What is your opinion of 2021 “West Side Story”?

Posted on by Shortfundly Staff
What is your opinion of 2021 _West Side Story_
Estimated read time 5 min read
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About West Side Story:

Tony Kushner, the screenwriter, has said that they are using the original Broadway text as the basis for the screenplay, and not the film. Kushner, who also wrote the screenplays for Spielberg’s Munich and Lincoln as well as winning the Pulitzer Prize for his mega-hit Angels in America, explained in Vanity Fair that the new film will touch upon several themes of urban life in the late 1950s, and how issues of ethnic representation shaped and developed culture in that era. “I don’t know if ‘gritty’ is necessarily the right word, but there are aspects of urban life in ‘57, ‘58, ‘59 that weren’t touched on in the 1961 movie that we are focusing on,” said Kushner.

He also stated in the same article, “It’s New York City. I think people will find a new way to love the story and to love the songs through our interpretation,” said Kushner. “The way I approached it and the way Steven is approaching it is using the great text—the Leonard Bernstein score, which is arguably the most beautiful score ever written for musical theater, and Arthur Laurents’s original book is a masterpiece. And we started building from that.” “No one will leave the movie without hearing all the classic songs,” Kushner said. He also noted that he has been working with Sondheim on the new film.

It would be extremely difficult to use the score from the original musical and not remain fairly faithful to the book, as the score is so tightly woven into the scenes and characters.

The movie itself was an interpretation of the original play. Mr. Spielberg is going back to the play and book and starting from there. There will be a fresh adaptation of the Leonard Bernstein music. There will also be a some new dance choreography – which is almost a given. That was 1961 and this 2021. Modern musicals are up against things like Hamilton. Big changes since then.

The people who are on board with head of production are all either Academy Award or Broadway Award winning people. So at least the movie is off to a good start.

I’m sure they will somewhat update the choreography in 2021. West Side Story is, itself, a reworking of Romeo & Juliet so he could decide to lean more that way and that would be a valid interpretation.

Whether or not it holds true to the original BROADWAY PLAY is more than likely going to be up to opinion.

I look forward to the new film. Whoever plays Anita will have a hard time topping Rita Moreno. And the choreographer will have a hard time topping the “America” scene. But whoever plays Tony is bound to be an improvement on Richard Beymer’s disastrous performance. If it’s marvelous, it means we will have TWO wonderful West Side Story films to watch, enjoy, compare and discuss. If it’s NOT marvelous, it means it will slide into obscurity and we’ll still have the marvelous original film to rerun. No harm/no foul.

The biggest problem with “West Side Story” is being able to cast the gang members with actors who are genuinely threatening. I think the film succeeded in that. The two productions I saw on stage failed in that regard.

Our first look at Steven Spielberg’s #WestSideStory reveals a new epic take starring @rachelzegler and Ansel Elgort as Maria and Tony. In theaters, December 10, 2021.

I HATE it because of the VIOLENCE, but I LOVE the music!

I also have to say, watching clips these days on youtube, I appreciate so much more how well the actors danced. Natalie Wood, now, falls to the wayside and the gang members, particularly in the opening sequence, become the central actors who give the musical shape with their singing and their dancing. The dancing is remarkable in the movie.

Watch latest West Side Story 2021 official teaser now:

Also read latest web series review from shortfundly

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