Spielberg is a huge fan of soundtrack music in general and is surprisingly knowledgeable about quite a few genres. I've seen interviews with him and John Williams, and I was amazed that their conversations referenced lots of different kinds of classic film scores from the last 60-70 years.
Man, I watched the original film last night. From the opening overture to the closing credits. God, it's simply magnificent. A perfect storm of acting, dancing, music, and story. Groundbreaking in so many ways, Rita Moreno absolutely deserved her Oscar, the historic dancing, the legendary music, the snaps! I am now convinced that Spielberg picked the WRONG project, he's in a lose/lose situation. I'm more excited about WSS opening on Broadway again than I am for this movie!
Yeah, much as I think Tony Kushner is a genius, I'm not looking forward to this. As you said, the movie is perfect as is. I have tix for the Broadway revival, which I'm very excited about.
Because I'm not a huge Spielberg fan, and I'm afraid he and Kushner might be tempted to "update" the movie into a more politically/socially acceptable statement. I would very much like to be wrong on this. The stage is an entirely different medium, and director Ivo van Hove is know for his deconstructions of plays like "The Crucible" and "A View From The Bridge". His stage version of the film "Network" was audacious and a high wire act of giddy proportions. You kind of know what you're getting into with him.
There’s an additional bullet point I realized years ago (when I first saw The Thing); there will be films that are critically hated and/or box office failures that, will later, be critically reappraised with the hindsight of 20/20 minus the pre-existing bias of said critics or a change in critical thought.
Excellent point. I’ve pointed this out myself before that we’ve had stage revivals and new versions of a variety of stage plays and musicals. In some cases, they vary only by casting yet that IS acceptable but, somehow, because film is a permanent medium, different rules apply.
...I remember reading of a WSS revival on Broadway earlier this century, when Arthur Laurents was still alive. IIRC, this version had the Puerto Rican characters sing?? talk?? in Spanish wholly or partly or perhaps Spanglish of some sort when amongst themselves. Did anyone here see this production? I also recall that, Sondheim said that, if he wrote the lyrics again, he'd make Maria's songs less " Broadway "-clever in internal rhymes and such, to more literally reflect the character's naievete (Sp??) and FOB-ness - Not that he actually did rewrite the lyrics, but that he said " If I were to do it now...'. BTW, a ways ago I posted about the announced planned movie remake of GUYS AND DOLLS and got, IIRC, NO response! Also speaking of Post-War B'Way Classics, to-day's SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE/SF GATE has an interview with Erik Preminger, the son of Gypsy Rose Lee, discussing the continued popularity of her GYPSY musical and a planned new film " reportedly under development " from Amy Sherman-Palladino is mentioned...(If we just had an " ecdysiast " 'moji!!!!!!!)
I quite enjoyed it, especially how they updated swords and daggers to brands of firearms. I was listening to a podcast the other day that featured a Shakespeare expert who loved the film, and considered it one of the very best adaptations of the story.
I think one’s attitude to this is influenced by how they feel about more traditional interpretations vs. more radical reworkings in terms of settings, etc.
Don't agree. West Side Story takes place in the 50's , the original stage production was in 1957, updating it will probably ruin it or at least render it toothless. As I said above somewhere, hope I'm wrong. Edward Albee made it specific in his will that his plays are to be presented as written and with his casting choices. Wise man.
Uhhh... not me. The advertising campaign has included two-page spreads in the NYT Arts & Leisure section splattered with review quotes from the original production with no acknowledgement that they're not reviews of this production. The actor playing Bernardo was fired by NY City Ballet - where he was a principal - for being part of a clique of male dancers who circulated nude photos of their female "conquests" (a New Yorker story covers details of the accompanying NSFW texts). Van Hove has made some changes that I won't list here so as to not reveal spoilers (articles detailing the changes are easy enough to find), but I will warn those with tickets that there is now no intermission, so plan your pre-show beverage consumption accordingly.
Nothing in #'s 1 or 2 is a deal breaker for me, I'm going because it's van Hove directing. A two hour play with no breaks is becoming common, so yeah, like dogs we cut off our liquid consumption at an appropriate time. Just saw the 7 hour, two part "Inheritance" on Broadway and man, you had to see the lines at intermission.
Yes on both. There was a revival to which Lin-Manuel Miranda contributed some Spanish dialog and lyrics. I saw the touring production. And Sondheim wasn't fond of some of the lyrics to "I Feel Pretty" - particularly "stunning and entrancing" and "advanced state of shock" - as being reflective of how Maria and her friends would speak. ("FOB" = "Fresh Off The Boat"?)
I can deal with radical interpretations of an original work, but IMHO, Romeo + Juliet was a bad movie by any account. Romeo and Juliet is a story that can be remade any number of ways and still be successful. It could take place on a Martian colony and still be successful. It is, after all, THE classic love story. While you can remake any classic, the original will still stand above others. Perhaps Steven will take on The Wizard of Oz for his next project? ET could play the part of Toto.
