UHD Review A Few Words About While we wait for a few words about...™ West Side Story (2021) -- in 4k UHD (1 Viewer)

[usrunnr]

I like what Spielberg did with the opening musical number in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" (Cole Porter's "Anything Goes") and I like Mrs. Spielberg in that film as well. In the new "West Side Story" I believe I learned a few words of Spanish that I didn't know before. I enjoy watching Spanish movies in general to try to pick up the language. For instance any Almodovar, "Roma", and also "Like Water For Chocolate", many many more. Todo esta bien.

 

[cinemiracle]

There is. The Canadian sites list these:

West Side Story [DVD]​

West Side Story [Blu-ray+Digital]​

West Side Story (Ultimate Collectors Edition) [UHD+Blu-ray+Digital]​

Do you please have the web site in which to buy the disc?

 

[AnthonyClarke]

If the disc was recorded in a v. high quality digital coding eg 24-192 or even 24-96, then yes, there'll be a significant improvement when properly transferred to LP compared to CD or the dread and disgusting MP3.
Of course, if any sites offer 24-96 flac files, then that should be as good as LP for playback through a decent sound system such as mine ....... based around the English Quad pre and power amps.

 

[Viking61]

Do you please have the web site in which to buy the disc?

So far I have only seen them at Canadian retailers.
https://b2b.dealsareus.ca/search?q=West+Side+Story

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

If the disc was recorded in a v. high quality digital coding eg 24-192 or even 24-96, then yes, there'll be a significant improvement when properly transferred to LP compared to CD or the dread and disgusting MP3.
Of course, if any sites offer 24-96 flac files, then that should be as good as LP for playback through a decent sound system such as mine ....... based around the English Quad pre and power amps.

Basically... and Apple Music, which is what I posted earlier, has upgraded nearly their entire catalog to provide hirez, lossless audio (if that's generally available for whichever album/soundtrack/etc), which should certainly apply in this case...

_Man_

 

[AnthonyClarke]

I didn't know that about Apple Music. I wonder if that's available way down here in Australia. I'll certainly check. There are very very many music services not licenced for use here. I do often buy hi-res product from the French outlet Qobuz. For some mysterious reason they think I live in Belgium. If they recognised me as Australian, I'd be banned from purchase. Isn't this sort of regionalisation so stupid!

 

[cinemiracle]

So far I have only seen them at Canadian retailers.
https://b2b.dealsareus.ca/search?q=West+Side+Story

Thanks for the info. WSS is now listed for sale in Australia (no date given) .Dvd for $A29.95 and bluray $A39.95.The bluray is not cheap .It should be cheaper to stream it on the Disney channel. It would have to be something extraordinary for me to spend $A40 . The two year wait to see the film and negative reviews have severely lessened my interest. One loses interest after an unnecessary 2 year wait to see the film. I suspect Disney's MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS will suffer the same result as it was also sitting on the shelf for two years and as I already know the ending, then why bother seeing the new version. You rarely make money by leaving a film sitting on the shelf for so long. THE STUNT MAN was an exception. It also sat on the shelf for around 2 years but ended up becoming an Oscar winner and it was a masterpiece (in my opinion).

 

[DarkVader]

Basically... and Apple Music, which is what I posted earlier, has upgraded nearly their entire catalog to provide hirez, lossless audio (if that's generally available for whichever album/soundtrack/etc), which should certainly apply in this case...

_Man_

My copy of the new West Side Story soundtrack from Apple Music is in Dolby Atmos/Lossless/Apple Digital Master.

It sounds amazing especially via headphones.

 

[roxy1927]

Interestingly Amazon is selling 3 vinyl versions of the '61 film soundtrack. A reproduction of the original lp from Sony. A two lp expanded soundtrack also by Sony. And Music on Vinyl also has a two lp set. I believe they are 180grams colored vinyl. I have no idea if there are differences between the Sony 2 lp set and the Music on Vinyl two lp set. Descriptions on the various sites are unhelpful and they all have the original cover.

 

[MovieBill]

I loved it, but not superior to the original. Something about the size, scope, 70mm Super Panavision, the Jerome Robbins' choreography, the prologue, the overture, gorgeous Natalie Wood, fiery Rita, the skills of Robert Wise (not Speilberg but no slouch--remember he edited CITIZEN KANE?), a better "Cool", better "Krupke,", better "I Feel Pretty" and far more emotionally involving. That said, i LOVED the new dance at the gym, the new "America," and (i know this is an unpopular opinion) the new Tony. Ziegler and Debose were fine, just not revelatory.

