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Review of WEST SIDE STORY (2021): Spielberg's Striking Style
February 16, 2022
It was on Manhattan's Upper West Side in the mid-1950s, about to be demolished to make way for the new Lincoln Center. Two rival gangs rule the streets, led by White Jet Reef (Mike Fist) and the Puerto Rican Sharks, led by Bernardo (David Alvarez). One night at a local ball, Tony (Ansel Elgort), the founder of the Jets, meets Maria (Rachel Ziegler), Bernard's sister, and the two fall in love at first sight. However, their respective divisions could not allow this merger, resulting in a terrible tragedy.
West Side Story was originally conceived as a musical by choreographer and director Jerome Robbins, bringing Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to the world of teenage gangs fighting on the streets of New York, with a book by Arthur Lorenz and music by Leonard Bernstein . . A famous song by Stephen Sondheim, who was only 20 years old at the time. In the year
The musical was adapted for the big screen in 1961 under the direction of Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise. The film won 11 Oscars, including best picture and a special award for Robbins' choreography. Tony and Maria are played by Richard Behmer and Natalie Wood and sung by Jimmy Bryant and Marnie Nixon. Bernard and Anita were played by Jorge Chakiris and Rita Moreno, who both won Oscars for their supporting roles. The soundtrack album spent 54 weeks at number one on the Billboard album chart.
The film and the 1961 soundtrack album were a staple of my youth. You could say I already knew the order of the scenes. Powerful dance choreography and songs of unforgettable beauty. I have to admit, ever since Steven Spielberg was rumored to be making a remake, I've already decided that maybe this isn't a good idea. However, as a lover of musical theater and cinema, I really had to go. I wanted to see what else Spielberg could have done to improve what I thought was a perfect movie.
The triple threat performances were generally very good; Rachel Zeigler (just 17 when she started) as the open-minded Maria, Ariana DeBose (Prom, Maxing) as the proud Anita, David Alvarez (Tony Award winner) as Bill. Elliott at age 14 in 2009. Hot Bernard and Mike Fest (News Dear Evan Hansen) as Poison Riff. Rita Moreno returns to a new role as Doc's widow, Valentina, as she sings a short version of "Somewhere." Ansel Elgort just worked for me as Tony. I didn't have any romantic chemistry between her and Zeigler, nor much sincerity in her generally flat performance.
Racial accuracy aside, the new cast did well singing all their songs. The best song and dance for me in this new version was "America" where Spielberg actually decided to dance on the night sky in the sun. Debosse and Alvarez's dance was as captivating as that of Moreno and Chakiris. Before the Rumble I had a back and forth between "Cool" and "I Feel Pretty" after the Rumble. (However, I later learned that these were their original locations in the 1957 stage version.)
Strong language and violent images are more disturbing in this new version. Any character presented as trans rather than tomboyish and her role in Anita's violence scene would have worked better. It is surprising that the Spanish line is not signed. But I understand why Spielberg did it out of "respect". Scenes, dances and songs from the original film replayed in my head and while this remake has some interesting cinematic choices and bold directing decisions, it still can't compare to the original for me. 7/10.
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