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Question: What would you change, if anything, in the original 1961 film version of West Side Story?

posted 2 years ago by mplo (2305)
31 replies | jump to latest

My answer to the question is this:

I would not change anything in the original 1961 film version of West Side Story, except when Tony, despite what he told/promised Maria about stopping the Rumble from happening, would've been one of two things:

A) Just plain not going to the Rumble at all, thus letting the Jets and Sharks have it out with each other regardless of what happened.

B) This would've been an even more sensible thing for Tony to do: Tony should've gone to the Rumble, and, instead of trying to interfere with the Rumble when Bernardo and Ice had started to duke it out with fists as planned, allowed Ice and Bernardo to duke it out with their fists as planned, and then, as Bernardo had wanted to do, fight Tony. Had that worked out, and Tony had fought Bernardo during the Rumble by duking it out with fists, despite what he'd promised or told Maria, Tony and Maria might've been together, nobody would've been killed, and the Jets and the Sharks might've formed a truce, and eventually become friends.

[–] StrongRex (1297) 2 years ago

I agree with both your points, though it does have the potential of Maria finding out that Tony didn’t keep his promise, and I don’t see how Tony could’ve convinced her it was the better thing to do if he couldn’t do it before.

I would’ve had Tony and Maria’s romantic relationship last a little bit longer than 24 hours. I know that it’s in the source material for Romeo and Juliet to have secretly married in less than 12 hours after meeting each other, but I believe that’s a flaw within the story itself, regardless of how much I love the play. I think Tony and Maria should’ve had the chance to prove themselves to one another before the rumble happened and Tony ended up killing Bernardo (keeping with Romeo killing Tybalt in the source material), so that Maria would’ve at least had more of a foundation before trusting Tony again. Also, she forgave him way too quickly in my opinion. You just can’t develop a strong romantic relationship in just one day, I think it should’ve been more fleshed out before one or both of them died.

If that happened, I would’ve considered it an improvement over the source material.

[–] mplo (2305) 2 years ago

Interesting point, StrongRex. I do think, however, that had Tony allowed Bernardo and Ice to have it out with their fists, regardless of what he'd promised Maria, the ending might've turned out differently, but there's no telling. One of the interesting things about the old, original 1961 film version of West Side Story is that it leaves a great deal to the audience's imagination.

[–] StrongRex (1297) 2 years ago

I also wouldn’t have tried to make up gang slang that no gang member had ever said. Did Laurents ever talk to gang members and ask them what their slang is, or do even a tiny bit of research?

[–] mplo (2305) 2 years ago

A lot of the slang in the original 1961 film version of "West Side Story", such as "daddy-o", and other such slang terms were used a great deal during the 1950's and the early 1960's, in real life, which is part of the original 1961 film version of West Side Story's charm.

[–] StrongRex (1297) 2 years ago

Yeah I know, but I’m not talking about “Daddy-o.”

I’m talking about “crack-o jack-o”, “ooblee-oo”, “Chung-Chung,” and the like. I highly doubt anyone, least of all gang members, have uttered any of these phrases.

[–] modica (4169) 2 years ago

If you change it, the story would go nowhere. In order to complete the story, Tony had to go to the rumble. If I could change something(not with the story)I would have cast someone other than Beymer. He is the weakest part of the movie.

[–] mplo (2305) 2 years ago

Hmmmm....Thanks for an interesting point, Modica. I think, however, that had the overall circumstances been different, Tony would've had to fight Bernardo, and the ending might or might not have turned out differently.

[–] StrongRex (1297) 2 years ago

How was Beymer the weakest part of the movie?

[–] mplo (2305) 2 years ago

Many people think that Beymer had neither the looks, the charm or the tough-but-tender personality of an ex-gang member. I do prefer Beymer to Ansel Elgort, however, because I think that Beymer has far more of the looks and personality of an ex-gang member than Ansel Elgort does.

It was totally unnecessary to make Tony a thug who was on parole from a prison term that he was serving for assault and attempted murder, which was the case in the new film version of West Side Story.

[–] StrongRex (1297) 2 years ago

Well I completely disagree with all that. Beymer was tall, good-looking, and he had a muscular body.

[–] mplo (2305) 2 years ago

It's agreed--Richard Beymer looked and acted far more like an ex-gang member/leader who just simply wanted out of gang life and being on the streets. Tony wanted something more than gang life and the streets.

[–] modica (4169) 2 years ago

I just don't think he was believable. It is the only qualm I have with the original movie. I don't think he is awful...far from it, it's just that I think someone else could have done better. Otherwise, the movie is perfect.

