Rita Moreno, 86, set for 'West Side Story' remake

[Shaka Zulu]

....but not as Anita, of course: that role's going to be played by a younger actress. Instead, Moreno will play a new version of the (originally male) shop owner-who was Tony's boss-in the original musical and movie. Moreno's character will be called Valentina, and Moreno will get an executive producing credit.

The rest of the cast is to be completely Latino, and the casting call will reflect that. Steven Speilberg will be directing and most likely producing for Amblin.

Rita Moreno, 86, set for 'West Side Story' remake

 

[marillion]

Sounds interesting, but I hope they don't "PC" it. The divide between the Jets and the Sharks gave the original (as well as the stage play) a certain edge.

This is my favorite musical, so hopefully they don't mess it up!

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I like to think that because Rita Moreno is one of the executive producers that she'll be able to make sure the new version won't be crap. West Side Story is also one of my favorite musicals so I have hopes for this movie, too.

 

[Nyotarules]

I hope they use people who do look like they come from Puerto Rico

 

[gblews]

Loved West Side Story. it was the movie that opened my eyes to the genre. Before WSS, I used to say that I didn't like musicals. Hope most o the money goes into voices and dancing talent.

But, as great a director as Spielberg is, I'd be even more stoked about this if Lin-Manuel Miranda were somehow involved. I'd love to see him in charge of casting.

 

[Forbin]

My favorite musical also. I'm not sure the original film can be improved on, but I'm game.
Appropos of nothing - there's a beautiful new young (very young!) lady at work who makes me sing "Maria" in my head every time I see her. If we were doing the play here at work, I'd certainly cast her!

 

[J.T.B.]

If they're sticking with Bernstein/Sondheim, it'll be hard to mess it up too badly.

"National treasure" is a cliché, but for Rita Moreno I think it applies.

Appropos of nothing - there's a beautiful new young (very young!) lady at work who makes me sing "Maria" in my head every time I see her.

Better to sing in the head... Some tricky intervals in that song.

 

[Forbin]

If they're sticking with Bernstein/Sondheim, it'll be hard to mess it up too badly.

"National treasure" is a cliché, but for Rita Moreno I think it applies.



Better to sing in the head... Some tricky intervals in that song.

Also, I don't want to end up in HR.

 

[J.T.B.]

Also, I don't want to end up in HR.

Oh yeah, I just meant in general!

 

[Shaka Zulu]

Sounds interesting, but I hope they don't "PC" it. The divide between the Jets and the Sharks gave the original (as well as the stage play) a certain edge.

This is my favorite musical, so hopefully they don't mess it up!

Since there are really no more WASP youth gangs, having both gangs be Latino is a good idea. But yeah, I hope that most of the original musical is kept.

 

[Kirk Prime]

But isn't the main part of the story an interracial romance between a white man and latina woman? Doesn't it lose a lot if both gangs are latino?

 

[Forbin]

Yes it would. The whole point was to highlight to ethnic tension between immigrant Puerto Ricans and 'native' whites in NYC in the 50s/60s. It's definitely a period piece, so the remake better be a period piece, or it'll loose something important.

 

[Mudd]

But isn't the main part of the story an interracial romance between a white man and latina woman? Doesn't it lose a lot if both gangs are latino?

Yeah, same way that Shakespeare fucked up by making both families in Romeo and Juliet Italian.

 

[stj]

In the original Tony and Maria can no more change their ethnicity than their families in the Shakespeare play. The families were feuding, a struggle for life, death and power in a city where noble families fought for power. In the musical, resentment against an Anglo taking one of their women is supposed to be the motivation for all the violence. It is not clear why Bernardo's gang is supposed to be so committed to keeping Maria from another Puerto Rican just because Bernardo doesn't like him. It's not clear what real obstacles there are to Tony and Maria. This was actually a little shaky in the musical, why the death faking and double suicide was done away with.

It is possible Shakespeare intended the Montagu/Capulet feud to stand in for Catholic/Protestant strife. The use of the term ultarmontanes was more widespread than later, and Capulet merely vaguely sounds like "chapel." But it seems to me Shakespeare was prescient in his vocabulary. And his allusions could be quite subtle. But again this is a huge conflict. The love between Tony and Maria is supposed to be a huge deal because it looks beyond differences the world deems very important. Nobody thinks two rival gangs' differences matter to anybody else.

Ansel Elgort would probably have done a good job, but there are no doubt many potential replacements.

 

[Mudd]

It is not clear why Bernardo's gang is supposed to be so committed to keeping Maria from another Puerto Rican just because Bernardo doesn't like him. It's not clear what real obstacles there are to Tony and Maria.

This is because you have not seen the movie.

 

[stj]

In West Side Story, the ethnic issue is very much a part of why the gangs' conflict includes Tony and Maria. As for not knowing why two PR gangs would fight to the death over Maria? True I haven't seen that movie, but then, nor have you.

There is a powerful tradition of mindless henchmen serving as plot fodder rather than being characters.

In an all Puerto Rican movie, it seems to me that "America" would be a very different kind of song.