Steven Spielberg's WEST SIDE STORY - News & Discussion Thread — Page 60

Globefan said: "The 20/20 special is on tonight"



Anyone see it? Thoughts?



I have it on my dvr as I went to see WILD at the ART. Wish I'd stayed home to watch this instead!

dramamama611 said: "Globefan said: "The 20/20 special is on tonight"



Anyone see it? Thoughts?



I have it on my dvr as I went to see WILD at the ART. Wish I'd stayed home to watch this instead!





"

It was too short

nycward said: "Okay. I just returned from a Director's Guild screening of the film and I can go on for quite awhile about all that is quite simply perfect about this film. There wasn't a scene in this 2 1/2 hour film that wasn't stunningly crafted on all levels. Speilberg's musicianship in his direction is riveting and Kushner's screenplay ads gravitas and empathy to all of the characters. Justin Peck's choreography is pitch perfect and the cast is lovely. The great standout for me was the creation of Rita Moreno"s Valentina, the widow of Doc who now runs the drug store. She is headed for another Oscar nomination for a deeply affecting performance and she is the character who sings "Somewhere" summing up the desire for a better world between all people. A considerable amount of the dialogue is in Spanish without subtitles which is a daring choice and works beautifully. At this point, having seen many of the top films in awards contention, WSS is a favorite to repeat it's Oscar success of 60 years ago. If anyone has specific questions I'd be happy to answer any in detail. I could could go on, but suffice it to say that this is not only a breathtakingly meaningful and contemporary take on the material but also one of the best (dare I say THE best) adaptation of a musical that I think I have ever seen. I'm not one for hyperbole but I am smitten with this extraordinary film."

How was the scene when Valentina saved Anita from being assaulted? Is it played different because of who’s playing Valentina?

Plannietink08 said: "nycward said: "Okay. I just returned from a Director's Guild screening of the film and I can go on for quite awhile about all that is quite simply perfect about this film. There wasn't a scene in this 2 1/2 hour film that wasn't stunningly crafted on all levels. Speilberg's musicianship in his direction is riveting and Kushner's screenplay ads gravitas and empathy to all of the characters. Justin Peck's choreography is pitch perfect and the cast is lovely. The great standout for me was the creation of Rita Moreno"s Valentina, the widow of Doc who now runs the drug store. She is headed for another Oscar nomination for a deeply affecting performance and she is the character who sings "Somewhere" summing up the desire for a better world between all people. A considerable amount of the dialogue is in Spanish without subtitles which is a daring choice and works beautifully. At this point, having seen many of the top films in awards contention, WSS is a favorite to repeat it's Oscar success of 60 years ago. If anyone has specific questions I'd be happy to answer any in detail. I could could go on, but suffice it to say that this is not only a breathtakingly meaningful and contemporary take on the material but also one of the best (dare I say THE best) adaptation of a musical that I think I have ever seen. I'm not one for hyperbole but I am smitten with this extraordinary film."

How was the scene when Valentina saved Anita from being assaulted? Is it played different because of who’s playing Valentina?"

That played similarly to the stage play. She comes in from downstairs where she is consoling Tony and breaks up the melee. What is so striking is her relationship to Tony. It brings a cathartic touch early on between the caucasian and hispanic community that gets the film off on the right foot.

I went to the screening last Monday and overall really enjoyed it! The reviews that name Elgort as a weak link surprise me because a) I thought he was very charming, his scenes with Zegler were a highlight and b) I thought there were other issues to the movie. I wasn't a fan of Peck's choreography in CAROUSEL (Kenneth MacMillan stan here), and while I thought his work here was much better, it still didn't hit the high notes that I had hoped it would. The dancing itself is very impressive (the whole cast really leaves it all on the screen), but the choreography itself wasn't as focused or structured to me as the Robbins/Gennaro original. There's a moment at the end of "Cool" where Faist, after a very "real, gritty" stare down with Elgort, buttons the number with a big, jerky dance move that just came off as odd. However, if you loved the clip of "America" I'm sure you'll love the rest of the choreography. It's very similar "high energy/everything at an 11" type of movement.

I also was disappointed in the final scene. Spielberg lets so many other dramatic moments take a minute to land (Anita at the morgue, Valentina's final scene with Tony), that the final Maria speech ultimately felt rushed to me.

That said, when the movie works, it works astoundingly well and there are plenty of new touches that are just fantastic. Without giving too much away, there is a new, wordless scene that uses music from the "Somewhere" ballet and the whole 2 minute sequence put a smile on my face. I'd argue that CHICAGO and HEDWIG are still the best movie musicals of this century, but WSS reaches some amazing highs. One thing can't be debated, though: believe the hype about Zegler. She is astonishingly good in this.

BroadwayBreakdown said: "That said, when the movie works, it works astoundingly well and there are plenty of new touches that are just fantastic. Without giving too much away, there is a new, wordless scene that uses music from the "Somewhere" ballet and the whole 2 minute sequence put a smile on my face. I'd argue that CHICAGO and HEDWIG are still the best movie musicals of this century, but WSS reaches some amazing highs. One thing can't be debated, though: believe the hype about Zegler. She is astonishingly good in this."

I thought the film was pretty spectacular, including Ansel and I very much agree with your final paragraph. I tend to hate film adaptations of musicals, but Hedwig is a masterpiece, Chicago is fantastic and I think this new West Side Story is about as good as it could ever be. I predict an Oscar for Kushner and the soundtrack will become definitive.

I love when Valentina looks down and touches Anita’s skirt and says “I had a similar skirt once. A long time ago.”

That isn’t in the film.

Though I did see what looked like Anita’s purple dress in the background in their apartment.

rattleNwoolypenguin said: "Btw the 20/20 special was sweet.

They didn't show any real new clips besides the ones floating on youtube so if you were worried about too much being shown before you see it don't worry.

It's mostly just talking heads and B Roll from the set."

Just watched it. Beyond fantastic. Great seeing Chita Rivera representing the original 1957 Broadway production. DeBose and Moreno chatting together at the end was fabulous. Also, the on set footage was plentiful. An excellent coverage and Sondheim’s last American TV interview. Glorious!

It's been banned in some Arab countries because Anybodys is now transgender and Iris Menas who plays Anybodys is non-binary. Their loss that they don't get to see Iris be the star zie is becoming.

The 20/20 special was a delight. Can't wait, can't wait, can't wait. Friday can't come soon enough.

I saw the film last night and it is everything the critics say it is…and then some.

”One Hand, One Heart” was my favorite number. Not a dry eye in the house. Just beautifully done and sung by Rachel and Ansel.

There was a passion in their Balcony scene that I find now was missing from the first film.

DeBose and Faist as Anita and Riff are forces to be reckoned with.

Zegler is a star in every sense of the word. One of the greatest film debuts in a movie musical since Streisand in Funny Girl.

One minor quibble: Rachel’s last scene didn’t land for me and it didn’t have anything to do with her acting, just it’s brevity,

Overall a modern musical film masterpiece.

I am seeing it again tomorrow.