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Frankly, MikeBiDude, discounting somebody's opinion on the 2021 fun version of West Side Story just simply because they gave it a try and couldn't sit through the whole thing for whatever reason, is rather narrow-minded and dismissive. I gave the remake a try, and was unable to sit through the whole thing. It was too painful for me.

Frankly, I believed that Spielberg's 2021 film version of West Side Story flopped at the Box office, because not as many people as has been believed is interested in seeing the reboot/remake of the film version of West Side Story. The fact is that Spielberg ended up not making even half of the 100, 000, 000 dollars that it cost him to make the 2021 film version of West Side Story is clearly indicative of that.

I know you may all disagree with what I've said here, but, having seen the trailer to Steven Spielberg's upcoming film version of West Side Story, I much prefer the old, original 1961 film version.

Wow!! It sounds like an interesting book. I've heard of it, but never read it, however.

(Laughing) To be truthful, I've read J. Anthony Lukas's book, "Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Life of Three American Families" more times than I'm able or willing to count.😀

For me, it's Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families, by the late J. Anthony Lukas. It's about Boston's school busing crisis, in the 1970's, and it tells about how three American families dealt with the overall situation, their viewpoints, and their overall perspectives of Boston's school crisis, and the fact that they all had one thing in common: Raising up kids in Boston proper, dealing with a lousy school system that basically failed students regardless of ethnicity, race or color. The three families, the Divers, a Yankee family from Lexingington who purchased a condominium in Boston's South End and moved there to see what they could do to help non-whites and to facilitate an integrated neighborhood, the Twymons, an impoverished African American family from Lower Roxbury and the South End, whose household was headed by a single mother who was raising a slue of kids in a subsidized housing project, and wanted them to have a better education than they were getting in their own neighborhood(s), and wanted her children to have a better education than they were getting in the black schools, and the McGoffs, an impoverished Irish-Catholic-American family, whose household was also headed by a single mother raising seven kids in a subsidizing housing project, and were vehemently opposed to busing. The McGoff kids, however, reacted very differently, ranging from actively resisting the Federal Court-mandated busing order, to concentrating on their athletics and being somewhat more laid back about mandatory school busing, despite not openly favoring it. Although Rachel Twymon, the mother of her children, was supportive of the Federal Court-ordered mandatory school edict, due to wanting a better education for her children, she began to sour on the idea when, after riding the bus up to Charlestown High School on a number of occasions and observing not only what many of the white students and their parents in Charlestown were doing in order to resist it, but when Rachel Twymon saw the condition of Charlestown High School, which was just as run-down and educationally as those in Roxbury, Lower Roxbury and the South End, she herself became unhappy about the whole situation. Although the blacks and other non-white students formed a Minority Students Council for protection, and Rachel Twymon joined a Racial-Ethnic Council in the hopes that peaceful integration of the schools would take place, that did not happen, due to white resistance from many white students and parents alike. Many of the boys in both families got into crime and on the wrong side of the law, and the girls in the Twymon family not only got into dating men much older than they were, but also got into sex and hanging out until all hours, and the younger daughter ended up pregnant, and giving birth to a child out of wedlock, and becoming a mother at an extremely early age. Not only did Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Life of Three American Families tell about how the three families coped with Boston's school busing crisis, but this particular book also pointed out the role that the Catholic Church, The Boston School Committee headed by Louise Day Hicks, then-Mayor Kevin Hagan White, the Boston Police, and the Federal District Judge W. Arthur Garrity (who was from Worcester, MA), and the media, including the Boston Globe played in the effort to integrate Boston's public schools. All told, Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Life of Three American Families is a fascinating book, which I highly recommend! It was written in 1985, but is only available in paperback, and is still a very popular book.

Hi there! Through the courtesy of FathomEvents.com and Turner Classic Movies, there will be 2 afternoons/evenings of the 60th Anniversary screening of the old, original 1961 film version of West Side Story, in select movie theatres throughout the United States--nationwide. The screenings of the 1961 film version of West Side Story will be screened on Sunday, November 28th, and on Wednesday, December 1st, at both 3:00 p. m., and 7:00 p. m. Tickets are presently on sale through Fathomevents.com. Hope I've been of help to anybody else besides me, who's excited about seeing the old, original 1961 film version of West Side Story on the great big, wide movie theatre screen! I have to admit that since the 1961 film version of West Side Story is my all time favorite movie hands down, and I'm so looking forward to seeing it again on a great big, wide screen, in a real movie theatre with the lights down low, and sharing the whole experience with other people, whether I know them or not, especially since I've so missed going to a movie theatre, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I've bought tickets for myself and friends of mine, and we're all fully vaccinated, and wear masks like we're supposed to, so we'll be okay.

I agree with you about the dancing in the original 1961 film version of West Side Story. Since I'm a devout fan of the original 1961 film version of WSS (It's my all time favorite movie, hands down, and I've watched it more times than I'm now able or willing to count!), and since dubbing was very common during that general period, I'm more than willing to overlook the dubbing in West Side Story. There are also times when dubbing has really been necessary, as well.

As a devout fan of the old, original 1961 film version of West Side Story, I saw the new trailer of the upcoming film version of West Side Story by Steven Spielberg and I do not plan on seeing it when it hits the movie theatres this December, for the following reasons: A) Given the intensely brilliant Leonard Bernstein Musical score, the very story behind West Side Story, the great cinematography by the late Daniel Fapp, the seamlessly and creatively combined on-location scenes with sound stage scenes, the cast of the 1961 film version, and the fact that the original 1961 film version of West Side Story won 10 well-deserved and well-earned Academy Awards, including Best Picture when it came out into the movie theatres in October of 1961, the new film version of West Side Story did not sit well with me. B) The new film version of West Side Story feels totally unnatural, forced, and way too contemporary for my tastes. It seems way overdone, too bombastic, too intense, too out of control and too heavy for me, plus everything seems to be happening in a non-stop manner. A musical is also supposed to have some lightness to it as well, and the new film version of West Side Story seems to not have that. To be honest, it feels all wrong, and not like West Side Story, to me. C) The Jets, the Sharks, and their girls in the new film version of West Side Story look far more like wealthy suburban prep school kids who are dressed to the nines for partying around town than two street gangs who are at war with each other, and the dancing feels far too hyped-up. The back-drop scenes look far more like the tonier and wealthier parts of the city, rather than the impoverished, rough and run-down parts of the city. D) Also, given Ansel Elgort's record of being rather assaultive, especially to underage girls, and the fact that he posted a nude picture of himself in the shower to some cause (which escapes me at the moment) that he was involved in, Ansel Elgort sounds like a dangerous, disgusting and gross human being. There are some people calling for Elgort's replacement, which is impossible, given that the filming was done two years ago. Elgort doesn't have that great a voice, nor does he have the looks, charm and personality of an ex-gangster, either. Learning what I learned about Ansel Elgort has stiffened my resolve to vote my pocketbook and not go to seen Steven Spielberg's upcoming new film version of West Side Story. E) Having said all of the above, I much prefer the old, original 1961 film version of West Side Story over the upcoming new film version.