Natalie Wood STUNK in this film!
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Blueghost — 13 years ago(January 22, 2013 12:09 AM)
by willbrax (Mon Jul 9 2012 15:57:30)
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I don't know what any of the rest of you are thinking, but she was AWFUL!!! And Richard Beymer wasn't much better. And George Chakiris was too slight, pretty, and effeminate to be convincing. After Jimmy Dean died aside from Brando, Clift, McQueen and Beatty all that was left were lightweights.
You have no idea what you're talking about.
Maybe you can show us how it's done by writing the script, raising the money, casting the roles, shooting the film, then editing and marketing the thing to show us your "Maria" prodigy.
Go now.
Your destiny awaits. -
StrongRex — 13 years ago(January 27, 2013 04:16 PM)
WSSlover, I heard that Natalie resented Richard because of the whole Rebel Without a Cause audition. Wasn't Richard made to audition by his agent for Sal Mineo's role? And didn't Natalie, James Dean, and the director make fun of him because he was so much taller than Dean?
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friendoffilm — 10 years ago(May 25, 2015 03:04 PM)
This:
WSSlover, I heard that Natalie resented Richard because of the whole Rebel Without a Cause audition. Wasn't Richard made to audition by his agent for Sal Mineo's role? And didn't Natalie, James Dean, and the director make fun of him because he was so much taller than Dean?
I didn't know, StrongRex, but I
am
aware of Natalie Wood's extreme hostility towards Richard Beymer, and the fact that Natalie Wood did actually try to get Richard Beymer kicked off of the set (inotherwords, fired) on several occasions. -
puirt-a-beul — 12 years ago(May 04, 2013 07:22 AM)
Are you really claiming that Jimmy Dean *
wasn't- slight, pretty and effeminate? Really?? He was a brilliant actor, but come on
Anyway. I thought Natalie Wood was a great choice for the role. True, she didn't look Puerto Rican, she was noticeably less physically assured than most of the others in the cast, and her accent sounded like an actor's voice exercise rather than a real person speaking, but she handled the role well, she was sweet and appealing but still with an underlying strength, her emotions were convincing and she probably bridged the gap adequately for the predominantly-white audience between them and the Puerto Rican characters.
George Chakiris all I can say is that his dancing and singing were spot on, I thought his accent was mostly good, and I had no trouble believing they would have accepted him as a leader of the gang. What he lacked in physical menace he made up for in commanding presence and auhtoritative bearing. To be honest, I thought the most lacking thing about his performance was his makeup.
And Richard Beymer yes, he was wet. But to be fair, so has every Tony I've ever seen been wet and (honestly) more than a little annoying as was Romeo before him, in fact. I've never warmed to the character of Tony in any production, so I figure that's just the way it is with him. Maybe that's what draws Maria to him, as a contrast to all the dripping, steaming machismo that surrounds her every day.
You might very well think that. I couldn't possibly comment.
- slight, pretty and effeminate? Really?? He was a brilliant actor, but come on
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leader-7 — 12 years ago(May 04, 2013 07:36 AM)
Maybe that's what draws Maria to him, as a contrast to all the dripping, steaming machismo that surrounds her every day.
You are spot on.
natalie was perfect for this the right amount of demure, shy, naive. And she didn't have to be a dancer, so her one dance sequence was easily choreographed for the young girl she portrayed (the rooftop meeting). So what if her singing was dubbed? In those days, Marnie Nixon had a great job filling in for so many of Hollywood's actresses whose roles required it but they didn't have the skill (Deborah Kerr, Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe.) -
leader-7 — 12 years ago(May 04, 2013 07:56 AM)
agreed.
evidently, one of Marnie's great skills was being able to mirror the voice she was dubbing. Listening closely, it totally sounds like Wood. Ditto, her dubbing of Kerr in "King and I" and for An Affair to Remember. And she nailed Hepburn.
?who is imdb-vits, anyway? what a silly review. did you click on the link? ridiculous! -
EliotTempleton — 10 years ago(November 06, 2015 06:35 AM)
Marni Nixon did
not
dub Marilyn Monroe. This is one of the claims she has made in her old age, but it's bogus. Marilyn did her own singing, always.
I'm amazed at the length of this thread! Why do so any people respond to the posts of trolls? -
barryfleckmann — 12 years ago(June 10, 2013 10:00 AM)
I think YOU are entitled to YOUR opinion, but I also think YOU are totally nuts!
Natalie WAS out of her element (musicals were NOT her forte), but she WAS a big star and this movie didn't HAVE any other big names. They NEEDED her name above the title in order to put fannies into seats.
NOTICE TO MITT ROMNEY: A BAD DAY FREELOADING, IS BETTER THAN A GOOD DAY AT WORK. -
barryfleckmann — 12 years ago(June 11, 2013 05:41 AM)
"I thought she (Natalie Wood) carried the part of Maria off quite well."
So did I, but NOT as well as Carol Lawrence did on Broadway. Natalie just had a bigger name, is all.
NOTICE TO MITT ROMNEY: A BAD DAY FREELOADING, IS BETTER THAN A GOOD DAY AT WORK. -
barryfleckmann — 12 years ago(June 17, 2013 05:35 AM)
"I never saw the original Broadway stage production of "West Side Story" that had Carol Lawrence and Larry Kert in it"
Well, THAT makes two of us! I was TOO young! I missed Carol Lawrence in "West Side Story," Julie Andrews in "Camelot" and "My Fair Lady" and Mary Martin in "South Pacific." Whatever happened to American musical theatre?
NOTICE TO MITT ROMNEY: A BAD DAY FREELOADING, IS BETTER THAN A GOOD DAY AT WORK.