 

[roxy1927]

Went to see it for a second time. Surprised it is still playing not far from me considering its poor returns. A film that must be seen on a theater screen. The photography is that good. What I liked I liked more, what I didn't was even more disappointing as in the attempted rape of Anita which comes nowhere near the horror of the original or the ending which pretty much goes for nothing except for the beautiful final shot of Valentina and Chino walking and waiting for the cops.
Also why are the roles of Velma and Graziella practically non-existent? Carole d'Andrea and Gina Trikonis are so wonderful in the original as well as spectacular dancers and Susan Oakes as Anybodys is a real character rather than a blank faced whosit.

Got the soundtrack on Amazon which is quite cheap and it is fabulous. So happy they used the original arrangements as the foundation.
But the dancing in the original is the work of a genius with his dancers trained(and perhaps terrified by the martinet Robbins?) to the ultimate.
And God forgive me but I love Wood in this movie though it has become de rigueur to trash her in it. Her final scene is tremendous. Zegler seems in contrast only slightly put out by all that has happened.
Still this remake deserves in no uncertain terms to be seen even by those who love the original deeply as I do. Enriched by Kushner's back stories, Faist's desperate hopeless Riff, DeBose's Anita(Oscar please) singing done by the actors, the far more elaborate sets creating the upper west Side in '58 on an epic scale and Janusz Kamini's glorious photography.
Ok yeah I even give one of my least favorite directors Spielberg a lot of credit.

 

[Jimbo.B]

It’s funny you mentioned the dance at the gym. From what I understand it was filmed after Robbins was fired from the movie and was always considered not quite up to snuff with the other dances he did stage for the film.

 

[usrunnr]

And God forgive me but I love Wood in this movie though it has become de rigueur to trash her in it. Her final scene is tremendous.

I don't know why anyone wouldn't respond to Natalie Wood, especially in that final scene. Lovely, beautiful, tragic character. I always wondered, after seeing the 1961 movie, what would happen to Maria. In the new film, that did not even occur to me. Sincerely miss Natalie Wood. Loved her final movie "Brainstorm".

 

[DarkVader]

I don't know why anyone wouldn't respond to Natalie Wood, especially in that final scene. Lovely, beautiful, tragic character. I always wondered, after seeing the 1961 movie, what would happen to Maria. In the new film, that did not even occur to me. Sincerely miss Natalie Wood. Loved her final movie "Brainstorm".

I sincerely miss Natalie Wood as well. I would have loved to hear a first-hand account about her life and her experiences making some of the iconic films she was fortunate to have been a part of, particularly "West Side Story" because there is so much conflicting, erroneous information out there, especially attributed to her and she's no longer here to defend herself from any of it.

 

[Tom Logan]

Of course how we respond to movie actors is the very definition of "subjective," but Natalie Wood's flat, false performance is the main reason I can't bear to watch the '61 version anymore. To paraphrase Mary McCarthy, "Every word she acts is a lie, including 'and' and 'the.'" I never believe Wood ever in any role I've seen her, though her 12 seconds in The Candidate didn't ruin that movie. Anyway, the fact that she can't act, sing, or dance is something of a hindrance...in a musical. And it's a shame, because I think West Side Story is a magnificent work. It deserves to have talented people presenting it.

 

[Chelsearicky]

Of course how we respond to movie actors is the very definition of "subjective," but Natalie Wood's flat, false performance is the main reason I can't bear to watch the '61 version anymore. To paraphrase Mary McCarthy, "Every word she acts is a lie, including 'and' and 'the.'" I never believe Wood ever in any role I've seen her, though her 12 seconds in The Candidate didn't ruin that movie. Anyway, the fact that she can't act, sing, or dance is something of a hindrance...in a musical. And it's a shame, because I think West Side Story is a magnificent work. It deserves to have talented people presenting it.

This reads like Rita Moreno posting under an assumed identity!

 

[roxy1927]

Funny how much Moreno dislikes Wood yet they interact beautifully together.
I spelled Kaminski's name wrong and I am mortified. Mea Culpa.

 

[DarkVader]

This reads like Rita Moreno posting under an assumed identity!

Here is an interview from 2012 with George Chakiris, where he discusses his disappointment with Rita Moreno's comments about Natalie. He got so upset at one event that he called her out on it backstage and asked her to stop doing it.

 

[AnthonyClarke]

Rita Moreno was too talented to need to disparage anyone else.
I think her version of 'Somewhere' is the greatest recording of that number since P J Proby.

 

[Chelsearicky]

Rita Moreno was too talented to need to disparage anyone else.
I think her version of 'Somewhere' is the greatest recording of that number since P J Proby.

OUCH! That's Rita-level shade.