Comparing the film versions of West Side Story
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ธ.ค. 2021
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In this video I talk about how the 1961 film version of West Side Story differs from the 2021 version.
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One of the changes that I loved the most was seeing the Jett girls trying to help Anita when the Jett's attack her. I think it heightened how monstrous the Jetts where on that scene that not even their peers would stand beside them
I was absolutely moved by that as well! The way Graziella attempted to rescue Anita by frantically grabbing onto her hand before she's thrown and locked out of Doc's store. It was heartbreaking to watch her helplessly and tearfully bang on the window begging them "DON'T HURT HER!" Almost as if she is re-experiencing a similar attack that might have happened to her. Makes one wonder how much worse it was for the girls growing up in such an environment.
Yeah, I rarely cry during movies, but that scene had me very close to tears
That scene was so powerful in the new one
Finally I see someone talk about that. Out of everything new added into the film that stuck with me the most, as it solidified this bond between the women in the story. Grazi had probably been through something like that and despite not liking Anita didn’t want to see her hurt, and later having Valentina who is very much the matriarch of both these groups call the boys out on their behavior saying “you dishonor yourselves” gives the scene a lot more depth and humanity to the scene. Putting a lens on what all the women in that environment must go through despite race or ethnicity and having that understood solidarity was really moving and tragic to watch.
Same
One thing I can absolutely say both films have in common is that Anita is still my favorite character, and America is still the best musical number, hands down! 👏👏👏
America was 1000% the highlight of both versions, but I think the 2021 version is superior. I loved the “party in the street” vibe to the number and how they really played up the playful back and forth between the girls and their boyfriends
I listen to america from Rita almost daily
Ariana DeBose was an absolute star! She lit up the screen every time she was in it.
i can never prove this but i'm almost sure chita rivera's was probably the best one hahaha
Saaaaaaaame on both!!!!! Loooooove Anita and “America”!!!!
Having Tony be an ex-con who almost killed someone and that's why he distanced himself from the Jets is a change that worked well for me. In the original it just seemed like Tony outgrew the Jets like they were some childhood hobby, really undercutting their threat since I don't think it's that easy for people to leave organized crime. Similarly having Bernardo as a boxer and his snark to Riff that the Sharks all have jobs drives home the hopelessness of having to fight like this, for survival and a piece of a place that's about to disappear anyway, while also working real jobs that might disappear as well.
And also it was like Tony was the muscle and Riff was the talker/wise guy and it made sense why Riff was desperate for him to come back, because he towered over everyone and can fight with brute strength, it wasn't just friendship, Riff literally needed him to win the fight
The original also suggested, with all Tony's affectionate references to his mother, that he is from a warm and stable home in comparison to Riff and the rest of the jets. Now he's far more of an orphan (literally or figuratively). The fact he found a new home and perspectives for the first time in his life in Valentina but was also still under parole was very clever move. It made the stakes a lot higher.
I didn’t like it at first tbh kinda made Tony more unlikeable to me BUT I like the contrast between him and Chino that gets created now. Tony is the Troubled one under Parole without hope for the future, Chino is the bright one with potential trying to get an education and lift his community up only to end up how Tony starts the film
@@susanalopez5052 And likely to be treated much worse by law enforcement
This was the moment where I lost some of the cynacism about how bad I was expecting the movie to be. Giving all of the characters more dimension for why they are the way that they are provided much more richness in the movie I didn't know I was craving.
The change that stuck out to me the most was Chino. How they altered his character made his story the most heartbreaking in some ways. Out of both the Jets and the Sharks he was the one person who had a really bright future. An accountant who was learning machine repair. He was bright, polite, cute and even a bit funny (see him at the dance). Yet in the end his best friend was dead and he became a killer, likely to go to jail for many years or even life. I don't normally cry very much at movies but I've seen this twice now and cried for him both times!
Good point. Chino was never much more then a prop in the stage version and the 1961 movie. I used to think, 'Who cares? The film isn't about Chino.' Until I saw the new version. My only regret is that he didn't get to sing a song.
But honestly I think that was the point. How due to hate and loss someone who has the brightest future can become a killer. Like Maria said “I have hate now so I can kill.”
Chino was adorable in the new version. I was going “awwww, look at him, he’s doing his best! …I genuinely feel kind of bad that Maria’s going to fall for someone else in two minutes!” in the scene at the dance.
Found it very interesting that they had him and Tony sneak into the warehouse together, also, paralleling both of them meaning well and caring about that more than their friends’ feud and then going on to react the same way to their best friends’ murders.
Totally right. Chino actually was a character instead of a plot device. Really, he was sympathetic and realistic.
All of the characters were better developed, but Chino was like night and day--I really appreciated that.
I have a theory that most creatives don’t understand the character of Tony. They think his conflict is being with Maria and it’s really not. Tony is trying to leave his violent past behind, which is clearly the way forward. Maria is even a good partner for him in this regard. His Achilles heel is Riff. Where Tony ultimately fails is not comprehending that in order to keep on his path, he has to let Riff go. When Maria asks him to stop the rumble, he should’ve said “I can’t. The only thing we can do is distance ourselves as much as possible.” Just like is Romeo & Juliet the solutions are actually pretty simple but they’re too close and cannot see the forest for the trees. Friar Lawrence should’ve married Romeo and Juliet and then immediately taken them to the Prince of Verona and told him “I have a solution for your problem.” The Prince announces their marriage and his blessing of it. Bing bang boom, Montague and Capulet would be forced into a position of making public peace.
I wish I could pin this comment, you’re spot on
Well stated & exactly what I see. You hit the nail on the head
That's just an external fix though, and it doesn't really solve the problem of them absolutely hating each other
@@the-ma-an how do you think most ancient feuds were solved? Marriage.
But then there would be no conflict, no drama, and no movie
I really liked the changed of Tony awkwardly trying to learn Spanish, that was very sweet. All other valid criticisms aside I thought Ansel did a good job of the ‘James Dean’ type. I didn’t like how Tony seemed to think of Maria as his own personal redemption, I did like that Bernardo called him out on it.
No he was the worst in the whole production.
I can't believe they didn't just cast Tom Holland or Timothee Chalamet for the role.
I agree with you on Chalamet, he seems to be the better singer.
@@noemiecansier8466 I like Chalamet, but he's no tough guy. I just wouldn't believe he would be the founder of a NY gang.
@@Seetha-Golden Feel free to make your own version....I'm sure you can do better. Love to hear you tell the Producer Rita Moreno to her face.
I think Ansel Elgort was perfect! Timothey Chalamet is in everything, and he doesn’t fit the character. Tony is supposed to be attractive but in a very average way. Timothey stands out too much with his sharp jawline.
Here's what i loved about the 2021 version:
- they really buffed up the caracters back stories, espacially Maria and Tony's
- the relationship between Tony and Riff is given much more context and depth, also Mike Faist is a REVELATION!!!
- the "Cool" scene is insanely well filmed and choreographed
- Also you can tell tell Spielberg LOVES musicals! Most musical directors seem almost embarassed by the fact that they're directing one (hm Tom Hooper). Spielberg is like "yes these are street gang members dancing ballet in the middle of the street, deal with it!"
My two little tiny issues (cause i F%%% loved that movie)
- The placement of "i feel pretty" bothered me a little. It's supposed to be this joyous song about falling in love and here in the context of the film it's just sad
- The new "America" version is great but the 1962 version just feels angrier and has much more effect in my opinion
Edit: wow did not expect for this comment to get so many likes and replies! So cool to read all your opinions and learning so much (didn't know that the "I feel pretty placement was the same than on broadway :) )
Personally, the new version of "I fell pretty" fulfilled the same function, it continues to be seen how in love she is and visually it is beautiful
Literally all of this.
I looked it up and it is placed in the same spot as it was on Broadway.
I've never really liked the original "i feel pretty" which I find a little too corny, but his new placement adds a little irony which makes me laugh a little.
Agree
The attempted rape scene in the original version always made me feel uncomfortable but it messed me up in this newer version. I mean the white women who originally scorned Anita just as much as the dudes in the beginning of the scene go out their way to try to help before they're locked out Doc's store! Even they knew how messed up it was for the Jets to try to rape an innocent woman because of the hatred in their hearts. I was glad when Valentina called them out for growing up to become rapists.
I too was moved by the white girls' desperate attempt to stop the rape. Everyone is this film is a real person.
Yep, it really hit hard and there’s nothing worse that an old lady’s berating
the original scenes ending had a real punch to it too though, i kind of wished they’d let that line in
I was blown away by Rachel Zegler’s singing. She sang like an angel!
she really did. Her voice is as clear as a bell. Truly gorgeous!