[–] mplo (2305) 2 years ago

One also has to bear in mind, however, that Richard Beymer would've very much liked to have played a Tony with more of an "edge" to him, so to speak, but due to the directorial constraints put on Beymer by the late Robert Wise, and the way in which the script(s) for both the original 1957 Broadway stage production and the 1961 film version of West Side Story were written, plus the overt hostility of Natalie Wood towards Richard Beymer during the filming, it was not possible for Richard Beymer to play a stronger Tony.

[–] StrongRex (1297) 2 years ago

Why don’t you think he was believable? What is an example of this?

[–] liscarkat (16692) 2 years ago

I would replace Richard Beymer with someone who could act and had charisma.

[–] mplo (2305) 2 years ago

Elvis Presley (Yup, the Elvis Presley) was the first one that Robert Wise approached to ask to play the role of Tony in the original 1961 film version of West Side Story. Due to an overly controlling manager, however, Elvis was forced to turn it down.

[–] Otter (24464) 2 years ago

It's a tough call, whether to replace him or Natalie Wood! IMHO the film's biggest weakness is the leads, neither of whom are up to the acting, singing, or charisma requirements for the role.

So if I can only change one thing, and there are two of them.... Hey, I know! The one thing I'd change about the film is: the casting of the stars! Hah!

[–] mplo (2305) 2 years ago

There are people who claim that had Elvis Presley played the part of Tony in the original 1961 film version of West Side Story, he would've brought Natalie Wood to the heavens. Elvis Presley had the tough-but-tender looks of an ex-gang member, as well as the personality of one, plus he could sing, as well.

Yet, at the same time, I wonder if Elvis Presley had played the role of Tony in the 1961 film version of West Side story, that he would've overshadowed the other characters, thus turning West Side Story into just another Elvis Presley movie.

I also wonder how well his Southern accent would've gone over during those days, as well.

[–] Otter (24464) 2 years ago

ELVIS AS TONY??????? [Headdesk] [Headdesk] [Headdesk]

Okay, Elvis was a baritone and Tony is a tenor role! Okay, I may not be an Elvis fan but I can't deny he was a good singer, but he didn't have the kind of semi-operatic training and technique needed for the role. If they'd hired him, they'd have had to gut Tony's songs.

And he was a shitty actor, even worse than Beymer, you know that! He couldn't sing the role as it needed to be sung, and anyone who's seen one of his crap movies knows his idea of playing a screen romance was to sneer at a woman until declared her love for no discernable reason. As an actor he'd have been far worse than the charisma-free Beymer, who at least didn't sneer, and that's without bringing the regional accent into it! Oy, oy, oy.

[–] StrongRex (1297) 2 years ago

So another baseless attack on Richard…never ends..smh…

[–] Otter (24464) 2 years ago

Hi, Richard Beymer! How are your golden years going?

[–] StrongRex (1297) 6 months ago

Is that supposed to make me angry?

All it does is make you look stupid. You are just like everyone else who never put their money where their mouth is.

[–] liscarkat (16692) 2 years ago

Baseless? The guy was a bland model with minimal acting skill. They might as well have put a mannequin on wheels and pulled it around the set with a string. He's the weakest link in an otherwise great movie.

[–] StrongRex (1297) 2 years ago

Example?

[–] puplover (89) 2 years ago

[deleted]

[–] ak47wong (482) 2 years ago

You realise we're talking about the 1961 movie here? What does the 14-year-old Spielberg's ego have to do with it?

[–] mplo (2305) 2 years ago

The whole point is that there should not have been a remake of the film version of West Side Story---at all...period..by ANYBODY, including Steven Spielberg.

Again, the fact the Steven Spielberg failed to make even half of the 100 million bucks that it cost him to make it indicates something---and not for the good, either.

[–] StrongRex (1297) 2 years ago

I keep hearing people blame covid for the colossal failure of Woke Side Story, but the new Spider-Man movie made billions and it came out around the same time. So it’s not due to any “pandemic”, it’s because this movie sucked. Plain and simple.

[–] mplo (2305) 2 years ago

Hi, StrongRex! Good to see you posting here again. How're you doing? I'm doing well--hope you are, too. i could not agree with you more about not blaming the Covid-19 Pandemic on the fact that Spielberg's reboot/remake of the film version of West Side Story flopped so badly. It was a dreadful film that was bound to flop, and it did. The fact that Steven Spielberg didn't make even half of the 100 million dollars that it cost him to do his reboot/remake of the film version of West Side Story speaks volumes--and not for the good, either.

Btw, my mom saw Spielberg's reboot/remake of the film version of West Side Story on television not long ago, and she didn't like it much, either.

[–] kenburke (2293) a month ago

How can you change perfection?

[–] mplo (2305) a month ago

Perfection can't be changed. That's the whole point.