Filmmaker
Steven
Spielberg
says
working
on
the
adaptation
of
West
Side
Story
was
a
delightful
family
affair
and
as
enjoyable
as
the
making
of
his
beloved
1982
sci-fi
children's
classic
E.T.
the
Extra-Terrestrial.
An
adaptation
of
the
famed
1957
Broadway
musical
of
the
same
title,
the
movie
has
premiered
to
praise
for
Spielberg's
nuanced
take
on
the
period
story
and
its
depiction
of
the
love
story
between
Rachel
Zegler
and
Ansel
Elgort's
Maria
and
Tony,
whose
ill-fated
romance
fans
the
bitter
rivalry
between
local
New
York
street
gangs
the
Sharks
and
the
Jets.
The
remake
has
been
written
by
Tony
Kushner
("Angels
in
America")
and
marks
Spielberg's
first
feature-length
musical.
Recalling
the
experience
of
working
on
the
film,
the
74-year-old
director
said
though
he
had
"three
left
feet",
he
would
jump
out
of
his
chair
during
rehearsals.
"I
did
jump
out
of
my
chair
and
I
did
singing
and
danced
for
the
cast,
singing
off-key
and
dancing
like
I
had
three
left
feet
during
rehearsals," Spielberg
said
during
a
global
press
conference,
also
attended
by
PTI.
"We
did
four-and-a-half
months
of
intensive
rehearsals,
both
in
the
city
at
Lincoln
Center
and
in
Brooklyn
in
a
place
called
Dumbo
there
and
that's
when
I
was
really
able
to
jump
out
of
my
seat.
Rita
(Moreno)
was
there
too
and
was
dancing
with
the
cast.
We
were
so
influenced
or
compelled
to
get
up
on
our
feet.
It
was
such
a
life
in
the
air,
song
and
dance," the
director
recalled.
Spielberg
said
while
the
rehearsals
saw
everyone
dancing
and
singing,
during
the
filmmaking
process,
he
was
just
attentive
to
the
actors.
"And
I
didn't
even
tap
my
foot.
I
was
just
too
focused
on
the
monitor,
on
what
we
were
getting...
what
images
we
were
capturing.
But
this
was
the
most
delightful
family
affair
I've
had
since
'E.T.'.
'E.T.' had
felt
like
I
was
a
dad
to
all
those
kids.
And
certainly,
I
was
not
a
dad
in
my
real
life...
my
first
child
was
born
three
years
after
I
directed
'E.T.
"And
this
was
the
next
time
I
had
that
kind
of
feeling
that
I
was
part
of
a
very
diverse
family.
I
was
not
in
the
center
of
the
family,
I
was
simply
a
part
of
the
family,"
the
director
said.
Spielberg
had
in
the
past
said
that
he
had
thoroughly
enjoyed
making
his
1982
science
fiction
E.T.
the
Extra-Terrestrial,
popularly
known
as
E.T,
about
the
bond
between
a
group
of
children
and
an
extraterrestrial.
West
Side
Story
is
a
beloved
classic
both
as
a
Broadway
production
and
a
1961
film
adaptation.
The
1961
film
won
ten
Academy
Awards,
including
best
picture.
Rita
Moreno,
who
is
also
in
the
new
film,
became
the
first
Latin
actress
to
win
an
Oscar
for
her
role
as
Anita.
The
new
musical
is
a
childhood
dream
come
true
for
Spielberg,
who
has
directed
some
of
the
most
successful
and
iconic
films
in
his
career
be
it
"Jaws",
"Indiana
Jones",
"Jurassic
Park",
"
"Schindler's
List",
"Saving
Private
Ryan" and
"Lincoln".
Talking
about
recreating
and
capturing
the
vision
of
New
York
City
from
70
years
ago
for
the
newer
version,
Spielberg
said
the
team
stayed
authentic
even
in
terms
of
the
look
of
the
film.
He
said
one
can
find
the
city
of
New
York
of
the
1950s
alive
and
well
in
certain
parts,
which
is
where
the
team
also
shot
for
the
movie.
"The
only
other
thing
we
did
was
we
took
out
air
conditioning
units,
took
out
satellite
dishes
and
took
out
safety
bars
on
windows.
Because
today,
New
York
has
safety
bars
above
the
second
floor
and
we
had
to
remove
some
of
those.
Everything
else
is
authentic
to
the
period
because
New
York
still
is
in
character
with
that
period."
For
his
film,
Spielberg
said
he
has
consciously
made
an
attempt
to
make
his
actors
talk
in
Spanish
without
giving
subtitles.
"The
whole
story
starts
with
(when)
Lieutenant
Schrank,
clearly
a
racist,
says
don't
use
Spanish.
That
language
had
to
exist
in
equal
proportions
alongside
the
English," he
said.
Tony
Kushner,
who
has
written
the
story,
said
the
use
of
the
Spanish
language
was
nothing
but
an
important
part
of
the
narrative.
"It
felt
like
there
were
certain
subjects
and
feelings
involved
with
the
subjects
where
it
would
be
very
natural
for
somebody
who's
born
speaking
Spanish
to
go
into
Spanish
and
not
to
say
it
in
English."
Spielberg
said
he
would
want
Spanish
and
English-speaking
to
sit
in
the
theatre
together
and
enjoy
the
movie.
The
director
also
fondly
remembered
the
late
songwriter
Stephen
Sondheim,
regarded
as
someone
who
reshaped
the
American
musical
theatre
in
the
second
half
of
the
20th
century.
Sondheim,
who
had
been
associated
with
Spielberg's
version
of
West
Side
Story,
died
last
week
at
the
age
of
91.
Recalling
his
first
meeting
with
the
legend,
the
director
said
he
met
him
during
the
premiere
of
his
film
Sweeney
Todd
adaptation
with
Johnny
Depp
and
later
they
both
bumped
into
each
other
at
the
White
House
when
the
two
received
the
presidential
medal
of
freedom.
The
director
also
shared
that
Sondheim
was
the
first
person
he
met
when
he
sought
the
rights
to
make
his
version
of
'West
Side
Story
.
Speaking
of
Sondheim's
association
with
the
film,
the
director
added,
"He
was
very
involved,
he
had
ideas
and
Tony
had
an
open
dialogue
with
him
during
the
process
of
going
from
one
draft
to
the
next.
He
did
all
the
pre-recorded
with
all
the
vocal
artists.
He
was
there
sitting
right
next
to
me
at
the
recording
studio."
The
cast
of
"West
Side
Story"
also
includes
Ariana
DeBose
as
Anita,
David
Alvarez
as
Bernardo
and
Mike
Faist
as
Riff.
Rita
Moreno
appears
in
the
remake
in
a
new
role
and
served
as
an
executive
producer.
The
film
will
debut
in
Indian
theatres
on
December
10.