@@GiftSparks Rachel Zegler in the Spielberg film and Carol Lawrence in the original Broadway cast sang "One Hand, One Heart" in the published key of A♭ Major. Marni Nixon who dubbed Natalie Wood's singing voice in the 1961 film sang it one whole step lower in the key of G♭.
Stephen Sondheim was invited to an advance screening not long before his death. He said she sang like a nightingale.
Honestly if I could have anyones vocal talent and range I’d pick Rachel’s
@@RaymondHng I would guess that Marni Nixon could have readily handled it in the original key but remember everything was already recorded in Natalie Woods voice (for whom it was probably lowered) so Marni just had to dub with that. Having said that Rachel’s voice is extraordinary and I caught myself thinking that Marni Nixon would have been very impressed!
The change that surprised me the most was Riff. Tamblyn’s take had a more “class clown” feel to him, and most productions either follow suit or pay little mind to the character despite his importance.
The second Mike Faist entered the frame, I knew they weren’t going down that route. With an emaciated build, hardened expressions, distinct body language, you knew they had different plans. Riff being depicted as a hateful, charismatic, almost psychopathic figure really shook the ground. Faist’s performance might be my favorite of the entire year. Every acting choice he makes (the John Mulaney-meets-Paul-Reiser voice, the mannerisms) is “big”. It could have gone wrong in so many ways, but the gambit pays off, and we get a definitive portrayal of the character.
Nominate him, AMPAS! Do Kodi Smit-Mcphee too, so we have two Demon Twinks in Supporting Actor
Agree Faist was stunning and original as Riff- love the way he says "knives?" as a question when Riff is talking about weapons with Bernardo, for example- don't see anyone else making this kind of choice, and that surprise element ran throughout his performance. Faist also allowed for audience empathy by showing a vulnerability underneath the tough demeanor, and he made you understand the background that led Riff to his current place in society. Definitely a "Who the hell is that!?!" performance.
@@slc2466 What gets me is how practically suicidal they made him. Apparently the lean into the gun while shifting his toothpick was an ad lib, and he just looks so relieved with his fate by the end. There’s a darkness to his work lesser performers wouldn’t dare to tread.
This comment!! Also his manner of speaking 100% reminded me of John Mulaney as well
I think with that crooked smile he incorporated the antic personality of Shakespeare's Mercutio, the model for the musical's character of Riff.
Yes, Faist's physical, intense, nervous energy is Pacinoesque; the viewer can't take their eyes off of him. He gave a remarkably smart performance.
Ansel Elgort aside, I thought the cast did incredible. Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, Mike Faist, David Alvarez and Josh Andrés Rivera really gave their characters so much depth and weight with their performances. All of them added much complexitity and depth to their characters, which makes Riff and Bernardo’s deaths and Tony’s ultimate murder by Chino so unbelievably tragic and devistating
Agreed on Ansel part you can tell he was completely out of his zone from musical theatre, my favorite part from him acting wise was when Valentina falsely told him Maria hurt, although his singing voice was nice and his 1960s NYC accent was spot on.
@@Kevin-rg3yc there were certainly moments where there were glimmers of excelence. The scene with Valentina and Tony where she tells him Maria is dead is one, and the other is the scene where he beats up Bernardo. You can see so much rage and fury in his eyes
@@erikdaniels0n yea I literally felt his heart when his face became so sadden but doc telling him what she thought what happened to Maria I legit got choked up
He is innocent until a jury says otherwise or he pleads guilty. Accusing someone of a crime on Twitter instead of talking to the police or a DA doesn't help your case.
If he did something wrong, then there needs to be a court date where evidence is presented. We don't convict people on just allegations alone.
Ok but I had to pause when she called him Angle Export. Was that intentional or not? 😂
The contextualization re: the gentrification of Manhattan's west side (new to me!) helped articulate, as you said, that macro-level of systemic oppression against the WHOLE neighborhood, Jet or Shark. I saw the film this afternoon and what I'm struck by most is Valentina. Who once was an Anita. Now a widow and revisiting the "taunting" scene from the POV of needing to be the adult to break it up. This tiny woman, who has lived a WHOLE life, shouldn't be out on the streets now in her house coat and hair-net. This woman should be upstairs; asleep in the bed she shared with her husband in the apartment above the store she's now being strong-armed out of to better suit the dreams of Mr. Robert Moses. It felt like such a circle. A real answer to "why are we revisiting WSS?" Because in America traumatized children find access to guns and with those guns they end up traumatizing those left behind, clearing the rubble. Thank you for your work--it's tremendous.
My favorite change was Valentina's speech to the Jets. Anita's scene at Doc's was the most painful part of both movies for me, and it really helped to hear Valentina's voice in response to that.
The only change that i felt wasn't a straight upgrade from the original was giving Somewhere to Rita Moreno. Its a cute idea, but without that song, Maria's acceptance of Tony despite the knowledge of his murder of her brother lacks justification. The moment doesn't play right without the two of them singing it together. It also has the side effect of switching the reprise at the close of the film to Tonight, instead of Somewhere which isn't remotely as effective imo.
My thoughts exactly!
At the very least, they could have kept it a duet!!!
I felt the new movie conveyed Tony's love for Riff to Maria properly (wedding sequence), making Tony killing Nardo semi-justified in Maria's eyes. She knew Riff was his only family. I didn't get this sense from the original.
In the original stage show, Somewhere isn't a duet, it's sung by an unnamed girl, the 2021 version isn't remaking the 61 film it's a 21st century adaptation of the Broadway show. I understand it's jarring for fans of the first film who haven't seen the show onstage, but I thought it was magnificent.
@@beltingtokra But it really doesn't make any sense for a woman of Valentina's age to be singing about a better, more hopeful future somewhere, someday that she can't ever expect to see. Much better for it to come from Tony and Maria. Who is the unnamed girl who sings it on stage - why is she singing it?
First of all, the movie is an absolute masterpiece! Here's my take on Ansel. He gave a fine performance! I'm so tired of seeing comments of people saying "he brought the entire movie down - one of the worst performances - he can't sing - he showed no emotion". In all honesty, he gave Tony so much more depth and urgency than the original. The way he delivered some of his lines was beautiful, and made me tear up. Do I support AE personal life? No. But I give credit when credit is due. I loved the entire move, and you can see the entire cast gave it their 110%.
Thank you, finally an honest review. Many people don't know how to separate someone's personal life from their craft, and it shows. But I, too, thought he bought a lot of depth to Tony's character, and the audience could feel it when he sang, danced, and showered us with emotion. Yes, at times, there was a lack of chemistry between him & Rachel (Maria), but it didn't damper the film. The cast was brilliant and was a great send-off to the original West Side Story.
Ansel has a beautiful tenor voice, much better than whoever dubbed Richard Beymer's voice in the original. Ansel is also a very good actor and is believable as a young kid.
@@alishag1662 yes! Exactly! Thank you for your input!
@@johnstirret5021 facts.
The streak of violence revealed when he pounded the shit out of Bernardo, and then his pulling back, himself shocked by his capability to kill a man with his bare hands, was tremendously powerful. Tony in the original musical is not as interesting as the other characters--he could be any young man in love. In Spielberg's film he has many layers.
Comparing the opening scene of La La Land to a GAP commercial (11:00) was not what I was expecting but I'm here for it!
Never noticed that either. It is also funny because Gap did a West Side Story inspired commercial for their khaki pants in the early 00s
@@C_M_R Holy crap you just reached into my brain and yanked out a buried memory. OMG gap _did that_ 😂
@@becauseimafan Stay cool boy....real cool...
Are you a jean? Or a khaki? th-cam.com/video/ij-SBwKk12I/w-d-xo.html
Haven’t seen Lala land… that wasn’t a gap commercial?
Rita Moreno singing Somewhere was remarkable. Giving her a chance to sing, the song placement showed how things remain the same even as things progress. The Rita Moreno character Valentina is Doc’s widow, and her marriage to Doc is what Tony is striving for.
This was probably my favorite updated moment in the 2021 version. I didn't know how they were going to make the song work from Valentina's perspective, but Kushner and Spielberg pulled it off in a simple, spot-on manner.
I believe the Valentina/Somewhere was a 'live' performance single take shot too.
This is one of the few changes that I disliked. I wasn’t able to buy into Valentina being Doc’s wife. Why would the Jets, with all of their hate raging, hang out at a place run by a Puerto Rican? It just doesn’t fit. If you had to bring a 1961 cast member back then Russ Tamblyn (Riff) should have played Doc. I think that would have added a very nice dimension to it.
@@tuliothx You're absolutely right. But you know how 'Woke' Hollywood gets with creating in new roles based on the race-gender ID and so, I wasn't surprised, really.
