West Side Story - Spielberg remake

[Anthony_NYC]

Now that there’s a bit of video out there for “America,” can anybody tell if it reflects the Gennaro/Robbins choreography? The PR for the movie still says that Peck is “reimagining” the original choreography, and I have no idea if that means he’s adapting it for Spielberg’s camera or replacing it all with his own steps.

[sidwich]

I don't think that this section looks all that similar to the original Gennaro/Robbins choreography.  You can see recreations of the original in these videos of Debbie Allen (in the 1980 Revival) and Charlotte d'Amboise (Jerome Robbins' Broadway).  I think the section in the video would be the eights with the big sissone toward the end of the music:

 

 

 

I'm actually more curious about what Peck is going to do about the Dance at the Gym.  I don't think I've seen a major revival get very far away from the segue from the Mambo the "Maria" choreography with the back-to-back finger snaps.

[dirac]

Pix from the set as the production moves to New Jersey.

[dirac]

Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, and Russ Tamblyn are reuniting for the original movie's sixtieth anniversary:

Quote

Richard Beymer, 83, who played Tony in the Oscar-winning film is not part of the reunion. Natalie Wood, who had the lead role of Maria, passed away in 1981 at the age of 43.

 

[dirac]

Here's the trailer.

[volcanohunter]

If that's how the music is going to sound, I'm not going anywhere near this film.

[On Pointe]

I know that Tony Kushner is a highly-acclaimed playwright,  but his contributions,  as heard in the trailers,  sound clunky and overwrought.  Also considering the kerfuffle over skin color in In the Heights,  the Sharks all look pretty lightskinned to me.  You can barely tell them from the Jets.  Fun fact,  there was one week when WSS and ITH were shooting only a block apart in Washington Heights.  Each director had to make sure that the one film's props and extras didn't end up in the other film's frame.

[dirac]

Overwrought self-importance is a problem with the 1961 movie and both Spielberg and Kushner are more likely to double down on that rather than ease up on it. Neither man is known for his lightness of touch these days. Hope I’m wrong but this trailer does not inspire optimism.

[On Pointe]

I'm disappointed that there isn't more of Justin Peck's choreography visible in the trailer.  Like the Dear Evan Hansen trailer,  it looks like they're trying to underplay the fact that these films are musicals,  which is crazy in the case of a show as well-known as West Side Story.

[nanushka]

14 minutes ago, On Pointe said:

...it looks like they're trying to underplay the fact that these films are musicals...

Yes, that's exactly the sense I got. I didn't fully realize it until you said it.

[dirac]

If Peck doesn't get much attention from this I'll regard it as karmic justice, given that his dances are replacing those of Robbins, who thought up the whole project in the first place.

As I remember, the original movie of West Side Story was praised in just those terms, as being "more than a musical." I'm not sure how well known the property is these days, and they're probably trying to attract younger viewers who don't know WSS as a legacy show, so to speak, as well as people who do know its history.

[Quiggin]

 

23 hours ago, dirac said:

Neither man is known for his lightness of touch ...

I left out "these days" to reflect my own thinking on Spielberg.  I imagine Justin Peck's choreography getting lost in all the restless production values – hot colors, big sets, camera movements, etc. Translating the stage musical and choreography to the screen is always problematic in that film basically a realistic medium. Its tendency is to document everything, major and minor, with a ruthless eye that gives every element an equivalent value, whereas on stage you only notice the magic, not the clunkiness of the sets and furniture and the awkwardness of physical space.  

Directors who might have been interesing choices: 1) small scale - someone like the Chantal Ackerman or Jacques Demy who in different ways would have separated the everday actions from the songs and dance, foregrounded Peck's choreography against simple backgrounds, thus making them discrete elements – two films checkerboarded or running in parallel. Or 2) big scale - Martin Scorsese, who has a subtler sense of the craft and better understanding of cinematic values than Speilberg.  Even Julian Schnabel would have been a more sober choice and would have cooled everything down a couple of notches. 

Edited September 18, 2021 by Quiggin

[dirac]

Quote

Translating the stage musical and choreography to the screen is always problematic in that film basically a realistic medium. Its tendency is to document everything, major and minor, with a ruthless eye that gives every element an equivalent value, whereas on stage you only notice the magic, not the clunkiness of the sets and furniture and the awkwardness of physical space.  

