of West Side Story, both the Jets and Sharks are just ordinary street kids , and no back story has been given to them, unlike Tony who's on parole from prison, where he's serving for assault and attempted murder. Riga Moreno's role as Doc's widow, as well as the fact that she sing's "Somewhere" in the end, seem a little bit "Off" to me. S) All in all, the fact that the original 1961 film version of WSS goes from being light to dark to light many times, and sheds a ray of ope in the end indicates what a great movie-musical it is. The new film version of West Side Story, on the other hand, seems to lack any real lightness, and seems way overdone, unnatural, and doesn't feel like West Side Story, unlike the original 1961 film version. N) The fact that Tony and Maria sang "Som

I have to admit to one thing: I've been a devout fan of the old, original 1961 film version of West Side Story for more than 50 years. I was first introduced to West Side Story through the music to the 1957 Broadway stage production summer of 1962, prior to entering the sixth grade, while at day camp out West in Tucson, AZ. West Side Story-mania was in the air at that time. Kids roamed the hallways in packs while snapping their fingers and singing all the songs to WSS. Five days a week, the bus to and from camp rang with songs from West Side Story. It was rather cool. Not only did I play my parents' copy of the 33 LP of the soundtrack on their Hi-Fi as often I could, but I also liked to bang around with the songs of WSS on our piano, much to the chagrin of my parents, who'd given me piano lessons in order to learn how to play classical music. The first time I saw the original 1961 film version of West Side Story was during a national re-release of it, as a high school Senior, at around Christmastime of 1968, in a long-since-defunct cinema north of Boston, and the town that I and my siblings grew up in. I fell in love with the 1961 film version immediately. Since I was still a teenager in high school when I first saw the original 1961 film version, I identified with the Jets, the Sharks, and their girls, regarding kids being kids, and so on, but when I got older and began seeing WSS in (now mostly defunct) repertory movie theatres in and around Boston, I began to appreciate not only the very story and music of the 1961 film version of West Side Story, but I also began to appreciate it for the piece of art that it truly is. Fast forward to the spring of 1972, when I was taking an evening course at the MFA School here in Boston: One evening, somebody had brought in a small black and white TV, because West Side Story was on TV for the first time, and we all gathered around to watch it. That summer, while on a 6-week trip to Europe, my love for the 1961 film version was re-awakened. Another person in the group I was with had brought along a cassette tape of the soundtrack to the 1961 film version of WSS, which was played almost every evening, during free hours. My love for this great golden oldie-but-keeper of a classic movie-musical was re-awakened, in earnest. The film version of West Side Story aired on TV 2 days before Thanksgiving of that year, and I stayed home and watched it on my parents' small black and white TV. Since then, I've watched the 1961 film version of West Side Story more times than I'm able (or willing) to count, both in movie theatres, and on TV, much to the amusement, chagrin, and resignation of family and friends, but who's counting? LOL The MGM adage in reference to the original 1961 film version of West Side Story: "Unlike other Classics, West Side Story grows younger!" rings so true!

It probably flopped at the box office because not as many people were interested in Spielberg's reboot/remake of the film version of West Side Story as he and/or lots of other people believed. I know that in my area (i. e. the Boston, MA area), the new West Side Story film version is not doing well.

Sorry, Benjamin_Nicholas, but I stand by everything I've said, and will not watch the reboot/remake, especially not in a movie theatre. To be truthful, I've always been resistant to remakes/reboots of older classic films, generally--especially something like the original 1961 film version of West Side Story. It's a gut reaction with me.

I disagree with you here, Benjamin_Nicholas. I've seen enough of the new 2021 film version of West Side Story so that I can form an opinion of it, plus the stuff that came out about Ansel Elgort has re-enforced my decision not to see the whole thing. I can also judge whether or not I want to see a movie by watching trailers or previews of it, as well.

Hi, Lucky! I totally agree with you here. The old, original 1961 film version of West Side Story is my all time favorite movie, hands down, and I've seen it more times than I'm able and/or willing to count (but who's counting? lol). I saw parts of the 2021 reboot/remake of the film version of West Side Story not long ago on a TV program that emphasized the comparisons of both the old and new film versions of West Side Story. Between that particular TV program, having seen a couple of trailers and extra photographs of the reboot/remake of the film version of West Side Story, and, more recently, listened to the soundtrack of the new film version of West Side Story on youtube just out of curiosity, my preference for the old, original 1961 film version of West Side Story was re-enforced.