Soccer Star Suicide Selfie Song for Katie Meyer Pass the Link to your Loved ones.
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As a person born and raised in Puerto Rico, I can confidently say Spielberg’s adaptation addresses A LOT of the issues of 1961 film regarding cultural depiction. Like you, I was skeptical of a new adaptation, but was pleasantly surprised.
I liked it except when Tony meets her in the dress shop where in the first movie they had a "marriage" declaring their love and one they will never get to have.
When you change “let it sink in the ocean” it flattens the character of Amita. A lot of people can relate to hating their country - that’s what makes her complex and independent. It’s her saying that about her home - not a general statement about Puerto Rico.
I can see that, it removed some of the passion from the scene, but I kind of like this Anita. She feels more like someone who loves her home but is trying to make the most out of America and adapt. It especially feels resonant with her final scene where she drops the facade and just lets everyone know the truth. She's stuck here, it's her home now, she has to live here.
I totally agree. I'm brazilian so I grew up with a lot of adults around me dreaming about moving to USA, and their rhetoric had a lot of insults to Brazil. So I always felt like 1961's Anitta embodied this experience of wanting to leave your home country in a pretty honest way. Changing the lyrics in "America" kinda misses the whole point of the number. If Anitta's lyrics are praising Puerto Rico, there is no more clash between her and Bernardo. If Puerto Rico is being described as a paradise island of tropical breezes, why do Anitta even moved and why does she loves America so much?
And also this changes undermines the impact after the ass*ult scene, when Anitta's idealized vision of America collapses.
I respectfully disagree. I think changing the lyrics adds more nuance to Anita's character. Ariana played a more hopeful and cheerful Anita compared to Rita's cynical and sarcastic portrayal. I love both interpretations, they are amazing in their own right. Having ambivalent feelings towards your homeland is realistic too. This version of Anita can see what makes Puerto Rico beautiful, but there's just so many struggles and hardships to endure if she stays there ('Money owing, babies crying, people trying') that when it comes down to it, she prefers to chase the American dream. It makes it even more heartbreaking when she finally thinks Bernardo is right and wants to return to Puerto Rico after her last scene. It showed that no matter how much she acts 'American'-like and try everything she can to assimilate, she would never be considered as equals to descendants of white European immigrants.
A solid mix of love and hate would feel relatable.
I love my land, but I hate the cost, I love the people, but I hate what they've done.
I agree, it's a very latino thing to have that mixed feeling towards our country and that line is not harmful as that first one, it's just very realistic (i can see one of my aunties or uncles saying it!)
Good commentary, but like all the other commentaries about the new West Side Story, this commentary does not include anything about the transformation of Chino, who ultimately becomes the most consequential character in the story. This is a radical departure from the previous stage and screen versions of West Side Story. In the previous versions, Chino is just another member of the Sharks. In one scene he claims he is an assistant, trying give himself credibility to his fellow Puerto Ricans. He fits in with Sharks easily and baits the Jets into chasing him during the prologue. Bernardo assigns him to escort Maria to and from the dance. He later hinted he was a possible mate for Maria, but it's not something people take seriously.
In the new version, Chino enters the story as an accountant and Bernardo has definite plans for him to marry Maria. Chino is nebbish, shy, socially awkward. Chino wants to be in the gang, but Bernardo has other plans for him. He wants to keep Chino out of harm's way. Chino comes late to the Rumble. He picks up Riff's gun afterward. He shows the other Sharks what he intends to do. When they try to stop him, he pushes back and this was something that was not part of his character. He takes off his glasses, so now he's become this monster who is capable of murder.
I don't think this is something that should be ignored.
Yes! Chino is the biggest and most welcome change in this new version. It's too bad that he gets overlooked, while I was watching the film I thought "Wow, he's a contender for Best Supporting", but nobody ever mentions him in the review. I think it's because he has no song to shine in like Riff and Bernardo.
agreed! it was a jarring change for me, though. just cuz i felt like, “since when is Paris one of the leads in Romeo and Juliet?” lol
oh and the “glasses come off = violent monster“ thing was so weird to me, too!
Ir was so heartbreaking how the police gets him at the end :(
@@heg203 It's at least a refreshing change from the old trope "glasses off = suddenly hot"
@@susanalopez5052 And why is that?
Leonard Berstein's brilliant score is the single factor that holds this musical timeless and exceptional. There would be no remakes without it.
This truly is what makes the musical something we all come back to.
I’m really impressed with how they handled the score in the 2021 version. The re-orchestration to fill symphony orchestra give the music a depth that wasn’t possible when the score is played by the (incredible) doubling Broadway musicians.
Yes! I never tire of hearing that score. And when Bernstein's music meets Jerome Robbins's choreography, it is heaven!
What? No love for Sondheim's incredible lyrics?
ABSOLUTELY!
Great music! Plus the dancing in the original.
I am a latina who has seen both versions and is also heavily involved with theatre. What changes stuck with me? Most deeply, it was seeing other people like me represented in a movie musical. I loved getting to hear Spanish, without subtitles, translating it on my own for my American boyfriend; it was like an special message just for me from the characters. But the moment that brought me to tears was hearing Valentina sing "Somewhere." It was a plea to the world for a change, if not for us right now, then someday for those ahead of us. I cried because it was the original Anita getting to see the progress we've made in casting. This movie gave me hope for someone like me.
Thank you for your review. Although I'm just another white guy I LOVED seeing and HEARING the Latino actors. The singing was over the top fantastic! I liked hearing the Puerto Rican rebellion song. It added a lot to the film.
My boyfriend translated it for me too and hearing his reaction to some of it made the moments even funnier for me especially the Krumpt scene where they called him a son of a b***h basically
2 changes stand out: the placement of "I feel Pretty" crushed me cuz Maria wasn't aware of what had already happened.
Faist' fine acting as Riff. He BECOMES that squirrely punk with no future.
I hope one day we watch a biopic of Rachel Z. on how she went from a 14-year old being videoed by her mom singing at a Broadway flea market to absolutely winning our hearts in SS's WSS. [and she can dub for whoever plays her on screen!]
And how she hates the police and wants them defunded?
@@colleen4ever that’s not an unpopular opinion lol go cry about it
@@itgirlarchive Excuse me, my cousin is a cop thank you!! AND HE IS NOT RACIST AND NEITHER IS ANYONE IS OUR LUTHERAN FAMILY!!! AND WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITHOUT COPS IF YOUR HOUSE GETS BROKEN INTO AND ROBBERS STEAL ALL YOUR STUFF, HMM? OR A RELATIVE OF YOURS GETS ATTACKED AND MUGGED OR RAPED, WHAT WOULD YOU DO THEN?!
@@colleen4ever i don’t care that ur cousin is a cop lol
@@colleen4ever i don't really support defunding the police either, but i don't think you understand what it means. almost no one wants the police entirely disbanded. violent crime & theft clearly require police prevention. but some of the very large extant police budget could be redirected toward other state organisations which target the root causes of crime.
I was excited to see "I Feel Pretty" in its originally intended placement in the new film, highlighting the dramatic irony in its intended use and to have it set at night again. However, the Rumble sequence rattled me so much that it made me realize that "I Feel Pretty" also needed to be after an intermission because having seen the way they performed the Rumble in this version, one unlike any other take on the scene, really needs an audience member to sit and dwell on it before having the whiplash of the department store. I do think they could have sold that sequence a tad more on its dramatic irony to really make it work, but I appreciate the nod to Stephen Sondhim's discomfort with his lyrics for that song by adding this hint of mockery to the white gringos that María has to work for as a cleaner
In the old days longer movies had intermissions. I wish this one did too before I Feel Pretty, just as the stage musical has. It highlights a certain innocence in Maria.
@@philipkuttner7945 "I Feel Pretty" is more correctly positioned earlier in the 1961 film, before the rumble. In the remake, it's hard to enjoy the light-heartened scene with Maria and her friends teasing her knowing that two young men have just been needlessly killed.
@@anthonylaudati And also in the stage musical. Good point.
yes I liked the idea of having it placed after the rumble as an ironic twist but it was VERY jolting. I don't think we spent enough time with riff and bernardo's deaths
@@anthonylaudati thats the point?
The new version affected me. I can't stop thinking about it. I feel driven to listen and watch it over and over. It must be like people watching the first version for the first time. I absolutely Love both versions. Spielberg walked to the plate, pointed to the left field fence and knocked the movie ball into the parking lot outside the stadium.
The acting of Riff and Bernardo at the rumble was outstanding. The bravado and cockiness initially of both characters changes dramatically when the knives come into play, and the look of fear on both faces while having the knives, knowing the highly increased danger and uncertainty is inevitable, was acting at its very best. Alvarez and Faust’s acting was amazing and memorable in this sequence.
