No Thanks, Mr Spielberg

I have just been watching a feature on the BBC News, promoting the remake of the film musical ‘West Side Story’, directed by Steven Spielberg.

Being old enough to have seen the 1961 film on release in the cinema, it remained a musical I really liked, in a genre that I don’t generally gravitate to. When I heard the film was being remade for release in 2021, I really couldn’t see the point. After all, the songs and music are the same, and the story virtually unchanged. The original film is still amazing to watch, even sixty years after it was released.

So why do it? Why not just show the original in cinemas again, for a ‘new audience’?

Watching Spielberg being interviewed this morning, I got my answer.

The original film is no longer considered to be ‘representative’. In the new age of political correctness, where history has to be reworked and authenticated to satisfy the media and some minorities, it seems that Mr Spielberg did not think there were enough ‘real Puerto Ricans’ in the original version.

Of course, Natalie Wood was the lead female character, Maria, and she was a ‘white American’ actress. Rita Moreno co-starred and she was Puerto Rican. But there were not enough minority actors in the film to satisfy Mr Spielberg, so he sought to remake it to ‘rectify that fault’.

If we follow this through, then I suspect many old musicals will have to be remade, and very soon.

‘The King and I’ starred Yul Brynner, playing the King of Thailand.
How dare they not cast a Thai actor in the role?

‘Cabaret’ stars Joel Grey as the master of ceremonies in the Kit Kat club.
Come on, we know he’s not German. Get that film remade tout suite!

‘The Sound Of Music’ tried to fool us into believing that Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer were Austrians.
Why didn’t they use Austrian actors? I want to know!

‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ starred Dick Van Dyke as an English professor.
We all know he is American, and there were plenty of suitable actors available in England. Get that remake made!

I could go on, but will spare you more of my sarcasm.

It is just complete nonsense.

No thanks, Mr Spielberg. If I want to watch West Side Story again, it will be the 1961 version for me.

Blogging In 2021

Judging by the immediate new crop of new bloggers, some of whom are following my blog now, I suspect that 2021 is going to see the explosion in blogging continue, at least for now. It will be interesting to see if they carry on blogging past any return to something like ‘normal’.

If something like normal ever happens again of course.

As for me, I survived not using the Block Editor in 2020, and will continue to not use it in 2021 for as long as I am able.

At the start of last year, I was going to take a lot more photos to put on the blog. That never happened, as the stresses of the year sucked out all my enthusiasm for photography. I didn’t even bother to set up the new full-frame camera I got, and that was in mid-September. It is still sitting patiently on a shelf behind me, no doubt in need of another full charge for its battery.

I bought a combined handle and holder for my mobile phone, intending to carry it on my walks to capture more videos of Ollie.
That didn’t happen either, it’s still in a drawer.

Note to self. Don’t buy any more ‘stuff’ in 2021.

What I did do was to post a great deal on my blog. Seemingly unable to read, concentrate on films, or bother with my cameras, writing took over. That was my safe place during 2020. Sitting quietly in the office, typing away, and not thinking that much about whether that sniffle or cough was the start of impending doom.

Blogging kept me going, and it seemed to work for this blog too. Many more followers, the most views ever in one day, and welcome comments and contact from my blogging friends. That made each of us feel that we were not alone with our problems, worries, fears, or even bereavements.

I am not making any predictions for my own blogging in 2021, and definitely no resolutions. I almost gave up this blog for various reasons last year, so who knows if that might happen yet? Working hard on fiction serials that had a much reduced engagement with readers also made me think twice about continuing with fiction. My most popular posts last year were an Alphabet of things I like, followed by an Alphabet of things I don’t like. That sort of posting seems to appeal to a very wide audience, as I discvovered.

It would be nice to think I might post a lot less rants about followers who don’t follow, and comments that are links or sales pitches. I would like to think that, but I am afraid I cannot promise not to do that if the mood takes me.

And guest posts may cease to feature, as the take up for my last offer was zero.

However, if you are a part of this community, have a book to promote, or just want me to feature you as a Guest, then the offer is still open. In case you have forgotten the email address, here it is. petejohnson50@yahoo.com Write to me there, and I will reply telling you what to do.

For the time being, you can expect more of the same. Ollie and Beetley, the closing episodes of my fiction serial followed by the whole thing in one post, and random thoughts that usually occur to me on Sundays. If I watch a film I will probably review it, and if I ever finish a book again, I will make sure to review that too.

See you soon.

Happy New Year

I would like to wish all my lovely blogging friends a Happy New year for 2021. I doubt it could be worse than 2020, and we do have some hope now, with vaccination programmes being rolled out around the world.

Let’s all keep blogging, keep communicating, and continue to expand this great community that we love to be a part of.

My very best wishes to you all, Pete. X

Second Wave? No, This Is Much Worse

From midnight on the 31st, 75% of the population of Great Britain will be under the high-level Tier 4 Lockdown.

This follows a huge increase in cases of Covid-19, and the fast spread of the new variant that began in the south-east counties of Kent and Essex recently.
In the last twenty four hours, 961 people have died after contracting Coronavirus, and more than 50,000 new infections were notified.

Not much of a start to 2021, but let’s hope the lockdown does some good.

Here is a full report from the BBC News website, in case those of you with friends or relatives in the UK would like to know more.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55489932