West Side Story – Spielberg remake (2 Viewers)

[Vic Pardo]

Somebody posted this on DVD Talk and I swear it's a gag. Just read how some of the requirements are worded.

 

[Vic Pardo]

Looks like I was wrong. It's for real:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/26/...click&contentCollection=Movies&pgtype=article

 

[Tino]

What’s so strange about it? Seems perfectly acceptable to me.

 

[Rick Thompson]

Yes, Chicago with Verdon! Unforgettable production.

Also with Jerry Orbach, who should have played Billy Flynn in the movie. Richard Gere was much better than I thought he'd be (meant as a compliment; he was good), but no one played that type of role better than Orbach. As for his age at the time, Flynn doesn't have any romantic interest in any of the others. He's just a cynical lawyer. True, he was in Law & Order at the time, but they let Jesse L. Martin off to do Rent, so Orbach was available.

 

[jimmyd05]

My problem with WSS from the first time i saw it as a teenager on a rerelease in the late '60s is that it seemed dated coming out just before the social revolution of the '60s. With 50 years of social change I think a remake would be fine and Spielberg can give it more gravitas. Musicals are meant to be re-interpreted on stage and a re-do could add more grit and realism to a story of the streets.

 

[Vic Pardo]

What’s so strange about it? Seems perfectly acceptable to me.

"Maria & Anita are Latina" seemed to me to be a dig at the 1961 movie for casting Natalie Wood as Maria.

"Must be able to sing" seemed to me to be a dig at Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer, both of whose singing was dubbed by other voices. (Rita Moreno was dubbed, too, even though she's been a singer throughout her career.)

 

[Panavision70]

I think the idea was to give the biggest parts to the best people, regardless of ethnicity. It was kind of weird, to say the least.

This increasingly common practice is called "colorblind casting." It works when the content of the show doesn't have anything to do with race. However, since race is a central theme of West Side Story, it is essential that it be cast correctly, especially for a new Hollywood film.

It's also worth noting that, later in the run of the Broadway revival, the original English-language lyrics were restored due to audience member complaints about not being able to understand the Spanish. The cast recording for this production preserves the Spanish lyrics because it was recorded around the time of the show's opening, but they did eventually back down on having as much Spanish. Presumably, if they included the Spanish lyrics in the film, English subtitles would be offered for those sections, so it might not be as much of an issue on film, but it's still worth noting that that happened.

Oddest color blind casting I've seen is a concert performance of "South Pacific" with Reba Mcentire ( great!) and Brain Stokes. While Stokes was great too. He's African-American and the plot turns on racism.

 

[Tino]

"Maria & Anita are Latina" seemed to me to be a dig at the 1961 movie for casting Natalie Wood as Maria.

"Must be able to sing" seemed to me to be a dig at Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer, both of whose singing was dubbed by other voices. (Rita Moreno was dubbed, too, even though she's been a singer throughout her career.)

I take as being more honest to the source material than it being a “dig”. Kudos to them.

 

[MatthewA]

It was Carol Lawrence on Broadway originally!

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

"Maria & Anita are Latina" seemed to me to be a dig at the 1961 movie for casting Natalie Wood as Maria.

"Must be able to sing" seemed to me to be a dig at Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer, both of whose singing was dubbed by other voices. (Rita Moreno was dubbed, too, even though she's been a singer throughout her career.)

This is how every casting call I've seen has worded. They'll specify which ethnicity their looking for (or "All Ethnicities" if the script doesn't specify), an age range, and any specific talents required.

In this case, it looks like Speilberg's looking to cast unknowns instead of names. If that's the case, you might as well cast actors and actresses that check all of the boxes. There are plenty of 15-25 year olds with the musical theater chops to pull off the vocals without bringing in outside help.

 

[Chelsearicky]

Don't touch the ones that are already done and perfect.

I've been thinking a lot about this over the past day or so, and I'm really of two minds on West Side Story in particular. On a technical level, I do believe it's perfect - the direction, choreography, book, songs, score and performances are all top notch, and I'm not sure any could be bested. But, on the other hand, in a story where the main theme is two people from two different backgrounds and cultures being able to come together and transcend racism and bigotry and hate, in a modern context it is somewhat odd to see that pairing actually be two white people, one playing a white person and one wearing makeup to portray someone of Puerto Rican descent. In 2018, they'd never make that casting choice to begin with. Now, I completely understand that things were different when the original film was made, and that in casting Natalie Wood, they picked one of the biggest movie stars of the time for the role, and it's hard to argue against that. I don't really mean to criticize the original film and filmmakers for the choices made then. But the more I think about it, the more I believe there may be room for a version of the film that honors the heritage of the characters being portrayed in the story by casting actors with more appropriate backgrounds. That could be a very empowering thing and a very positive thing.

I have always found it interesting that a Greek American playing the leader of a Puerto Rican gang, as well as a Puerto Rican gang that is roughly 50% Anglo ( as well as their girlfriends) never elicits the same amount of discussion as a Russian American actress playing Maria.