Having seen both versions, honestly I preferred the romance in the first one. I don't really get on board easily with love at first sight stories but this one in the 1961 movie was just so compelling and sweet looking that I loved it. Its very fantastical and idealistic but mutual and hopeful and I think the lack of words, the interpretative dancing and the incredible acting made it just work.
The thing that delighted me the most about the new adaptation of West Side Story is how Spielberg and company managed to add their own touches to the classic sequences instead of making them feel like carbon copies of the 1961 film. From small things like how Anita is the one who initiates the mambo music during "Dance at the Gym" to larger ones like the restaging of "America" in order to expand upon the social themes in the song. They obviously pay homage to the work of Wise and Robbins but add their own thrilling reinventions to the material.
I also thought including the history of San Juan Hill into the movie did a lot to add stakes for the characters. The back and forth argument between Bernardo and Anita about life in America carries a lot more weight when they're literally watching their lives upended as a result of the systemic racism that has always been part of life in the United States.
For the subtitles debate, while I appreciate the intention of not giving subtitles to the Spanish dialogue, I think it backfires by in a way silencing the Puerto Rican characters to non-Spanish speaking audiences and creates a further divide. What could have been more impactful would be giving Spanish subtitles under English dialogue and English subtitles under the Spanish dialogue as a way of creating a bridge across language barriers on both sides. But that also could distract audiences… Thoughts?
I agree, subtitles on both would have been a good solution. My Spanish isn't great so I would have appreciated sub's in important moments like Chino talking to María after the rumble
As someone who speaks Spanish I can promise you, you didn't miss out and including subtitles for the two lines of dialogue ever five minutes would have just been distracting
Honestly, every line in Spanish is either a) directly translated in a follow up line; b) has a follow up line that has a similar meaning or theme (think, one of the Sharks saying Bernardo was " un puertorriqueño orgulloso - a strong Puerto Riqueño" or smth along those lines. It's obvious what he was saying and they repeated the basic concept, a proud man and a strong man); c) the sentiment was understandable without needing to understand the dialogue and d) the line wasn't really that important (like Maria screaming to her brother during the balcony scene that she's getting dressed)
Aaaaand e) makes it so much more realistic to watch. Yeah, it makes sense for them to slip into Spanish when they are emotional or trying to communicate without the American monolinguists eavesdropping
YES! that is what I was saying on a different platform. Think of it this way. If a French audience were watching the film- wouldn't all the scenes (Spanish and English) be subtitled in French? Subtitles in both English and Spanish would have made a lot of sense.
having spanish subtitles plastered across 95% of the film would be completely ludicrous. the brief non-english scenes are intentionally performed in a way so the audience doesn't need to know the exact words being used. one of the scenes is literally about language, while anita is interrupting saying "speak english, we need to practice." it's the whole purpose of the scene.
@@soph996 Also, can anyone discern the English lyrics from five characters singing their separate melodic lines in the quintet "Tonight"? Most likely no, but you can still get the gist of it.
The thing I always liked the most about the original is how it acts as an historical document of the demolished neighborhood where it takes place. It was a unique and powerful but sobering opportunity the filmmakers had at that exact moment.
Rachel Zegler was in Shrek the Musical??? Absolute queen
Both are exceptional films...The last scene in the 61 version however is so far superior, Natalie Wood et al bring you to tears every time. The last scene in the 21 version is played much too fast and Rachel Zegler so good in the film just didnt muster the depth that Natalie Wood captured, And not using Somewhere in the 21 version markedly damaged that scene imo. But Bravo to all who created both films!
Totally agree regarding the ending and how great Wood is in it. I think they deliberately toned down the finale (and cut some of Maria's dialogue) and although Zegler performed it very gracefully, it didn't allow for the same emotional impact you get with Wood fully expressing Maria's rage and remorse (I never will get "Don't you touch him!" and Wood's guttural cries as she drops the gun and falls to her knees out of my mind).
@@slc2466 I just found out that both Natalie Wood and Marni Nixon are saying "Don't you touch him" which kind of made my brain explode and I really want to know how/why Robert Wise thought to do it. The man loved a good dub and in this case it really worked!
@@nikkigregerson Interesting info- IMDB states this is the case, but the Movie Mistakes website corrects this assertion and gives Wood sole credit. It does sound like Natalie to me.
I don't know why they altered the ending like that. Even my HS production made a bigger impact by sticking to the script. :)
100% spot on. The 2021 version couldn't use Somewhere of course due to repositioning it to Valentina. But those two ghostly tender string chords completing the song as Maria looks silently down on the dead Tony are unrivaled gold. And yes, Wood's final speech is IMO the high point of her career. Now I have it on DVD, I've watched the 1961 film every year for the last decade. I'll get the 2021 DVD and have a double bill every year until they lay me in my pine box. How lucky I feel to have lived when I lived to be blessed by this great artwork.
We should point out how utterly pointless it would be remaking a classic film and making it exactly the same. So what do we really want in a new version of a movie as spectacular as the 1961 West Side Story? We want a movie that delivers all the sixty years of advancement in film making. It's okay to attempt to right the mistakes, if any, of the original because your work will exist as a sign of its time. And you can't bring ask creative people to make replicas, you want them to create. Spielberg's West Side Story does all that. Wisely what changes the least is the Bernstein, Sondheim music.
Enjoyed the new version, but my heart remains with the 1961 take, as its main assets are considerable and still resonate: Moreno's peerless Anita, Chakiris' magnetic Bernardo, and Natalie Wood's powerful closing scene (she may not be of the right ethnicity, but the torment and rage she expresses as Maria is universally identifiable).
Absolutely agree!!
I agree, actually. I'm not sure it was worth it, getting a better Tony. (Ansel isn't great, but he's better than Richard Beymer.) Natalie Wood's closing scene has stuck with me all these years, since I saw the movie as a kid. It's such an important scene, too, which is probably why it sticks out. No music, no singing, no dancing, just Maria's pain and transformation from innocent girl into someone who can hate. Rachel Zegler's performance in the same scene was okay, but not as compelling
George Chakiris is amazing!
I've seen a clip of Natalie's scene, and seen Rachel's performance twice. In acting skills there is no comparison. Natalie is over the top; Rachel is more subtle and more believable. To me. I can understand why you love Natalie more in that scene.
@@philipkuttner7945 I disagree regarding "over the top"- I find Natalie emotionally true and very moving in the scene, delving deep to vividly illustrate Maria's heartbreak. As you mention Rachel is subtle, but for me the scene is much more memorable in the 1961 version, due to Natalie's work.
The humanization and complexity of Riff’s emotional desperation and hopelessness was so vivid in the 2021 version.
I absolutely LOVED Spielberg’s interpretation. It’s so cinematic.
On my first viewing I struggled a bit with Ansel’s performance, as it seemed he was singing at the edge of his abilities, whereas the rest of the cast felt effortless. On second viewing his performance gelled much better, and I felt he added some really key touches: you understand why his own violence frightens him.
Agreed. For some reason the second time I watched the movie I liked Ansel as Tony much better.
I loved him EQUALLY EVERY time and thought he was an absolutely PHENOMENAL Tony!
Interesting! 🤔
i just screamed ‘LET’S GO’ and threw open my laptop to watch this this channel has a death grip on me
I thought that tracking the gun that kills Tony, from Riff's purchase through Chino shooting Tony was among the most brilliant touches. Backstories however seemed pasted on. It's like speaking subtext. We don't always need to be told. Let backstory inform the character and don't feel it necessary to tell us.
Show, don't tell: that's a basic writing tenet. All the backstories made it feel like one of those live action Dr Suess movies.
The thing that "kinda" bothers me of the new version was that they cut out the best and basically all the dancing moments of the sharks (the male members), like... Bernardo was the extra of extras in this new version 😂
Facts. The Sharks were the better dancers in the 1961 version - hands down.
The Jets had more songs, but the Sharks’ dancing was highlighted more so it felt more balanced compared to the new version.
Anti-suicide Selfie Song ( Sing It To Yourself ) th-cam.com/video/RqJqyzq2mMU/w-d-xo.html
I appreciated the inclusion of the gentrification in the narrative, but also wish that it paid off in a clear emotional way rather than as something I had to extrapolate for emotional context.
This is close to how I felt about it!
Maybe they did to add another to Maria's brother's death.
Where I sit now is that it can be read as a way of highlighting how little this fight over turf means. The entirety of the violence here is especially pointless. I was wishing we would have had just a bit of a reminder how pointless this was in context.
@@fad23 The meaningless of the turf wars was one aspect of the remake I really like- I believe Bernardo even has a line mentioning how senseless the fighting is.
