'" According to Den of Geek, Spielberg noted it had "less to do with Sondheim's retroactive disdain for the self-aware lyrics he wrote and more to do with Spielberg's intent on staying as close to the structure of the original 1957 Broadway production of 'West Side Story' as possible."
Why did they change the lyrics of "I feel pretty"?
The original stage version of the lyrics was changed in the making of the 1961 movie version of West Side Story because of a change in the setting of the scene. While the scene took place at night in the original, it was during the day in the movie.
White actors played the majority of the Latino roles in the 1961 film, which was criticized for using brownface (something that's painfully obvious when rewatching the old film today), Spanish accents, and stereotyping all Puerto Ricans as having one skin tone.
Rita Moreno is paying tribute to Chita Rivera. Rivera, the Broadway legend who originated the role of West Side Story's Anita in 1957, died on Tuesday at age 91.
"I Feel Pretty" - West Side Story 1961/2021 Supercut
Did Maria sleep with Tony?
Even though Maria and Tony sleep together, their relationship is constantly surrounded by dreamy words of love, commitment and wedding imagery. While Anita sings about sex in “Tonight,” Maria croons about seeing her love and how the “stars will stop where they are”.
During the fight which was a 1v1, Bernardo lost his life and Chino didn't know what to do. That was until he heard about Tony and Maria. Chino then takes control of the Sharks and then wants revenge on Tony so he shoots him in cold blood.
Maria is pregnant from sleeping with Tony before his death. A month or two afterwards, she'll realize she's late and give birth to a son, who she'll name Anton Bernardo. Raising him as a single mother, the Jets and the Sharks will help, and move toward reconciliation.
Its production budget was around $100 million, not including marketing costs. Box-office analysts say the film suffered because it was targeted at older audiences, who are hesitant to return to cinemas during the Covid pandemic, lacked a major Hollywood star and was pit against “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
The casts were overwhelmingly white, wearing makeup and chattering in fake accents to portray Puerto Rican characters. The film's lone Puerto Rican, breakout star Rita Moreno, was forced to wear brownface right along with them. Spielberg set out to fix those flaws with his remake.
Did Rita Moreno wear dark makeup in West Side Story?
Moreno also starred in the original 1961 film, which was directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. She recalled her shock at being told to wear dark makeup in the 1961 film and noted that that film's use of makeup, which only included one color for Hispanics, offended some viewers.
Why was I feel pretty removed from West Side Story?
Why did they cut "I Feel Pretty" from West Side Story? Ostensibly, it is to save time. Van Hove notes that the entire story takes place over the course of 48 hours, and he wants nothing to impede the forward motion of the plot, including an intermission (more on that later).
As the voice of Maria in 'West Side Story' and Eliza Doolittle in 'My Fair Lady', Marni Nixon should have been one of Hollywood's biggest stars. Instead, other actors got the credit and she became American cinema's 'most unsung singer', writes Alexandra Pollard.
According to a report by the Hollywood Reporter, the film has largely been restricted due to the transgender character Anybodys, who is portrayed by Iris Menas. Disney refused to make cuts to the movie that the countries requested, and the countries, in turn, refused to grant viewing rights.
Why did Steven Spielberg want to do West Side Story?
“I have been challenged by what would be the right musical to take on. And I could never forget my childhood,” Spielberg says in a new featurette for the film, which you can watch exclusively above. “I was 10 years old when I first listened to the West Side Story album, and it never went away.
How is Spielberg's West Side Story different from the original?
The relationship between Spielberg's Riff and Bernardo made the setting of West Side Story all the more believable, it becomes a love letter about this class and cultural divide in 1950s New York – rather than predominantly a love story between two star-crossed lovers in the 1961 version.
Back at the flat, Tony and Maria are sleeping together. Anita arrives. Maria and Tony make whispered arrangements to meet at Doc's and run away together. Anita comes in, sees Tony running away (and being informed of Chino by Anybodys), and chides Maria for loving him ("A Boy Like That").
Natalie Wood (who played Maria) was 22 and Richard Beymer (who played Tony) was 23 at the time of the filming. In Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, the young couple were around 14, but the ages of Maria and Tony are never referenced. They are presumably in their mid-to-late teens.
West Side Story might not be based on a true story but the fantasy within it is built upon the realities of many immigrants, migrants and the evolving communities within the United States.
The original West Side Story is a tale of how the simmering forces of poverty, societal apathy and abandonment, prejudice, and resentment can, when pressurized to the right level, bring even the most innocent and peaceful people to violence.
Unfortunately, the Jets, who have found Tony, have congregated at Doc's, and they taunt Anita with racist slurs and eventually simulate rape. Doc arrives and stops them. Anita is furious, and in anger spitefully delivers the wrong message, telling the Jets that Chino has shot Maria dead.
All of the Jets and Sharks arrive at the playground as Tony dies in Maria's arms. The two gangs are about to fight yet again, but Maria angrily stops them. Taking Chino's gun, Maria blames all of them for killing Riff, Bernardo and Tony, not so much with guns, but with their hatred.
Throughout six seasons, Tony had seven mistresses in total and several casual affairs. Each Tony Soprano mistress was different, with some seeking to gain from their interactions with the don and others simply out for a good time.
In West Side Story, Maria is of Puerto Rican descent. In the 1961 film adaptation she was played by American actor Natalie Wood. Spielberg told Variety: “When we began this process a year ago, we announced that we would cast the roles of Maria, Anita, Bernardo, Chino and the Sharks with Latina and Latino actors.”
