No matter what Steven Spielberg winds up doing with West Side Story (and I’ve already stated my belief that he’ll probably improve upon Robert Wise’s 1961 multi-Oscar-winner), he can’t go wrong if he simply includes Leonard Bernstein‘s “Scherzo (Vivace Leggiero)” passage. If he doesn’t include it, that’ll be a bad mark.

In a just-up interview with The Tragedy of Macbeth‘s Joel Coen and Frances McDormand, Deadline‘s Michael Fleming tries to detour them by asking about producer Scott Rudin, with whom Coen and McDormand have worked many times.

Fleming mentions something he’s heard about Coen and McDormand having witnessed “a Rudin outburst toward an underling and not reacting.”

Toward the end of the Rudin discussion McDormand gets a little testy. She basically tells Fleming that they’re finished talking about Rudin, and that the interview may be over if he continues in this vein. Here’s the transcript.

Fleming: “[The Tragedy of Macbeth] was originally hatched with producer Scott Rudin, with whom you collaborated on in the Best Picture Oscar winner No Country for Old Men and other things. His name is not in the credits; he put himself on sabbatical after his bullying behavior toward subordinates was exposed by THR. His bullying was widely known in industry circles but presented and reframed by THR in this #MeToo moment, it created an outcry for him to be gone, despite him being an undeniable champion of taste-making subject matter like The Tragedy of Macbeth, which has always been hardest to get made. There was a report there that both of you witnessed an outburst by him toward an underling, and not reacting. It has nothing to do with what I just saw onscreen, but it is out there. What can you say about all this?”

Coen: “To work backwards from your question. I’ve made a number of movies with Scott over the years. I’ve known him since I started making movies, probably when he was head of production at Fox on our second movie, but if you look at all of the producers out there in the world, there aren’t that many who you would say, well, making an adaptation of Macbeth is a natural fit for the two of us. I mean, there’s Scott and then there’s nobody else that you would say that about. So, knowing him and having made movies with him, he seemed absolutely natural to go to with this, and in fact, he was. So, that’s that part of it.

“As far as the allegations and Scott’s behavior, yes, I think there isn’t anyone who works in the business who hasn’t heard those stories over the last however many decades that Scott has been working. Yeah. I hear stories about all kinds of people, I myself have witnessed all kinds of behavior. I never witnessed any of it with Scott, absolutely never. But on the other hand, I heard the stories and to a certain extent, I didn’t doubt the stories. I knew there was…you hear a lot of it and you figure a lot of it is probably true. But like I say, I hear stories about lots of people and I’ve seen questionable behavior from lots of people, but I never, ever saw anything like that from Scott. I don’t condone it, of course, but I never saw it.

“As far as people saying that we did, I just want to say this. I’ve been making movies for almost 40 years, Fran has been making movies that long, I think both Fran and I have reputations, and you can ask anybody we’ve worked with, for being aboveboard and honest, and the honest truth is I never saw it. So, I know I’m being honest about that. You can ask anybody who knows us whether they believe we’re honest about that.

All indications suggest that Joel Coen‘s The Tragedy of Macbeth (debuting tomorrow at the New York Film Festival) may be on the visually constrained side. It was shot on sound stages and in misty black and white — exactly the opposite approach taken by Roman Polanski‘s open-air, braving-the-elements, full-color 1971 version. I just rewatched the Polanski a couple of days ago, and found it bracingly realistic and fully alive.

N.Y. Times Manohla Dargis: “Blood and betrayal, toil and trouble — filmmakers from Akira Kurosawa to Roman Polanski have taken on Macbeth. In his stripped-down version, Joel Coen pitches his expressionistic tent between cinema and theater, taking a lead from Orson Welles, whose 1948 adaptation” — shot on hand-me-down western sets in Studio City — “was one of his last Hollywood films.

“Is this an ill omen from Coen?” [HE interjection: An ill omen in what sense?] The play is still the thing and so is a volcanic Denzel Washington, who ferociously embodies, as Welles put it, ‘the decay of a tyrant.'”

An “expressionistic tent” suggests something inventive but shrouded, protected from the elements, a realm with limits. Dargis also implies that Coen’s film is as much of a theatrical piece as a movie. In other words, a film that may strike some as confining, perhaps under-oxygenated?….maybe. We shall see what we shall see.

Carey Fukunaga to THR‘s Tatiana Siegel: “Is it Thunderball or Goldfinger where, like, basically Sean Connery’s character rapes a woman? She’s like ‘No, no, no,’ and he’s like, ‘Yes, yes, yes.’ That wouldn’t fly today.”

Of course it wouldn’t. Such a scene would never be considered. But it didn’t “fly” 57 years ago either.

Even by mid ’60s standards the Goldfinger “barn” scene was a silly jape. The joke was that Connery’s 007 was such an irresistable hound that even Honor Blackman‘s Pussy Galore, an avowed lesbian, succumbs to his overbearing masculinity after resisting for three or four seconds. Remember also that Blackman’s surrender happens after a judo match in which she and Connery throw each other around.

True, Connery is on top of Blackman during the moment of capitulation, but the attitude is half-comedic. The playful music conveys the mood.

Perhaps Fukunaga is partly recalling a scene from Alfred Hitchcock‘s Marnie, in which Connery’s Mark Rutland actually rapes the frigid titular character (Tippi Hedren), whom he’s just married. Marnie and Goldfinger were released the same year (’64) and two months apart — Marnie on 7.22.64, Goldfinger on 9.18.64 (in England) and 12.22.64 (in the U.S,).

The progressive left’s normalizing of male pregnancy and menstruation is another reason why the ‘22 midterms and (God help us) the ‘24 Presidential election both may wind up causing great pain and heartbreak. Average Joes loathe and despise the diluting of gender roles (along with the ongoing plague of tyrannical wokesterism). Was it only 39 years ago when Charles Durning told Dustin Hoffman that “out on the farm hens are hens and bulls are bulls and they don’t want to be cows or lay eggs”? It’s as if the left is deliberately trying to persuade older fence-sitters to elect a few more lunatic-psycho Republicans as a bulwark against bulls giving birth to calves in the pasture.

I haven’t checked in with Seth Rogen in a while. This is him at the Emmy Awards. He looks different. Tatyana doesn’t know Rogen, and I just showed her this photo and asked “how old is this guy?” She guessed 47, 48, in that range. He’s fine, some of us go gray earlier than others, not a big deal. I’m just surprised.

Ted Lasso star and Emmy winner Jason Sudeikis was snapped leaving the Sunset Tower hotel two days ago. What got my attention was the outfit he wore — a tan hoodie and a burgundy trucker hat with gray cargo shorts and Nike sneakers. I hate anything burgundy, but paired with a tan hoodie…God! Two and 1/3 years ago I tried to explain my burgundy revulsion.

Friendo to HE: “I dare you to watch Dear Evan Hansen all the way through. All 137 minutes of it.”

Thursday, 9.23, 8:40 am: Jesus…not a peep. Time was when George Clooney teaming with Ben Affleck would’ve meant something, stirred the pot, ignited some chatter. Flatline.

BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL PEEK–OUT:

Indie filmmaker and pioneering blaxploitation auteur Melvin Van Peebles (Sweet Sweetback’s Badasssss Song, Watermelon Man, Classified X) has passed at age 89. Due respect and condolences to family, friends, fans and colleagues. A breakthrough artist and a go-his-own-way giant among black directors in the ’60s and’70s, Van Peebles paved the way for many who followed in his wake. He also wrote four novels, at least one respected play (La Fête à Harlem) and a collection of short stories; also a smart Wall Street investor. Melvin was the father of actor-director Mario Van Peebles.