Spielberg isn't the one to remake it.
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — West Side Story
MattmanForever — 9 years ago(June 22, 2016 09:24 PM)
I honestly can't really see the need to remake this movie, but nothing's safe anymore. However, having Spielberg and Kushner, 69 and 59, respectively in charge of this makes little sense to me. Great remakes reinvent the original. Spielberg and Kushner are too old and too typical to take on this project and would only give a pale recreation of the original. Someone like a Ryan Coogler would maybe be a good choice to handle a modern day update of this story, with the life experience and youth to boot. I've also long heard people say Michael Bay should direct this. I can't say I agree with that, but at least I feel like Bay would be more likely to give a WSS remake a reason to exist than Spielberg.
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friendoffilm — 9 years ago(June 23, 2016 01:32 AM)
Frankly, I don't think that anybody should re-make
West Side Story
, because it's such an iconic classic that's in a special class all by itself. Some classics should
not
be touched, and
West Side Story
is
most definitely one of them
. -
friendoffilm — 9 years ago(June 25, 2016 12:57 PM)
Frankly (I've said this already, but it bears repeating here!), I don't think anybody should even think of tampering with and messing with a classic such as
West Side Story
.
Moreover
, I
sincerely hope
they pull the plug on the idea of a re-make of the film
West Side Story
altogether! -
friendoffilm — 9 years ago(June 27, 2016 08:52 AM)
Spielberg is definitely not the one to re-make
West Side Story
, but why should
anybody
be the one to make this film?!?
Nobody
should, as far as
i'm
concerned. A Classic such as
West Side Story
is what it is, and should be left alone..
.period
! -
Krishthegod — 9 years ago(July 04, 2016 11:04 PM)
First thing, i don't view it as a "remake", but more as just another attempt at adaptation of the stage play, for the play was just basically R&J in West side NY.
That said, this really doesn't need to happen now. At all. For one thing, WSS is already timeless enough to last into the 21st century and beyond. 2nd of all, Broadway theatrics were a lot more palatable for audiences back then, so doing it now would come across as forced to some,,even though, IMO, WSS '61 holds up 100%, even despite Natalie Wood's shaky accent. 3rd, Jerome Robbins, sadly is no longer with us. His work for the stage play, AND the movie are groundbreaking, further cementing dance as a true art form for cinema. Whoever they pick to choreograph this(if this even happens in the first place), would be lucky to be 1/100 as talented as Jerome Robbins.
Luckily, I think it's a dead in the water project, for the most part -
friendoffilm — 9 years ago(July 05, 2016 10:50 AM)
Hi, Krishthegod!
Thank you for some great points that are well taken.
West Side Story,
however, isn't something that I'd go so far as to call a modern-day or "hip" version of
Romeo and Juliet
that's set in NYC's west Side. The themes are basically the same, but the following differences between Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story are far too striking to consider WSS a modern-day Romeo & Juliet.
A) Maria, unlike Juliet, doesn't die.
B) Unlike
Romeo & Juliet
,
West Side Story
is a musical
C)
West Side Story
has more modern speech than
Romeo and Juliet
.
Yet, one could agree that the following similarities between WSS and
Romeo & Juliet
exist, as well:
A) They both take place in urban areas.
B) People from two different cultures/factions/families meet and fall in love.
C) Hatred between the two sides result in tragedy and death, but reconciliation in the end, in the wake of tragedy.
West Side Story
remains timeless due to the subject matter, as well as the beautifully choreographed dancing by Jerome Robbins, the cinematography, the intensely brilliant Leonard Bernstein musical score, and the very story behind it, plus these qualities are what make
West Side Story
successful both on stage
and
on screen. Here's another quality about
West Side Story
that I've pointed out on other posts, but bears repeating here: WSS is a fantastic work of art, which was also kept as a larger-than-life-sized piece of theatre when it was transferred from stage to screen, which is another thing that gives this film its strength. Some of the settings of the film version of WSS, which were designed by the late Boris Leven, look uncannily like parts of a rough-and-run-down area of a huge city, and the costumes were terrific.
Having written the above paragraph, I believe that these are the reasons that many, many people (myself included.) tend to overlook Natalie Wood's shaky accent, the dubbing of the two leads by Marnie Nixon (for Natalie Wood's Maria) and Jimmy Bryant (for Richard Beymer's Tony), as well as the outdated dialogue and slang. -
boxerrebellion — 9 years ago(August 28, 2016 07:18 PM)
Many literature experts disagree with your opinion on whether or not WSS is a 'version' of the R&J story. In fact, in the late 70s, they were taught in tandem in many high schools - the books issued to students were the 'back to back' version held one one way, it was Shakespeare's R&J; flip it over and it was WSS.
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boxerrebellion — 9 years ago(August 28, 2016 07:54 PM)
Many literature experts disagree with your opinion on whether or not WSS is a 'version' of the R&J story. In fact, in the late 70s, they were taught in tandem in many high schools - the books issued to students were the 'back to back' version held one one way, it was Shakespeare's R&J; flip it over and it was WSS.
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scarlettsdad — 9 years ago(September 13, 2016 08:01 PM)
I, too, think it's senseless to recreate this classic film. I know there was (or still is) an updated bilingual version with the Puerto Ricans speaking Spanish. If it is being remade as a film and they try the same thing, at least they can subtitle it. But I hate the thought of a remake, period.
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friendoffilm — 9 years ago(September 16, 2016 08:31 PM)
You're absolutely spot-on, scarletetsdad! Re-making this great, golden oldie-but-goodie classic film (i. e.
West Side Story
) would simply cut the heart and soul right out of it! A re-make of
West Side Story
as a film would be a totally fiasco. -
AnthonySocksss — 2 months ago(January 24, 2026 05:14 AM)
REMAKE WAS FOR FAGETS
Melton1 Wanted for Pedophilia:
https://i.ibb.co/6cnPmJVr/IMG-0830.jpg
https://m.youtube.com/shorts/Zjxk307CND0 -
AnthonySocksss — 2 months ago(January 24, 2026 05:22 AM)
Melton1 Wanted for Pedophilia:
https://i.ibb.co/6cnPmJVr/IMG-0830.jpg
https://m.youtube.com/shorts/Zjxk307CND0
