West Side Story- Page 2

[Elphaba]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 1:14pm

and love how telling a story like this without being PC could be done back then..........I am not sure this could be done again today with any two ethnic groups, as it would need to be in this style......and derogatory ethnbic remarks are frowned upon....even as art which amazes me.

[Kringas]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 3:00pm

Anyone have the box set WSS DVD...I loved watching the behind the scenes stuff and hearing Natalie Wood actually singing

I have it, and I was surprised to find that Natalie's voice wasn't nearly as atrocious as I'd been lead to believe all these years. If it had been made today, they could have used her voice and fixed in in the studio.

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 3:08pm

Elphaba --- And that's really tragic when you think about it. In order to discuss racial tensions and divisions, you would HAVE to put everything on the table to do it. Yes, it would push buttons, but it gets the discussion going.

Racism is something that needs to be discussed on an ongoing basis. it isn't something that you can talk about, make a blanket decision about, then move on. You'll only watch the cultures grow and divide all over again.

Laying everything on the table and "showing things for what they are" is the only way we're going to work towards overcoming racism. Not sweeping it under the table just to be PC, or with phrases like "color blind."

Turning a blind eye to racism or ethnicity only means we are doomed to repeat our mistakes again and again. We need to learn about each other, and from each other, not pretend someone else's skin color doesn't exist. That's never going to solve anything. In many ways, I feel like we're right back in the '50s again with all this PC crap.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 3:20pm

best, I totally agree.......I just don't think it will happen yet

[guitargeek0624]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 3:28pm

I was watching it on TV last night...pretty late, though. I fell asleep during the dance in the beginning hehe. God I love West Side Story!! *hugs her DVD*

[elphatine]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 3:29pm

I adore West Side Story. I'll never forget the first time I ever saw the movie - middle of summer (which I believe is the only acceptable time to watch WSS - it just seems appropriate to me. It's always felt like a summer movie), middle of the night... my mom was hemming a dress for me... I was probably 12 at the time. And I was in awe.

My school did it last year and they were all brilliant, especially Tony and Anita. And except for Maria. She destroyed it, and it angered me very much. I was actually the most mad because she gave the other performers nothing to play off of. Oh well. I suppose you get what you can out of school productions, right?

Anyway. I was forced to go to bed early(er) last night when it was on TCM and I didn't get to watch the end, which bothered me, because I was really in a WSS-ish kind of mood. Oh well.

And you are all absolutely right about racism in the entertainment world today. The movie theater doesn't have to be a place to escape reality - hey, it's what brings in the most money, most of the time, but it's not opening anyone's eyes.

*waves* Hey, Marissa! Updated On: 12/16/05 at 03:29 PM

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 3:37pm

Certainly in my opinion the best show ever performed on Broadway and the way some movie versions have been ruined, this one was pretty well preserved. But...why did they put Richard Beymer in it? He was cute granted but...

And they did overdo some of the dubbing...from what the box set showed me, I preferred Russ Tamblyn's singing to the dubbing...it's like he said Jet Song isn't a hard song that requires dubbing *shrug*

George and Rita and Russ were simply fantastic. I think the switching of the songs served the story well, it's more necessary to give the audience a comedy break in act 2 on stage than it is to interrupt the flow of the movie.

I understand why it wasn't included but...I really would have loved to see the whole Somewhere Ballet dream/nightmare sequence, particularly the part of it changing from the dream to the nightmare. I could only dream of how fantastic it must look professionally done.

[elphatine]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 3:44pm

Totally agree with that part about the ballet. One of my most favorite scenes the first time I saw it onstage last year at school. I thought ours was pretty well done, and if that's what they were able to do with Oklahoma!, imagine how WSS's dream ballet would look. *faints*

[StageManager2]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 3:51pm

I love this movie as well! My family makes fun of it because they think I'm too highbrow. Anyway, I prefer the AMERICA version heard in the movie (performed by Anita & Bernardo et al) than the oiriginal version (performed by Anita & girls). And I think the repositioning of GEE, OFFICER KRUPKE and COOL was brilliant and worked well with the story.

[ForTheLoveOfLea]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 4:54pm

Haha, my family accuses me of being high brow too.

West Side Story is my all time favorite musical. You seriously can't go wrong with Leonard Bernstein. I cry everytime I hear the orchestra move into "Tonight". Maria is my dream role. I'm a lyric soprano of hispanic descent, so I hope every year that a theatre near me would put it on so I could audition for it. I started watching it last night but I had to stop because I had finals in the morning and I knew I had to go to bed or I wouldn't be able to get up in the morning.

[RachLaura]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 4:56pm

my family and i watched west side story on thanksgiving

we gave thanks for its amazingness

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 5:20pm

Love this show! It got me my card. I've played both Riff and Diesel.

I personally prefer the film to the stage version. COOL works a lot better for me with Diesel taking Riff's place and plot wise it is a stronger choice. I also like GOK replaced as well. However, ACT II does need the comedy break that it offers. My only problem with the film is that the SOMWHERE ballet is gone. I understand why it is but it is such a moving and beautiful piece. As for AMERICA, I like it with all girls since it is such a male heavy show however all The Sharks pretty much do is jump the fence so, adding them in works for me too. I am torn.

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 5:23pm

AHHH,

I was offered the part of Tony or Riff in a big outdoor producion of West Side Story this summer, and had to decline, do to other obligations. It sucked, since both are dream roles and I have always wanted to do this show.

Akiva

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 5:38pm

I saw a WSS tour about a decade ago, and it was great... but it felt so claustrophibic. I missed them bursting out over the streets of NYC. Instead they seemed caged in by the confines of the stage, rather than owning the streets.

But I miss the ballet...

Anyone know if they actually filmed it, or if it was cut all along?

[grizzabella]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 8:48pm

I love the ballet portion, too, but completely understand why they didn't include it in the movie, which I always thought was definitely one of the best movie musicals ever made. It was beautifully done all around.
I don't know for sure, but I believe that the ballet was cut pre-production. I believe I heard this somewhere, but I can't recall where. Sorry, best12bars. Just can't remember.