I loved the inclusion but disagree to an extent. To me, paying it off in-narrative would have robbed it of its power. It's a looming threat, not a currently-present one in the setting of the story, and by the end realizing that it was all for nothing and that in a few years NONE of them will be there, makes it more meaningful to me. I think spelling out the tragedy-to-come wouldn't be nearly as effecting.
The price paid for that, of course, is that some people won't pick up on it, but I think that's inevitable in art of any kind.
I really liked the placement of “I Feel Pretty”. It added a tragic irony to it that brought it down to earth in a way.
Also, as much as I loooove the choreography in the original, I appreciated how they kind f toughened it up a bit for the gang members. I feel like the 2021 version was just in general much more grounded.
In terms of the authenticity of the new version in its portrayal of Puerto Ricans, I'm torn. It's funny how the goal post has changed, it would've been a dream to have a half Polish half Colombian girl play María in the original. In this new one, it's a little sad. Generally, as a Puerto Rican, I'm ok with Latinos getting cast in Latino roles even if the nationality doesn't line up, but there's a few places where the new one still falls short in ways I think are inherent to the material.
Firstly, for as much as I love Tony Kushner's screenplay (seriously, the amount of detail he added is astounding), I found it disappointing how much of the screentime still leaned on the Jets. Granted, it's a rivalry, a two sided love story, both sides need their time. But... that's kind of the issue. I got the mentality of the Jets very quickly, I know them from other films and real life stories of white men just like them. I was particularly hoping Bernardo and Chino would get just a little more TLC, but it seems that attention went to Mike Faist's Riff (which, I must admit, is the only Riff I can solidly say I love). I'm wondering what would it have looked like if a Puerto Rican screenwriter or co-screenwriter was brought on. Would it still be such a two sided story? What more insight could we get for the Sharks' relationships to their identity? Hell, here's a big one, would María still forgive and have sex with the gringo that killed her brother just an hour or so after he killed him? But at that point it feels like this is just the story we have and we can't deviate too much, which is a problem when the story concludes in part with María loving Tony till his death and cares more for him than her own brother.
And the second element is just a scene, but it's the scene that stuck out to me the most from the film. When the Sharks sing the Revolutionary Anthem of Puerto Rico a tear rolled down my face. I never thought I'd see a loving moment dedicated to Puerto Ricans directly standing with the Independence movement. This anthem which is still taboo even in PR to this day finally got a moment in the sun... in a movie not written or directed by Puerto Ricans, by actors that were not Puerto Rican. David Alvarez is truly phenomenal as Bernardo, I don't think he's been getting the credit he deserves, but a part of me was sad that a Puerto Rican couldn't get this moment instead. This Revolutionary anthem is getting the spotlight in a major Hollywood film, but Puerto Ricans can't get to sing it yet. (And, side note, looking at the slate of movies this year vs next year it may be a while untill we do see it bc I guess Hollywood ran out of big Latine projects after this year).
So all in all, I really liked this movie, this musical holds a special place for me. But I kind of hope this is its last hurrah for West Side Story because I think we've done all we can with it. It broke so many barriers in film and stage, but it can't just be this and In the Heights for the rest of time.
I agree on them leaning much more heavily on the Jets than the Sharks, and that was disappointing to me because, if anything, their world is more in danger of disappearing than the Jets world is
I wholeheartedly agree with every point you wrote down. You nailed everything that I had an issue with in this new remake. It's a shame they couldn't find Puerto Rican actors for Maria and Bernardo. Even more saddening, why couldn't they get a Puerto Rican as one of the writers? There could've been more emotional involvement for the Sharks through the perspective of an actual Puerto Rican. The spotlight is focused more on the Jets, even though the Sharks got the worst end of the stick. The Jets have the Jet song, Gee Officer Krupke, and Cool. The Sharks barely have any scenes together nor any of the Shark boys have any moment to showcase their individuality and character depth. Also if I'm not mistaken, Anita and Bernardo have less scenes together compared to the 1961 movie, which was a huge letdown on my part because they were the best thing and what I hold the most dear from the original. They're the only two characters that got me sitting through the whole 1961 movie, flaws and all.
I can't forget this passage from a critique of West Side Story by a Puerto Rican writer:
No matter how much authenticity you try to bring to West Side Story, the story requires that Puerto Ricans ultimately be the antagonists. The Sharks never have a chance to be somewhat humanized in the way “Gee, Officer Krupke” does for the Jets. It is Bernardo who opposes Maria and Tony’s relationship and who first becomes a killer. It is Anita who lies after the Jets try to r**e her, leading to Tony’s death. It is Chino who pulls the trigger and kills Tony in revenge.
I truly do agree, especially with the last part. I am not of Puerto Rican descent, but rather of Asian descent so I have had an exhaustion toward the stories of Miss Saigon and The King and I being our barrier breakers. Not being of Latin American descent, I had not considered West Side Story to fall under this category for that group of people, but I am seeing now how it was always intended to really be a merging of the high arts of ballet and opera and not in portraying authenticity, similar to the prioritizing of the the sweeping scores of Miss Saigon and King and I instead of respecting the culture. In fact, The King and I wrote its music entirely on sounds that would be uncomfortable to Western ears instead of making it based on Thai music, similar to West Side Story actually using a fusion of Latin American music from all over instead of actually centering around Puerto Rican music. I think that we do truly need to leave stories like these as products of their time in the front of representation because it's great that they made revolutionary stories and even more revelatory scores, but they cannot keep being treated like the representation we want, especially if they are not giving real power to the people in those cultures behind the scenes. It also forces folks of our descent to be restrained to these roles, so I hope we can encourage more storytellers instead of revisits.
@@hanautomo4980 ; you make some good points. As the critique of West Side Story says; “the story requires that Puerto Ricans … be the antagonists”.
- To make the Jets / Sharks balance more even, would require a major rewrite (including with who gets what songs).
Doing that would move the story far away from the 1961 original. It could be done but would it still be West Side Story?
Funny enough, I liked the Sharks more than the Jets in the 1961 version. They seemed like cooler people to hang out with, and I had a huge crush on Bernardo and I loved how sassy Anita was. :)
I think with both versions the main problem for me are Tony and Maria and their lack of chemistry, you have to believe that these two are so in love and in lust that Maria would forgive Tony for Bernardo's murder and run away with him, I think Richard and Natalie have more chemistry than Rachel and that guy. I wish they would have gone for an unknown for Tony too or at least someone with more charm and wonder, and Rachel was great but I think she just needed a little bit more acting experience especially in the last scene, Natalie Wood in that scene is absolutely devastating. In the end the ones who always shine more are Anita, Bernardo and Riff. Keep doing you BKR :)
I feel like in both films Maria and Tony ARE the problem, and i wonder if they are also a weak spot in stage adaptations
Yes I wanted a few more scenes of Maria and Tony, seeing them even have casual conversations and getting to know one another even more. Like we heard about Tony’s troubled past but I wanted to know more about the character’s personalities too. I wanted their chemistry to build. I feel like we got to know Anita’s character quite well though with her passion of sewing, how she’s hard working, confident, strong, sassy and is honest, doesn’t sugar coat her thoughts.
I wonder if a part of the issue is the source material? Juliet was barely into her teens; Romeo may have been... 20? At most? The "love at first sight" thing works best with hormonal teenagers, potentially... people who have not formed a capacity for more complex judgement, necessarily, but who may simply be swayed by a strong physical attraction. At least, this gives them a "let-out" for the subsequently highly heightened nature of their intense reactions to their situation...
In a different age, this could make total sense (especially with the lingering influence of an ideal of "chivalrous" and "pure" love). In late 50s New York, I'm not so sure :-/
@@dontbefatuousjeffrey2494 I truly think that audiences might be willing to forgive the unrealistic part about love at first sight, but in both film versions the male is just....there. they're not charming, they have to chemistry with the actress and at best are a piece of wood, at worst - a singing one
@@zdoriksandorik A singing prop. I get that. And it's a shame 😞
I absolutely adored the original when I was younger. But the 2021 version knocked SO many things out of the park! You covered a lot of it, but one thing I noticed (which kind of deals with casting) is the screen chemistry. It’s ELECTRIC! The hatred is very real and a driving force, which shows viewers why the 2 gangs just won’t quit. The chemistry between Tony and Maria is dynamite; and in a “love at first sight” story that takes place over 2 days, the plot falls flat if it isn’t. But I couldn’t believe how the sparks just shot from the screen
All of the cars in the modern version are shiny clean Hollywood phonies. In 1961 they look real. The slickness of stuff like this takes me out of a movie.
i notice this a lot in period movies, that the cars are all way too nice. I kind of came to the conclusion that it's because all the classic cars that still exist only work because they were well maintained. All the 1960's jalopies are rotting in landfills or got recycled into new stuff. The only old cars we have to work with now are probably used in car shows and worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the owners are not gonna let some movie man dirty them up. To make a replica of an old fashioned car, even if you intentionally make it shitty, is expensive as hell. If you want ambiance from them driving down the street, and you want enough to replicate an actual city, then it'll eat way too much of the movie's time and budget.
