Steven Spielberg's WEST SIDE STORY - News & Discussion Thread — Page 23

degrassifan said: "I am most curious about the song placements and the script/structure. I *think* the only placements we're sure of are Maria, Tonight and America. Everything else is up in the air! Rachel Zegler did an IG live a few weeks ago and someone asked her if she kept anything from set and she said she kept the lipstick from the I Feel Pretty set, so we probably know that's happening in a bedroom."

In the stage show, "I Feel Pretty" does take place in Maria's bedroom. So with that info, we can assume that the song placements will be a lot closer to the original stage show than the 1961 film was. I think Tony Kushner has said that his script, while adding new things that were not seen in any version of the show, is still close to Laurents' original stage book (but hopefully with better gang slang).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0UXao7kJxU&t=103s Rita was interviewed for her documentary and Rachel crashed it!

BWNUT said: "Did anybody else see the WSS trailer with the In The Heights movie? I gasped in surprise when it came on. It looked and sounded doubly stunning in Dolby Widescreen. the gangs definitely looked more sweaty and grimy and the sets seedier on the big screen than in my iPhone. It definitely feels grittier and more realistic than the original."

It was exhilarating to see, and especially hear, the WSS trailer. Like ITH itself, it just reminded me how amazing the movies are with the big screen and the big sound. I saw in a Regal RPX theatre and the sound was insane, and seeing all the detail on the screen, it was fantastic and can't wait for December.

Musical Master said: "Steven Spielberg's films are always stunning on a big screen. Even his second/third tier films are amazing to behold."

This is a reach

I wish Spielberg had directed Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Musical Master said: "IMO, Steven Spielberg's films are always visually stunning on a big screen. Even his second/third tier films are amazing to behold."

Janusz Kaminski is the Cinematographer of WEST SIDE STORY. He has been Spielberg’s DP for several decades. He won the Best Cinematography Oscar for Spielberg’s SCHINDLER’S LIST and SAVING PRIVATE RYAN aside from being nominated countless times.

BWNUT said: "Did anybody else see the WSS trailer with the In The Heights movie? I gasped in surprise when it came on. It looked and sounded doubly stunning in Dolby Widescreen. the gangs definitely looked more sweaty and grimy and the sets seedier on the big screen than in my iPhone. It definitely feels grittier and more realistic than the original."

I actually don't think sweaty/grimy gangs or seedier sets will work so well for WSS. It isn't a realistic show by any means, and I'm not sure making it more realistic will be a point in the remake's favor (and it's going to make the transition into and out of the dream ballet even trickier).



If you read Sondheim and Co., you'll find that what particularly bothered several of the show's creators about the original film version was that it was already too realistic and that it needed to be more stylized. As Sondheim has said, WSS isn't about gangs or class or anything like that. It's about theater. I agree with him.

Having said that, I fully expect the movie to do great box office.

Thanks, KFC. I do like the 1961 movie (better than the show's creators did). It's flawed, it's of its time, but I think it works more than it doesn't. But it's also, after the opening shots, a fairly stylized piece, if obviously not as stylized as the original show had been. I think any movie adaptation of this piece will always have to contend with a work that was very intentionally not a piece of kitchen-sink realism.

Not sure if I will like the remake (I don't really see the need for it, as it doesn't feel like a radical enough re-invention to warrant being done), but Spielberg have almost without exception had his fingers on the pulse of the audience. 1941 and Hook aside, he's always shown good instincts about what the public wants. He's probably right this time, too.

NameGreg said: "I’ll actually defend Hook. It’s certainly flawed, but I think it works enough. For me, The Lost World is his low point, it really feels like it’s lacking his magic, and I think that has to do with the man himself not feeling the film even when he worked on it.

Part of what really excites me for this is how enthusiastic he seems about it. It appears to have truly touched his childlike sense of wonder, which I believe has inspired some of his best works."

He's always wanted to direct a musical film for decades; and speaking of Hook and 1941, they were originally intended to be movie musicals at first until for some reason or another, Spielberg didn't go trough with those plans. Plus this musical in particular is something that's close to his heart, so I don't doubt his wonder and passion making this movie. Even looking at the teaser trailer sold me.

I do agree that The Lost World is by far Spielberg's worst movie, it's honestly disappointing and very boring.

It has been announced that Rachel Zegler will play Snow White in the upcoming live-action Disney version and I feel ecstatic about this casting. According to Deadline: "Some producers (Marc Platt included) have seen early footage of West Side Story and were 'blown away' by Rachel's performance so they decided to cast her in the role".

Is this story giving anybody Julie Andrews vibes? Because this is what it feels like.

I've said it before! Rachel's trajectory gives me Julie Andrews vibes. Mary Poppins = West Side Story, The Americanization of Emily = Shazam! 2, and The Sound of Music = Snow White. All three roles booked before the public had seen any film footage of her. Good for Rachel!

Looking at the IMDB trivia page, apparently there was an attempt to do a new film version of West Side Story in 1996 by Walt Disney Pictures that would've been directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and would have changed the time period from the 1950s to the 1990s. But obviously that version never came to fruition.

I've never heard about that, one has to wonder what kind of movie that could've been.