Here is a link to our article about the new film from last spring. It contains a song from the original show.
By Paul Goldfinger, Blogfinger.net editor:
The death of Stephen Sondheim last week marks the end of a musical era, but not exactly.
Sondheim wrote the lyrics to the Leonard Bernstein show West Side Story. The reviewers from that time barely mentioned Sondheim, but, of course, he went on to write a series of amazing and unforgettable Broadway musicals.
The Broadway show of WEst Side Story opened in 1957, and the first movie was in 1961.
On December 10, the much awaited movie re-do of West Side Story, directed by Steven Spielberg, will open, and the film is said to be “spectacularly wonderful”*
Here is the official trailer for the new film which updates some of the themes of the original, but the music has been left virtually untouched except for technical work: the NY Philharmonic recorded most of the music, but because of COVID, some was done with the LA Philharmonic.
Shooting was done in New York City and in Paterson, N.J. where a special set was built.
Release of the film was delayed because of COVID, but the premier opening will be in LA on December 10, 2021. The album will also be released that day, and Blogfinger will post at least one of those songs.
* Michael Riedel, movie critic who saw the new release.
Last night on 60 minutes was a marvelous interview with Rita Moreno, who is almost 90. She was in the original movie, and she plays an older woman in this version. What an inspiration.