For me a major difference in the films is the way that music is used. With 2021 I felt like the major emotional hits came in the dialogue performances. For me the music served less as a pure expression of the emotion of the scene and more like the cushion those emotions rested on after they exploded.
really interesting comment! Don't know if that's exactly how I felt, but it definitely puts to words something that felt different about this version
Absolutely. The 2021 version doesn't trust the amazing music enough, and tries to explain too much.
God the Gym Scene always has such INCREDIBLE choreo in both versions! It was my favorite part of both films
If you ever want to torture your ears, listen to Pierce Brosnan in "Mama Mia!" His casting in the film is still a mystery to me.
No! No! 2021 was a hard year already! 😭
PLEASE ITS SO BAD
And Russell Crowe in Les Mis.
@@katynstevensmom - BKR mentions Crowe as Javert in her video. Speaking for myself, by the time "Les Miz" was over, I thought Crowe's voice was kina-sorta okay - not great, but listenable. (Still, why they didn't cast the role with a singer is beyond me.) Brosnan has done some terrific acting work in other projects, but his casting in "Mama Mia!" was a bad call, in my view.
Why anyone would make a movie version of "Mamma Mia" is a mystery to me!
The visuals in the new version really stood out to me. Obviously the original has a very distinct look of a Hollywood musical at the time - stylized in a way that is dated in a very particular way when watched today. The new version somehow managed to strike a balance between modern and a pastiche/throwback to classic musicals, that results in an overall look and feel that is truly timeless. It's maybe my favorite aspect of a film that I adore so much else about as well.
The main difference that I noticed in the newest version of West Side Story was when Rita Moreno sang "Somewhere." In my mind, it radically changed the whole point of the story. We were no longer looking at a couple who were trying to find acceptance to a whole race of people searching for equality. I think this was contrary to the original pupose of the musical which was to mirror Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet story.
Damn, I feel like the only one who hated the new placement of 'Cool'. I absolutely love the intense, stagey-ness of the 1961 version; it really hits hard and you get into the minds of the Jets after the rumble. It's, in my opinion, one of the most powerful and my personal favourite number in the whole show. In the 2021 version it just felt flat and unnecessary. I generally enjoyed the remake, but I couldn't help but feel like the score - the thing that makes West Side Story so immersive and iconic - was an afterthought to the creative team. It's a good movie and I loved the casting of actual Latina actors, but it somehow fell slightly flat and I left the cinema feeling underwhelmed.
I totally agree with you!
I agree ... the new "Cool" was nowhere near as intense as the stagey 1961 version. It was too contrived and unnecessarily elaborate ... also, I think the placement of "Cool" after the rumble works better ... plus, Tucker Smith had charisma to burn
I totally agree 100%. I actually like the new WSS in all, however "Cool" was the top of my placements in the film. Despite the couple minutes of beautiful choreography in the number, the song, contextually, is based around fear, not de-escalation. Other than that, enjoyed the film.
just came here to write that the placement of "Cool" is fantastic in the new film. It makes more sense to put it pre-rumble and sung by Tony...because after the rumble they are all pretty much fucked since I dont know - a couple of MURDERS took place, lol
Thank God it wasn’t just me, I agree 200%. I can sort of “get” why they moved it before the rumble-but it’s so much more powerful AFTER, when the Jets are in shock, and angry, and frenzied, and trying to get their bearings. All of the power of Cool is gone by moving it earlier.
“Angle Export” I’m dead
One thing I couldn't shake afterr watching the Spielberg version was, as far as the story allowed, there were much stronger character arcs for the women in the story. For example, seeing Graziella thrown out before Anita's confrontation with the Jets, and the look on her face as she struggled to try and prevent what she knew was about to happen and silently seeing her anguish outside thru the store windows, that was incredibly powerful, With the Valentina role/switch with Doc, with the gendered seating at the police station causing Anybody's such discomfort, I found myself often looking at the gender story underneath the racial one, and in fact when it comes to streaming I want to rewatch specifically to pick up on that. Great commentary, btw, subscribed as a result
Im a 53 year old puertorican from the island.
As much as i adore Spielberg, and Kushner, and the unbeliavable orchestration of the score, i left the theater feeling like...why?...I just dont think it's a material to be remade. The attempts only softened the problems a bit, i feel.
Still, sure, there was some lovelyness there.
Love your channel, btw !
My dad saw the original in the Phillipines when it first released and it was such a smash hit but once he watched the remake with me he also asked ... but why?? The 1961 is a classic and doesn't need a remake. I actually agree and love the original and think the remake dragged a bit. Good attempt but not a towering cinematic achievement.
At least in the new version, Chino is a human being with feelings and thoughts. Not just a cop out Puerto Rican villain...
Something that I think shows the contrast between casting in 1961 and present day is the casting of the new Disney princesses (Rachel Zegler as Snowhite and Halle Bailey as Ariel). Not only does is it show the double threat aspect that you mention, but also pushes the boundaries on who gets to be in the limelight and what we consider when it comes to casting.
I am on Team No Dubbing. For me, the voice is such an important part of the character. I have the Julie Andrews My Fair Lady. Hire more “obscure” Broadway triple threats, please!
You do realize that if Julie Andrews was brought on to reprise her role as Eliza Doolittle in the film adaptation of My Fair Lady, we wouldn’t have gotten her iconic performance as Mary Poppins?
I’m sorry, but I just can’t imagine any other actress knocking it out of the park in the role of the beloved magical nanny like Julie Andrews.
@@hunterolaughlin You know who was originally considered for the role of Poppins? Debbie Reynolds. She turned it down to be cast in The Unsinkable Molly Brown
@@evangelistamono2200 I love Debbie Reynolds, but I prefer Julie Andrews being in the role of the original Mary Poppins.
A couple of people in the comments have mentioned this already but the change that really struck with me was how Chino was handled in the new movie. I really appreciate how he was a character rather than a prop for tragedy. The second he was introduced in the new movie as this sweet young man who's getting into accounting and really seems like he has a good future ahead of him, my immediate thought, having seen the original movie, was "oh no, this poor kid" and I loved that
so interesting to hear the 61 version was considered uniquely realistic for its time cause when i saw it as a kid, it was one of the first musicals from that era i saw and i couldnt get over how corny the snaps and dancing seemed. i think id have a better appreciation for it now lol but its so true that an audience today probably wouldn't have been prepared to see something similar again
It’s more realistic in terms of the set/costumes/plot, they’re not referring to the actual singing & dancing. To some extent nearly all musicals will be detached from reality because they contain non-diegetic musical numbers.
I had never seen West Side Story before seeing this new version in the movie theater (I knew about Maria, Tonight and the menacing clicking but that's about it) and I have to say I LOVED it. I'll be sure to go back to the '61 version at some point but I had a great time with this one.
"I Feel Pretty" is more correctly positioned earlier in the 1961 film, before the rumble. In the remake, it's hard to enjoy the light-heartened scene with Maria preening jubilantly before mirrors and her friends teasing her knowing that two young men have just been needlessly killed.
I really love that change, actually. When they cut to it after the rumble, my jaw dropped. It contrasts how young and carefree these kids should be with the brutality of the gang violence so effectively.
I don't know how they did it, but the music seemed new to me. I grew up with WWS and this version was like all new music to me. My only complaint is I wish there was more dancing, but this is an incredible movie.
West Side Story is hands down my favorite movie. I credit that movie for getting me into musical theater in high school, so I was very nervous to hear it was being remade. I saw the remake opening day and was blown away by how good it was. The additional scenes and character backstories made it feel more like a movie and not just a musical that was turned into a movie. The placement of One Hand, One Heart in the 2021 version was a beautifully done and I may or may not have started tearing up in the theater, haha. I also want to comment on how visually appealing the remake is, especially with the usage of color scheme for the Jets and the Sharks during the dance at the gym scene.
Yes, the placement of One Hand, One Heart reminds us that Tony, from a Polish family, is a Catholic too. It's one thing he and Maria share. Speaking of color scheme, did you notice the two neon signs in the final moments? One blue, the other red.