The 1961 movie shifted uneasily between the stylized and realistic and ended by falling between two stools. I would not be stunned if that happens with this version also. 

One  difference is that the first movie was not a period piece -- some critics thought it really had something to say about contemporary young people and gang life  --and this one is set almost seventy years ago, when WSS was new.

I think the Spielberg who made E.T. might have been a reasonable choice, although I get what you're saying. I'm not sure I'd choose Scorsese in any era, not because he wouldn't have an interesting take on this New York story but he'd want a different kind of score, most likely, and not unreasonably.

I might nominate the young Spike Lee, who was crazy for vivid colors and movement and also had American racial/ethnic urban tensions as his subject.

[On Pointe]

I saw Spielberg's West Side Story on opening day and frankly,  I was underwhelmed.  I wasn't alone - the film did not do well at the box office,  and the trades are full of articles from film business pundits as to why,  especially given the rapturous reviews it got from critics almost across the board.  My main disappointment was with the pacing - the first third of the film is flat,  more like a play with incidental music than a musical,  and Tony Kushner's screenplay is overwritten and too "on-the-nose".  The Jets are awfully suburban looking - one critic called them " an Abercrombie and Fitch gang" - while a lot of the Sharks look kind of mature to be involved in gang nonsense.

That said,  David Alvarez as Bernardo,  Ariana DeBose as Anita,  and Mike Faist as Riff were terrific,  in their dancing,  singing,  and acting.  Faist in particular lit up the screen.  He's a throwback to the kind of wisecracking,  tough guy sidekick character actor that was a staple of B movies in the forties and fifties.  The main deficit in my opinion is the lack of chemistry between Rachel Zegler and Ansel Elgort as Maria and Tony.  They are mismatched,  and not just because he's easily a foot taller than she is.  She's full of fire and passion and he has barely any.  Elgort sings well,  but he doesn't express himself well through song.  Zegler does her own singing,  which is an improvement over the original,  I guess.  (Mine is probably a minority opinion,  but I wasn't blown away by her voice.). As expected,  Ariana DeBose and David Alvarez danced up a storm,  especially in America.  But Justin Peck had them dancing in unison with what looked like a cast of dozens,  which struck me as an ineffective decision - you have two outstanding dancers and don't give them their own moments?

Peck's choreography is very good but it won't make you forget Jerome Robbins' work.  He is most innovative in Cool,  repositioned in the story as a fight between Tony and Riff over using a gun in their rumble with the Sharks.  Faist's dancing is particularly good.  He manages to pull off difficult steps while looking like an untrained street kid.  (He is highly-trained,  of course,  with an impressive Broadway resumé.)

I think that the film is more appealing to cineastes who swoon over the cinematography more than the story.  But they aren't buying enough tickets to make it a hit so far.  When I saw it,  most of the audience looked my age,  and I'm old!  The first West Side Story changed the arc of my life,  and even though Spielberg's version is not great,  no doubt there are kids out there whose lives are going to change because of this one.

[canbelto]

I saw it today and actually loved it. I agree that Justin Peck's choreography can't hold a candle to Jerome Robbins' but I found many aspects of this film superior:

https://humbledandoverwhelmed.blogspot.com/2021/12/west-side-story.html

[dirac]

Thank you for your review, On Pointe. 

The poor box office numbers aren’t that surprising, given that the picture has no stars and relatively few people under forty have heard of the music or its creators. (Of course, “In the Heights” didn’t do well, either.)  The demographic most likely to come out for the movie are middle aged women, who are also less likely to show up for a boffo opening weekend. However, if numbers don’t improve it may be that other viewers were also underwhelmed and not passing on the good word. 

I wasn’t overwhelmed by the old movie myself but it’s a classic and a more than adequate version that is readily available for viewing, and I can’t say I see an overpowering need for a new one. I’m guessing we have it because Spielberg wanted to do it. It’s true that The Critics Are Raving, but there’s no trust there as far as I’m concerned and I’m much more likely to repose confidence in the opinions I read in this forum. However, I will go eventually. 

Please report in here if you go, people.

[canbelto]

1 hour ago, dirac said:

Thank you for your review, On Pointe. 

