{"id":217863,"date":"2019-09-12T09:00:06","date_gmt":"2019-09-12T07:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/217863\/steven-spielbergs-remake-west-side-story-underway-possibly-compare-original\/"},"modified":"2019-09-12T09:00:06","modified_gmt":"2019-09-12T07:00:06","slug":"steven-spielbergs-remake-west-side-story-underway-possibly-compare-original","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/news-headlines\/2019\/09\/12\/steven-spielbergs-remake-west-side-story-underway-possibly-compare-original\/","title":{"rendered":"Steven Spielberg\u2019s remake of <em>West Side Story<\/em> is underway \u2013 but could it possibly compare with the original?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Having begun filming in June this year, the production of Spielberg\u2019s <em>West Side Story<\/em> is well under way. Its current release date is set at 18 December 2020, and its first cast photographs have garnered much interest from musical fans of all tastes.<\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;color: #000080\">An official cast shot from the new <em>West Side Story<\/em><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-221664\" src=\"https:\/\/albertonrecord.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/35\/2017\/01\/feature-2-8.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"760\" height=\"400\" \/><\/p><div class=\"stream-item stream-item-in-post stream-item-inline-post aligncenter\"><\/div>\n<p>The following five excerpts from the original will hopefully serve as a recap as to why the story, and its heart-wrenching tragedy, remains so poignant, and so beautiful.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center\">How the story broke new ground in 1957<\/h2>\n<p>The stage production of<em> West Side Story<\/em> ushered in a new era in musical theatre. The collaborative efforts of four incomparably talented individuals created a gritty and tragic portrait of burgeoning gang violence in poor urban neighbourhoods.<\/p><div class=\"stream-item stream-item-in-post stream-item-inline-post aligncenter\"><\/div>\n<h3>1. The music behind it all<\/h3>\n<p>Leonard Bernstein, already a towering figure in the American music establishment at the time, may have ensured his legacy through the musical.<\/p>\n<p>His compositions were thoroughly modern and jazzy, quite unlike anything that came before.<\/p>\n<p>He made use of Latin beats and fluently contrasted styles in accordance with the demands made by characterisation and the story itself.<\/p>\n<h3>2. A revolution in dance<\/h3>\n<p>The originator of the musical\u2019s concept, Jerome Robbins, also served as the first stage production\u2019s director and choreographer.<\/p>\n<p>The intensity and amount of dance, combined with its technical challenges, set the musical ablaze from the very first scene: starting with a few snaps of the fingers, ending in a dramatic and frenzied fight between two rival gangs.<\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;color: #000080\">The song, &#8220;America&#8221;, is but one example of the exquistely lively dance choreographed by Robbins. It is essentially a dialogue offering opposing views of the benefits of being an immigrant in America.<\/span><\/h5>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"West Side Story (4\/10) Movie CLIP - America (1961) HD\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YhSKk-cvblc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>3. Interpretations<\/h3>\n<p>There are as many interpretations of the musical as there are fans, and the fundamental question is this \u2013 is it primarily a love story in which a tragedy is brought about by hatred; or is it a tale that underscores a larger moral, that hatred kills off the best side of ourselves, the part capable of all encompassing love?<\/p>\n<h3>4. \u201cWhere civil blood makes civil hands unclean\u201d \u2013 Prologue to <em>Romeo and Juliet<\/em><\/h3>\n<p>As was often the case, gang affiliation was drawn along ethnic lines \u2013 in this case between the newly immigrant Puerto Rican \u2018Sharks\u2019 and the white \u2018Jets\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>Our Romeo and Juliet, Tony and Maria, suffer a forbidden love. Maria\u2019s brother, Barnardo, is the leader of the Sharks, while Tony is trying, but still unable, to break completely free from the Jets (led by his friend, Riff).<\/p>\n<p>Tony and Maria meet at a community dance, and it\u2019s love at first sight.<\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"color: #000080;text-decoration: underline\">The handsome, love struck Tony singing &#8220;Maria&#8221;<\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class='tie-fluid-width-video-wrapper tie-ignore-fitvid' style='margin-bottom: 30px;'>\n\t\t\t<iframe style='width: 100%; min-height: 300px; aspect-ratio: 16\/9;' src='https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/DyofWTw0bqY' loading='lazy'><\/iframe>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<p>Afterwards, an entranced Tony finds his way to Maria\u2019s building, and what ensues is one of musical theatre\u2019s most treasured moments \u2013 the balcony scene.