OMG posted 7 minutes ago with hundreds of views already. I'm glad others are enjoying your content like me! Thanks for all your hard work
I am late, but I am here and finished this masterpiece of a video.
omg "Angle Export" at 32:56 I'm dying
They made Maria too independent. In a real person, that's an admirable quality. However, West Side Story needs a Tony and Maria who in love to the point of being self-destructive. Tony is willing to die for Maria while Maria is still considering whether or not to go on a second date.
That's not saying that Elgort did a flawless job or that Tony was perfectly written for the new movie. Neither are true. The new film is very flawed, but I think the changes they made to Maria are the most serious. They just break the film's logic.
I loved the new West Side Story for so many reasons. We got to learn a lot more about the characters and their motivations and I think it made the story a lot stronger. One change I didn’t like was in Maria’s monologue at the end after Tony dies. In the original she says “You all killed him, and my brother, and Riff. Not with bullets and guns. With hate! Well I can kill too, because now I have hate!”, and this very clearly lays out the theme of the story and to me is a very iconic line. In the 2021 version she just says “I can kill now because I hate now” which is a lot less poignant and the exact meaning of that line isn’t very clear without the context of what she says in the original. I would have kept the line the same.
Spielberg and his team absolutely killed it with the new version, absolutely brilliant on every single count - Cinematography, choreography, casting (Ansel’s exception), music, editing, screenplay everything. ONLY major wrinkle, the ending (last 5-7 mins of the film). Ansel’s reaction to Maria’s news was so cartoonish I almost started laughing and I found Rachel’s lack of devastation at Tony’s death disturbing. I thought it was emotionally flat and didn’t deliver the gut punch I felt with Natalie Wood (although I didn’t cry in that one either but still). I wish there was a way for Spielberg to go back and reshot those last 5-7 minutes of the film and make it as emotionally impactful as E.T. And you’ve got the absolute perfect version of WSS.
Agree
Ansel is as great as the rest of the cast, too bad you don’t realise this.
I completely agree about the ending. I was so disappointed after a mostly great movie. I even went and immediately watched the ending of the 1961 just so I could see it done so well. I felt like the flaw in the ending is that it felt like it had been cut down to almost nothing. Several lines cut, no lingering silences. Those looks Natalie Wood gives to all the gang members after she yells at them like she just wants to understand and all they can do is turn away. And the music just hammers home that gut punch. The original ending is perfection. Just drop that onto the new film with no changes!
i always forgot about the taunting scene, even after doing the show. i cannot forget the new one. anita and graziellas faces are burned into my mind. the though that, yeah they hate each other but still want to stop that cuts so deep with me
i actually think having the jet girls present and centering the scene on their horrified reactions was a mistake. i get what spielberg was going for (misogyny affecting women of differing backgrounds, in different ways they're being a line even the racist jet girls wouldn't cross, etc.), but it detracts from the person whose horror and pain we should be feeling in that moment - anita. i was really disappointed that anita's lying about how she would spit on a jet who was on fire. it makes a moment that should be about anita about two white women instead.
@@fatimagic1365 i don’t think it does. it’s still anita in that situation. the only reason it seems like it focuses on the jet girls is because it’s new. new things are gonna stand out more, especially if you have seen the original
For me, the change that stuck out the most, and was 100% influenced by the casting, was giving Somewhere to Rita Moreno. The 1961 version didn't really know what to do with the number either (it's a dream ballet on stage), but at least they gave it to Tony and Maria. This new version lets Rita Moreno sing it, and to me it felt like giving her the song just because it was the legend Rita Morena. Not giving her a song would have been like having Idina Menzel in Enchanted and not letting her sing all over again, something you just don't do, audiences expect Rita Moreno to sing when she appears in west Side Story. But it's also the only time that one of the adult characters gets to have a song, something that West Side Story pointedly has never done before. Taking a song about the hope for a better world from the naive youthful characters and giving it to the oldest character in the movie is a huge change (similarly, having One Hand One Heart in an actual chapel misses the playfulness of Tony and Maria's mock wedding), and it also changes the ending because we don't get the devastating reprise anymore, Maria just reprises Tonight when Tony dies. The new movie is a good adaptation overall, but for me, this one change just didn't work for me.
thanks, i felt the same
I agree. It fell flat for me amidst the multi character numbers and constant movement in the rest of the film. The second time I saw it I thought to myself “this is where I would run to the bathroom”
It's 2:37 am in the UK, I've been struggling to sleep all night. You've got no idea how happy this notification made me!!!
31:06 "Unless you're Aaron Sorkin" SAY IT GIRL
I saw the original when it came out. They can make a hundred remakes. The 1961 version will always remain the best.
This was the history I was dying to know about! I love the inclusion of the Lincoln Center/gentrification context in the new movie and I'm so glad you broke down the history of the show and the west side. It also adds color to the story because ultimately neither gang wins. I'm still a much bigger fan of the original and had to rewatch it immediately after the new one. It has such clear visual language and even without the sound on, I can always understand who is who, what is going on, and what they're feeling. The new one was beautiful to look at but also felt muddled, less impactful- like so much cinematic grandeur but it would take me a while to know what I was seeing, and this would affect the emotional resonance for me. Maybe as a POC, I already felt the racial hostility in the original story and didn't need all the extra expositional dialogue of 2021's. Instead, I needed to feel and see their pain and anguish, and the original is so successful at it!
My god, you really are the gift that keeps on giving! Everytime you post, it adds 5 years to my life. Thanks SO much, Izzy, I hope you enjoy the holidays and manage to relax!
Aside from all the obvious choices, I like that this version is more distinctly cinematic. I'm not saying the original film wasn't cinematic, but there were times where it felt more like a taped play than a film (America on the rooftop for instance, I'd also say this about the school dance scene). This film, which sure is something to be expected from Steven fucking Spielberg, NEVER feels like that. I get people complaining about the lens flares, but they did help make the film more cinematic. The lighting when Tony and Maria meet for the first time, the puddle shot during Maria, the rumble, the stained glass in the church and at Doc's... how does the original film even compete? Gorgeous.
I noticed that difference, although I didn't really have the words to express it. I disliked the change though. To me it felt like Spielberg kept cutting away from the choreography, when that was what I wanted to see. I don't need shots of other stuff in there.
Was hoping you would mention Cher's version!
I don’t care if Cher isn’t Latinx, it’s clearly the best version!
The most iconic version
I love these videos from you! I first discovered this channel from your comparisons of the versions of 'A Star is Born' and you really do a great job of breaking down the intricacies of whatever you're talking about.
I just want to say that I love Renée Zellweger’s singing in Chicago
I like that it's not technically perfect, but fits a character who dreams of becoming famous and has lots of personality behind it.
@@reikun86 Yep, not every character should sing like a Broadway diva.
West Side Story is one of the rare Remakes, like True Grit and Evil Dead, that really didnt need to be made at all, but is still great none the less.
Man, you talk good. I mean, holy cow, each essay is the most articulate thing I've heard.
You’re spoiling us ! I didn’t expect another video so soon . Three in a short period of time. I love the content in all of them.
That was the best and most comprehensive examination of the two movies I've seen thus far on YT. From my perspective, the Spielberg inclusion of the Moses expropriation and displacement of impoverished racial and ethnic minorities was the highlight of his "updating" of the narrative. It provides a welcome, if not essential, context and insight into the stakes and common struggle experienced by both "gangs." Despite the fact that WSS was at the forefront of a nascent realism entering American cinema in the early '60s, it didn't really come to fruition until the demise of the Hays Code in 1968 and the American "new wave." And yet, the impact of the attempted gang rape scene was nonetheless far more traumatic in the Robert Wise version than depicted in Spielberg's ostensibly unfettered "post-modern era" iteration. An odd choice, indeed, to water down the brutality of such a violent encounter to nothing more than the cinematic equivalent of a rude remark. Be that as it may, I still like this new iteration a great deal overall. It will never, however, supplant the Wise/Robbins production. Yeah, the former may be more "realistic," but realism is not, and never has been, an inherent quality of a superior film.
That scene broker my heart because Anita was trying to help Maria, despite how torn she was about losing Bernardo. I read that when they film that scene, Rita Moreno was really upset afterwards because she was assaulted when she was younger.
thanks for this! Your final sentence is so important when comparing the two movies. WSS doesn't need to be super realistic IMO
It's funny how the praise of the 1961 film focused on it's realism, meanwhile when comparing it to the new version the praise is on the aspects that made it "unrealistic". There was such a great balance between the two in the original, whereas this version seems confused. At times the changes, like the scene you mention, feel watered-down and artificial where others totally land with their "realism".
Rape scenes are pretty much always traumatic.
And there are a lot of people who can’t watch those scenes because of past horrors.
If it’s too watered down for you, consider yourself lucky.
I don’t understand this cultures obsession with watching women brutalized.