The poor box office numbers aren’t that surprising, given that the picture has no stars and relatively few people under forty have heard of the music or its creators. (Of course, “In the Heights” didn’t do well, either.)  The demographic most likely to come out for the movie are middle aged women, who are also less likely to show up for a boffo opening weekend. However, if numbers don’t improve it may be that other viewers were also underwhelmed and not passing on the good word. 

I wasn’t overwhelmed by the old movie myself but it’s a classic and a more than adequate version that is readily available for viewing, and I can’t say I see an overpowering need for a new one. I’m guessing we have it because Spielberg wanted to do it. It’s true that The Critics Are Raving, but there’s no trust there as far as I’m concerned and I’m much more likely to repose confidence in the opinions I read in this forum. However, I will go eventually. 

Please report in here if you go, people.

I went and absolutely loved it. I posted a review on my blog.

Edited December 13, 2021 by canbelto

[Quiggin]

Thanks, On Pointe, for your corrective review. Seemed hard to match up the effusive review by A O Scott in the Times and the online trailer with its heavy-handed camera work. Perhaps it's time to retire tracking shots for a couple of years, even a decade. And yes it is odd that Elgort towers over Zegler. In life or even on stage that may be fine, but in films every mismatch becomes exaggerated by a couple of magnitudes.

[canbelto]

10 hours ago, Quiggin said:

Thanks, On Pointe, for your corrective review. Seemed hard to match up the effusive review by A O Scott in the Times and the online trailer with its heavy-handed camera work. Perhaps it's time to retire tracking shots for a couple of years, even a decade. And yes it is odd that Elgort towers over Zegler. In life or even on stage that may be fine, but in films every mismatch becomes exaggerated by a couple of magnitudes.

With all due respect, I suggest giving this new movie a chance when it comes out streaming on HBO Max. It really exceeded all my expectations and was moving and beautiful. I loved the 1961 film but this film does justice to the material as well.

As for the height difference, that actually becomes a joke in the film. It's quite well done.

[California]

11 minutes ago, canbelto said:

With all due respect, I suggest giving this new movie a chance when it comes out streaming on HBO Max.

Do we know when it will be released on HBO or HBO Max? I really want to see it, but am not keen on going into movie theaters just now.

[abatt]

This film was financially backed by Disney, so it will probably end up on  Disney Plus.  No info on streaming dates.

[canbelto]

1 hour ago, California said:

Do we know when it will be released on HBO or HBO Max? I really want to see it, but am not keen on going into movie theaters just now.

Usually 45 days from movie release. 

[California]

2 minutes ago, canbelto said:

Usually 45 days from movie release. 

I wouldn't mind if West Side Story goes to Disney+. I actually bought a one-year subscription last year for just one show, Hamilton! Worth it to be able to really get a good look and also to turn on captions so I catch all the lyrics!

[On Pointe]

If you love the original,  or if you're curious to see what Spielberg and Kushner bring to it,  you should see their take on West Side Story.   But I tend to agree with those who say that Spielberg is a critics' darling who gets the benefit of his reputation when his new work is assessed.  That said,  there are factors working against this WSS which have nothing to do with the quality of the film. 

The audience skews old,  and older people are reluctant to return to theaters while we're fighting the pandemic,  so they may prefer to wait for it to go to streaming.  Younger filmgoers are waiting for Spiderman and The Matrix.  Spielberg and Kushner's decision to not subtitle the considerable Spanish dialogue,  and their public declarations about it,  which came off as somewhat arrogant,  alienated a chunk of the audience.  But the elephant in the room is the sex scandal involving their star Ansel Elgort and his interactions with young girls.  Even delaying the film's release by a year didn't cool it down.  So the teenage "theater kid" community that would have supported this film enthusiastically has been splintered.

I expect that WSS will still do well when it streams,  but Spielberg was expecting a blockbuster and that's not going to happen.

[California]

13 minutes ago, On Pointe said:

But the elephant in the room is the sex scandal involving their star Ansel Elgort and his interactions with young girls.  Even delaying the film's release by a year didn't cool it down. 

Wow! I knew nothing about the Elgort issue. The only time I saw him in another film was Billionaire Boys Club (2018), which ran on HBO long ago. His co-star was -- wait for it -- Kevin Spacey. I'm a little surprised they kept him in the film, especially as others have said there's zero chemistry between him and Maria.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5179598/