West Side Story (2021)

[+ purplekow]

A little thing that struck me was the inside of Valentina's store had a lot of wasted floor space that would never happen in NYC.  Pop made much batter use of his floor space and was much more in keeping with Candy Store, Pharmacy that I recall as a child.  Usually I would not be picky about such a small detail, but Anit's attack/rape takes place there.  It is clearly a pivotal moment in the movie  and in the original it comes off as much more animalistic and violent and all the more tragic for Anita and ultimately Tony and Maria.  

Edited March 14, 2022 by purplekow

[OCClient]

On 12/21/2021 at 2:37 PM, Lucky said:

We saw West Side Story this afternoon and really liked it. Sure, some of it is a stretch- those singing and dancing gangsters to start- but the essence of the original is beautifully captured. And, speaking of beautiful, Ansel Elgort worked for me!

There's a place for us!

 

 

I watched it twice for the dancing.   REALLY loved that.  Those were Broadway dancers.  Bernardo rocked.

 

 

[MikeBiDude]

I watched it last…really enjoyed it. Re: the original- I saw it with a group while in the 8th grade, I’ve owned it on VHS, Laserdisc, DVD, etc. a classic, no doubt.

But the 2021 version is spectacular in my mind. The dancing, the dialogue back/forth Spanish/English, cinematography, Spielberg’s opening scene of the demolition of the neighborhood,  all got me.

it’s fine to opine on the original being “better”….but if you haven’t watched 2021 all the way through I’d have to listen to but discount your opinion. 

[OCClient]

I like it more each time I watch it.  I've especially warmed up to Ansel Elgort as Tony.

 

[leeper]

I may have to give it another chance - I fell asleep the first time through. 

 

[+ azdr0710]

sorry to veer just a tiny bit off topic....history and geography nerd that I am, here is a short article and a few pictures of the pre-Lincoln Center area......

https://ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com/2014/02/03/a-west-side-neighborhood-before-lincoln-center/ 

 

Edited March 20, 2022 by azdr0710

[Merboy]

I'm surprised Bernardo didn't get a nomination, or Riff... George Chakiris actually won the Oscar for Bernardo but this one (who won a Tony, i believe, for Billy Elliot) was not buzzed about.

The old Riff from 1961 was Russ Tamblyn, father i think to Amber?

[OCClient]

On 3/30/2022 at 7:05 PM, Merboy said:

I'm surprised Bernardo didn't get a nomination, or Riff... George Chakiris actually won the Oscar for Bernardo but this one (who won a Tony, i believe, for Billy Elliot) was not buzzed about.

The old Riff from 1961 was Russ Tamblyn, father i think to Amber?

Yes! 

David Alvarez was fantastic as Bernardo.

LA Phil sounded great! 

 

Watched again today.

[mplo]

On 12/13/2021 at 7:55 AM, BuffaloKyle said:

It flopped at the box office this past weekend. Third musical in a row after In The Heights & Dear Evan Hansen to perform badly. One story I read says it's because older viewers still are not comfortable going back into theaters. See what kind of legs it has because while The Greatest Showman had a lower opening but had a great run it still wasn't during a pandemic and you have Spider-Man & The Matrix about to open.

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.

[mplo]

On 3/16/2022 at 10:54 PM, MikeBiDude said:

I watched it last…really enjoyed it. Re: the original- I saw it with a group while in the 8th grade, I’ve owned it on VHS, Laserdisc, DVD, etc. a classic, no doubt.

But the 2021 version is spectacular in my mind. The dancing, the dialogue back/forth Spanish/English, cinematography, Spielberg’s opening scene of the demolition of the neighborhood,  all got me.

it’s fine to opine on the original being “better”….but if you haven’t watched 2021 all the way through I’d have to listen to but discount your opinion. 

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.

[BSR]

On 3/16/2022 at 10:54 PM, MikeBiDude said:

I watched it last…really enjoyed it. Re: the original- I saw it with a group while in the 8th grade, I’ve owned it on VHS, Laserdisc, DVD, etc. a classic, no doubt.

But the 2021 version is spectacular in my mind. The dancing, the dialogue back/forth Spanish/English, cinematography, Spielberg’s opening scene of the demolition of the neighborhood,  all got me.

it’s fine to opine on the original being “better”….but if you haven’t watched 2021 all the way through I’d have to listen to but discount your opinion. 

I found the 2021 version of the iconic "America" number last night on YouTube.  Gotta say, I much prefer the 1961 original.  Every dancer in the 2021 cast is superbly well-trained whereas the 1961 cast has one notable exception.  Rita Moreno was not a trained dancer before auditioning for the part.  As much as I love her, you can kinda tell.  What Moreno lacked in formal training, however, she more than made up for with her fire and passion.  While as a dancer Moreno falls an eensy bit short, as an actress she delivers perfection.  David Álvarez (Bernardo) is a helluva dancer, but the 2021 choreography (granted, I saw only the one scene) doesn't showcase him enough.  Plus, as good as he is, he lacks George Chakiris' panache and elegance.  Chakiris hits lines and positions like no other dancer I've ever seen.  Overall, I thought the 1961 version captured the humor of the song better.  Even though I've seen the 1961 "America" 100+ times on YouTube, the corny sense of humor still makes me smile every time.

Of course, I'll keep an open mind about the remake, but I can't say I'll be rushing to see it.  One thing I gotta do is stop comparing the remake to the original and just appreciate the 2021 version on its own merits.

Anyway, here are both the 1961 and 2021 "America" numbers ...

 

 

[MikeBiDude]

9 hours ago, BSR said:

I found the 2021 version of the iconic "America" number last night on YouTube.  Gotta say, I much prefer the 1961 original. 

I have to be honest…this one number/dance I preferred from original vs. remake! 

[+ Lucky]

 HBOMax has both the original and the new versions of WSS.

[scrtlovr]

I suppose the idea of the remake was to introduce the young generation to this great classic. But at the end of the day, in my opinion, although there were a few decent, innovative moments here and there, I found the new version brought nothing new to the table. The 1961 version was revolutionary at the time, that's what gave it its power - no musical had ever dared to go as far as it went. It's probably impossible today to remake this film and make it half as exciting as the original. We're just too jaded as a culture to be truly moved by the story, the music, the dance, etc. They should have left it alone. Just an opinion.

[OCClient]

 4th watch.

Still love it.