Having a realistic rape scene, doesn’t raise the stakes, doesn’t shed light on the hopeless young jets, doesn’t change Anita’s grief.
The scene was powerful, even more so because Rita got to save herself this time.
Because it focused on the jets girlfriends, because it forced everybody to see how men can become monsters.
Just like that.
I love the new West Side Story very much, but have some minor notes.
I do feel that putting I Feel Pretty back at it's original place from the stage production (right after The Rumble), only proves that it was the right decicion in the 1961 version to sing it earlier (before One Hand, One Heart). The lightness of the song doesn't work witht the dark tone the story has just taken.
Altough, I do think that the new interpretation of Cool is inspired, it also comes at a prize. It puts Tony in a frame of mind that doesn't quite match with his mood in the Tonight Quintet that follows immediately after Cool. And in shear excecution Gee, Officer Krubke in the 1961 version is unmatched.
That said, I love the new version for the reasons you mention in this video: the broader social context, the Latino casting, the gender switch with Doc/Valentina. And I do think Spielberg's musical numbers are a worthy succesor to those of Wise and Robbins.
And I do think that Ansel Elgort in an improvement on Richard Beymer. Altough that may sound like daming with faint praise, you never believed Beymer as a former gang member who is just about to grow up, you do get that feeling with Elgort.
I highly recommend the documentary 'The Opera House' for anyone who wants to learn more about the creation of Lincoln Center, including the destruction of the neighborhood in which West Side Story takes place, by Robert Moses under the auspices of 'slum clearance'. The documentary does a very good job of covering the whole process, from the passage of federal legislation that allowed Moses to do what he did, to the geopolitical climate at the time, to the voices of people who were displaced. It's an amazing documentary and an excellent investigation into New York City in the 1950s and 60s. Leonard Bernstein even appears in a clip in which the New York Phil plays at the ground breaking ceremony of the site prior to the initiation of construction of Lincoln Center. People involved were either interviewed (most prominently, Leontyne Price, the great American soprano who performed at the opening of the new Met in1966) or profiled (Robert Moses, Sir Rudolph Bing, general manager of the Metropolitan Opera at the time). It's a great companion piece to any West Side Story fan that wants a more in depth look at the time period.
2 videos in 2 weeks? It really is the season of giving, thank you! Folks, join her Patreon!
Nous sommes là et votre prononciation est impeccable !
Merci pour votre travail et cette super vidéo.
The removal of the ballet for ‘Cool’ was the saddest part of this for me. Other than that I thought this adaptation was really great. I just missed the power of Robbin’s choreography in ‘Cool’- still one of the most iconic dance moments on film.
"Cool" was my favourite number when I first saw it in 1961 because of the intensity and excitement of the choreography. While I did enjoy the 2021 version overall, I was intensely disappointed in the "Cool" sequence because it became basically just a narrative device between two principals, instead of what the original was, the most exciting choreographed number in a film musical, ever..
This is fantastic. First time to comment here but I wanted to let you know I’ve followed your channel for over a year. It’s brilliant, well researched, eye opening stuff. I’m saving many of your videos to show to my daughter when she’s old enough. Your best actress series is amazing and highlights the that even though things are changing, Hollywood still has a long way to go. THANK YOU for this channel. We appreciate you! Happy Holidays!
I really wish the film wasn't so majorly overshadowed by no way home because i believe that lots of people would love this movie if they gave it a chance!
Same with Guillermo Del Toro’s Nightmare Alley. I saw it last night, and absolutely loved it. It’s the textbook definition of neo-noir slowburn thriller, but there is absolutely an audience for it. I loved No Way Home as much as the next person, but I wish some of the “smaller” movies were doing better
Yeah Disney should’ve done a better job balancing out the releases between no way home and west side story
@@Kevin-rg3yc Sony is in charge of Spiderman's release date
As a musical and marvel fan I was really excited about seeing it but when I saw ansel elgort as tony it made me uncomfortable about going watch it and supporting him by default which sucks cause of the amazing Hispanic representation
@@YellowDia I understand how you feel about Ansel. I do want to watch the movie, but I am thinking about it too. I do feel like the diversity could’ve been a little better. All I been seeing from these movies and shows are biracial (or light skin) Afro-Latinos portraying Afro-Latinos. I want to see Brown to dark skin with two Black parents from Latin America portraying Afro-Latinos. At least a biracial Afro-Latina is one of the leading characters👏🏾‼️
Absolutely love your videos. So calming, well contextualised, researched and written.
Agree- no one else is bringing up Montgomery Clift had the idea for WSS, you have to find that stuff out at Be Kind Rewind.
I love your channel and I clicked on this video faster than Maria and Tony fell in love.
Saw and loved Spielberg’s version asap; will probably rewatch this more than the older but will always appreciate the older. I’ve seen more amateur productions than I can remember.
This was my first time viewing your channel. Half way into the video, I subbed. Excellent insight, just enough humor and an all around pleasant voice to listen to. Thank you!
Thank you for the excellent recap and commentary. Just stumbled on this channel. Wonderful.
I really appreciated the casting Iras Menas as Anybodys in the Spielberg West Side. Characterizing them as trans is another one of those changes that makes it more modern and gives Anybodys a little more going on with them personality wise.
i think Anybodys was implied to be non binary rather than trans.
@@piratesswoop725 non binary is included under the trans umbrella
Yeah I really liked that, the look on their face after that one Jet called them "buddy boy" after misgendering them for the whole film nearly made me cry it was so powerful
@@TheRaccoonandTheDane A trans person is someone is in the process of transitioning through gender identity/expression. Otherwise we are non-binary, women, men, and others.
I honestly really dislike this characterization of Anybody's. The whole point of her character is that she's a girl trying to put herself in an extremely male environment. While this is accepted today, in the 50s and 60s a girl trying to do something so masculine/male would've been a huge deal. It's what makes it compelling when the Jets eventually accept her into their group by the end of the musical. It also doesn't really make sense from a historical perspective for her to be anything other than a tomboy, since LGBT stuff wasn't conventionally accepted like it is today, while being a tomboy was a sort of accepted token. Making her trans or nonbinary also detracts from her female struggle to assert herself in a male-dominated sphere. Making her nonbinary or especially trans essentially supports the gross belief of "girls/women can only succeed in 'male' things if they reject all femininity." If she was originally meant to be trans or nonbinary and thus a commentary on those groups of people, I wouldn't have a problem - but Anybody's wasn't. She was written to be a less-than-feminine girl who wanted to do what she wanted to do (which was join a gang apparently), and thus present a commentary on women trying to join male-dominated spheres.
Thanks for all the hard work creating these vids
They are a lot fun educational and interesting
This might be your shadiest video and I'm living for it.
Richard Beymer is easily the better Tony. His role in the story is the romantic lead. His past as a Jet doesn’t necessarily have to be believable, especially since he hasn’t been a Jet for years at this point. What he needs to be is a believable partner for Maria. And the tenderness, devotion, sincerity, and passion Beymer brings to the role is truly phenomenal, not to mention the palpable grief and rage at Chino in the final scene. Ansel Elgort couldn’t be more miscast if he tried to be; he gives off creepy vibes from start to finish, does so much red flag behavior around Maria, leers at her like a stalker, and delivers all his lines to her - especially the all important “Te adoro Maria” as if he’s drunk.
When you mentioned that Cher had her own version of The West Side Story, I paused the vid to go and watch it. Now I'm back and it DID NOT disappoint.
I'm 69, so had the privilege of seeing the 1961 film on its initial release. It changed my life. I came to the Spielberg version very dubiously but am delighted to say it's wonderful. It reinstates a few snippets of the music dropped from the first film, and its script is in many ways a big improvement on the earlier film. My two criticisms are minor. While I think the way it handles Cool is clever and effective, it loses the bone-jarring intensity of the 1961 film's approach. While it was a luminously brilliant decision to have Moreno sing Somewhere, because of that change Maria unfortunately couldn't sing its reprise as Tony dies, and Tonight just doesn't feel right there. Personally, I'd have opted instead for some part of One Hand, One Heart. That said, I now have two incandescent WSS movies to treasure. And my tears still aren't dry over the loss of Sondheim. Thank you, SS2, for making the last years of SS1's life so rewarding.
Another masterful job of bringing together the elements to illuminate and inform. Oh to have had access to Spielberg's footage and the sound tracks! This is such a huge promotion for both films, it makes no sense the studios would deny you use. But again, what you've accomplished without those sources is awesome. Keep up the good work!
I was 13 when I saw WSS with my dad. Now my daughter is coming with me this weekend to see the new version. Incidentally, I shared your caparable version to my friends. Thanks very much. New subscriber.