 

[Chelsearicky]

I have no problem with remakes, as long as the originals are still available (which is usually the case). If a good director has an interesting take on a story that's already been filmed, it might be worth watching.

Also, I don't really consider the 1961 movie "close to perfect." It has a hell of a lot going for it. The dancing is among the best in cinema. And it has three great supporting performances: Russ Tamblyn, George Chakiris, and Rita Moreno.

But Natalie Wood is miscast, and Richard Beymer is absolutely horrible. If you're going to do Romeo and Juliet, you need a good Romeo and a good Juliet.

You can read my article on the film.

I totally agree with you that Natalie Wood was miscast. Same for Richard Beymer. He is said to have crawled under the seat when he first saw the film. He hated his performance. It was truly horrible .Let's face it, he never had much of a career. Whatever could has possessed Robert Wise to cast these two actors? The story may have been based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, but even he based his story on other similar stories that were common in his day. I am truly amazed at how many gullible people to-day still think that Romeo and Juliet was a true story. He just based his story on someone else's and made his characters older and set it in a different city. I saw this film when originally released several times on a huge 62 ft wide screen in 70mm. Luckily it was shown without an intermission as the Director insisted for it's Roadshow release.

Considering that Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor were alternate choices for Maria, I'd say Wise made the right decision.

 

[Shane Come Back]

I'm all for it. I was involved in a stage production of West Side Story many years ago and the director made it so that the gangs were much more hateful, racist and violent; and the love story more passionate. It was actually a very well-acted production, which made it a more believable, more emotional experience to me. The dancing and choreography was excellent, as well. While I liked the original movie, I wasn't completely sold on the enmity betwixt the gangs, nor the romantic intensity between Tony and Maria. I'd definitely be up for something a bit more gritty and engaging. Dismissing a remake, before actually seeing it, to me, is like saying all stage productions other than the original broadway production and cast are a terrible idea...

On a similar note. I saw the 2016 remake of Ben-Hur for the first time last night. The 1959 version is my favorite movie of all time, so believe me, I was ready to dismiss it, but I actually liked it pretty well. I still liked the original better, but the 2016 version was still well-done (mostly) and definitely held my attention. The way they did the end credits was REALLY stupid and corny, tho...

 

[Chelsearicky]

Jake, I'm sorry if this comes across as picking on you, I don't intend to... just using your quote as a jumping off point for thoughts of mine that are still evolving.

It does not seem that way at all, so no need to apologize.

And to answer your question: it's not okay to have blackface or Puerto Rican-face, now. We have evolved beyond that as a culture. But the simple fact that Natalie Wood was made up to look Pueerto Rican does not take away from the otherwise masterful film that they made. The answer to "Why make this again?" can be "so we can do it with ethnic actors," but that in and of itself does not mean that they don't have to find other ways to freshen it, too, which is going to be a challenge when everything is so great in the original. That's all I mean. Simply doing it with ethnic actors does not erase the legacy of the original, and therefore it will still be a very high standard to live up to in almost every regard other than the non-ethnic casting.

George Chakiris, Gus Trikonis, Larry Roquemore, Jamie Rogers ,Eddie Verso, Suzy Kaye et al were ALL made u to look Puerto Rican. Just as Rita Moreno was made up to look Asian for "The King and I', in which she also had her vocals dubbed (and which she conveniently leaves out of the conversation when criticizing Wood's casting).

 

[SD_Brian]

An updated version could be good, but I don't know that Spielberg is the right director to re-imagine it for the modern age.

 

[LincolnSpector]

From the article you linked:

“I’m hearing that one might be his dream project, a new version of West Side Story. Spielberg’s camp had no comment on his plans.”

That sounds like a rumor to me.

It's happening. Tony Kurshner has signed on to do the screenplay. My source: Kushner's husband, film historian Mark Harris.

 

[LincolnSpector]

I don't understand why people get all hot and bothered about remakes. What's the worst thing that can happen? One more lousy movie that's forgotten in a few years, while the original remains loved for generations.

What's the best that can happen: Two great films that take different approaches to the same story.

 

[Tino]

It's happening. Tony Kurshner has signed on to do the screenplay. My source: Kushner's husband, film historian Mark Harris.

I know. That was two weeks ago. At the time it was just a rumor. It was confirmed shortly after I posted that with the info you just posted. So at this point it’s old news.

 

[dpippel]

I don't understand why people get all hot and bothered about remakes. What's the worst thing that can happen? One more lousy movie that's forgotten in a few years, while the original remains loved for generations.

What's the best that can happen: Two great films that take different approaches to the same story.

I just feel that some films should be left alone. It's also a resources issue. In the case of the WSS remake, I'd MUCH rather see a director like Spielberg spend his time, talent and treasure giving us something new and unique instead of retreading ground that's already been covered.

 

[LincolnSpector]

I feel like you guys are failing to take into account that West Side Story, with Beymer and Tamblyn, is actually a Twin Peaks prequel