<\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"color: #000080;text-decoration: underline\">Romeo: &#8220;But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun&#8221;<\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"West Side Story (5\/10) Movie CLIP - Tonight (1961) HD\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/m7xTvb-FAhQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The two star-crossed lovers sing \u201cTonight\u201d, professing their mutual feelings. It would seem that without the intervention of a larger, malicious force, their future happiness would be guaranteed.<\/p>\n<p>There is a truly malicious force at work, however: the two gangs agree to a fight the next night under a highway bridge. Bernardo is set to slog it out with Riff\u2019s second in command, Diesel (Ice in the film version).<\/p>\n<p>Maria convinces Tony to stop the fight, and his efforts at procuring a peaceful outcome are mocked by Maria\u2019s brother.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, Tony\u2019s attempted intercession leads to Riff being stabbed by Bernardo. This in turn elicits a rage in Tony, and he stabs and kills the Sharks\u2019 leader.<\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"color: #000080;text-decoration: underline\">An in love Maria has a few moments of joy before being told about Bernardo&#8217;s death &#8211; at the hands of Tony<\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class='tie-fluid-width-video-wrapper tie-ignore-fitvid' style='margin-bottom: 30px;'>\n\t\t\t<iframe style='width: 100%; min-height: 300px; aspect-ratio: 16\/9;' src='https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/RgHtBxOs4qw' loading='lazy'><\/iframe>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<p>The second act unravels the consequences of the unnecessary deaths. In a cruel twist of fate, Tony is led to believe that Maria has been shot by Bernardo\u2019s friend and gang cohort, Chino, as an act of revenge for her relationship with her brother\u2019s killer.<\/p>\n<p>In utter despair, Tony seeks out Chino so that he, too, may suffer the same fate. As he sees Maria, alive and well, he is shot.<\/p>\n<p>Tony dies in her arms.<\/p>\n<p>The end scene cannot but leave a lump in your throat, if not a tear in your eye.<\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;color: #000080\">&#8220;You all killed him&#8221;<\/span><\/h5>\n<div class='tie-fluid-width-video-wrapper tie-ignore-fitvid' style='margin-bottom: 30px;'>\n\t\t\t<iframe style='width: 100%; min-height: 300px; aspect-ratio: 16\/9;' src='https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/DGtD5QAaAGY' loading='lazy'><\/iframe>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<h3>5. \u201cDoth with their death bury their parents\u2019 strife\u201d \u2013 Prologue to <em>Romeo and Juliet<\/em><\/h3>\n<p>The musical ends with the Jets picking up Tony\u2019s lifeless body, and the Sharks join in to help carry him.<\/p>\n<p>The hatred ceases too late, and it has taken a cycle of increasing violence \u2013 leading to three deaths \u2013 for the strife to conclude.<\/p>\n<h3>A timely remake?<\/h3>\n<p>Given the context of the world today, with all its hatreds and divisions, the Spielberg remake may serve to convince some that truly, hatred does bury the best we have to offer \u2013 a life filled with real love.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/spectrum.tysflo.io\/?mid=qov5TQ3x&amp;t=c&amp;fco=0\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-225953 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/albertonrecord.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/35\/2017\/01\/listen-live-1-1.jpg\" width=\"758\" height=\"151\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"stream-item stream-item-below-post-content\">\n<div class='tenancy_slot tenancy_slot_1 jannah_ad' style='display: none;' data-query-id='83a2a36f4ec4095b4bc362d4b30c489b'><\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The musical\u2019s first film version in 1961 became an instant classic, winning a whopping 10 Academy Awards. Whereas we look forward to the new telling, it certainly does have large shoes to fill.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7971,"featured_media":217865,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"hasGravity":false,"cxt_article_byline":"Caxton Central","cxt_disable_google_ads":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,2],"tags":[28828,28751,28830,24577,28831],"class_list":["post-217863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","category-news-headlines","tag-classic-1027","tag-classic-fm","tag-spielberg-west-side-story","tag-west-side-story","tag-west-side-story-remake"],"amp_enabled":true,"category_labels":{"Category":"News","SubCategory":"Local news"},"tag_labels":["classic 1027","classic fm","spielberg west side story","West Side Story","west side story remake"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7971"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=217863"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217863\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/217865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=217863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=217863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=217863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}