‘West Side Story’ first debuted on stage in 1957 and is considered one of the greatest musicals of all time. It takes the Romeo and Juliet star-crossed lovers plotline and gives it a distinctly American flavour by transporting the narrative to then-present New York with the warring families represented by White Americans and Puerto Rican immigrants. It was turned into a film in 1961 and has been revived over and over again, even coming to the Philippines in 2017 courtesy of a British touring cast.
It is that touring production back in 2017 that made me very afraid of this new revival. ‘West Side Story’ has some of the most beautiful music and songs of musical theater. The score of Leonard Bernstein and the lyrics of Stephen Sondheim are legendary and so many of these songs are ingrained into many of us, even if they aren’t musical aficionados.
The 2017 touring production presented the show as is and it failed to capture the depth that the show can reach. After all, it’s a story about racial war and gangs. There’s a scene where a woman is ganged up on by a group of men and the Latin community finds the portrayal of the Puerto Ricans in both the original play and the 1961 movie to be problematic.
What made me still want to see it despite my fears is that it is directed by the great Stephen Spielberg, a master storyteller who is well-versed in the nuances of a story’s humanity. I was later overjoyed to discover that Tony Kushner wrote the screenplay for their adaptation and what a powerhouse these two make.
This new remake manages to keep all of the songs but make significant changes that only serves to really highlight the elements in the story that really make ‘West Side Story’ such a timeless story.
In this version, Spielberg and Kushner allow the women to be much stronger in their portrayal in this film. It is still set in the 1950s but the women seem to have a stronger voice to make repeated calls for the two gangs – The Sharks, the Puerto Rican group, and the Jets, the American gang – to stop fighting. In this version, the women have hopes and dreams and even the lead character, Maria, who is usually so naive and innocent in the stage and the previous films, has a little more fire. Rachel Zegler’s performance gives her version of Maria a conscious choice to be with Tony (played by Ansel Elgort) while knowing full-well what this could mean. It makes the character, and the love story, so much more poignant.
There is also a backstory that is given to Tony that adds a stronger redemption arc to the character and adds weight to events that unfold in the story. This new backstory makes Tony someone you want to root for because there’s a goal for something that is worthwhile and meaningful for the character other than love.
The new changes also elevate what was once a love-at-first-sight story into an attraction born out of their surroundings. With Tony’s new backstory, seeing Maria is like seeing the purity and innocence of his new goals (of a more peaceful life) come to life. He is attracted to her because she’s a breath of fresh air. For Maria, Tony is a newcomer. He’s not one of the Jets that she knows of (though she later finds out he is) and he’s not one of the Puerto Ricans her older brother is forcing on her. For Maria, she’s looking to be free of her brother’s oppression and to enjoy the liberation that living in America promises. Tony becomes that for her. And in the process, they fall in love.
Spielberg, ever the master storyteller, expands the world of ‘West Side Story’ and makes the city – the territory that the Jets and the Sharks are fighting over – as a character. Everyone is on the brink of eviction and some buildings have already been demolished in preparation to build the Lincoln Center. This tough neighborhood that is becoming a ruin becomes symbolic of the brokenness of the country. The city is a battleground and the fact that the discrimination is not addressed by the government and the police in any realistic and practical way bears weight to the story.
Because unlike previous revivals, there is no painting of gray areas in this version. The Jets are a gang. The film doesn’t make any excuses for their racism. The song ‘Gee, Officer Krupke,’ which is usually sung and performed with a bit of humor in former performances becomes a scary insight in how some groups use the failure of the system as an excuse for their bad behaviour. Here, the Puerto Ricans have jobs. They’re in a gang to protect the neighborhood. In this film, the Puerto Ricans are in the right.
And you can see it subtly even in the choreography. A big, wonderful dance number at the gym where Tony and Maria first see themselves is a showcase of fantastic dancing and camera work and editing. But in my perspective, the Americans – as good as they are – are not as impressive as when the Puerto Ricans burn the dance floor. Ariana DeBose (who received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in this movie) is a powerhouse. Her dancing and singing skills is equally matched by her spirited performance of Anita. She kills each number she’s in and like many wonderful actresses who played Anita before, steals the show by juggling the different textures of the character.
It is also a brilliant choice of Stephen Spielberg to not use subtitles in all the Spanish parts of the film. There’s quite a number of long stretches of conversation in Spanish that you understand contextually from the sheer clarity of the filmmaking. It’s a powerful move because it puts the Puerto Ricans as equal to the Americans. Spanish is not second to English.
Boasting some amazing set pieces, great choreography that is pretty to look at but always bursting with violence and rage, and some truly wonderful new renditions of beloved songs, ‘West Side Story’ is a marvel of filmmaking. It has the grandeur and sweep of a classic movie musical but it has all the energy and spirit of a contemporary movie. It’s only drawback is the many allegations that have come out about Ansel Elgort’s offscreen activities. He does a good job as Tony, though he’s not the strongest in the group. He delivers a sincerity that we’ve seen in films like ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ but it’s a heavy burden to see him there knowing what he’s done outside.
But I won’t let that one piece of casting ruin what is otherwise a wonderful remake that corrects a lot of the dated portrayals of the original and the conservative approach to some of the themes. By fully committing to the story and its themes, Spielberg’s and Kushner’s ‘West Side Story’ is truly marvelous.
My Rating:
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West Side Story is released by 20th Century Studios and opens in Philippine cinemas this Wednesday, February 16.
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