West Side Story is given a new coat of paint and updates to the story courtesy of the four leads and director Steven Spielberg! The original musical was on Broadway in 1957, the new setting for Romeo and Juliet was concieved by theatrical director Jerome Robbins. He is known for his musicals, The King and I (1951) and later Fiddler on the Roof (1964). Robbins was the co-director, but was fired halfway through filming, and choreographer for the 1961 West Side Story film. The music is by Leonard Bernstein, the composer of On the Waterfront (1954) and of course the 1961 movie. Bernstein is credited in the new movie and David Newman is the composer of the 2021 West Side Story. The book, written story, was by Arthur Laurents who also wrote Gypsy (1959), another collaboration with Stephen Sondheim, this was his first Broadway musical.
It may be the editing, there is the long time editor who works with Spielberg, Michael Kahn, and Sarah Broshar who worked with Spielberg on War Horse (2011). The screenplay is by Tony Kushner, who also wrote the screenplay for Spielberg’s Munich (2005). The film opens with the off screen whistle. We start panning up from some rubble, then to a sign that says the area has been bought by the “New York Housing Authority for Slum Clearance”, next a billboard for the future Lincoln Center. Construction of the Lincoln Center began in 1959 and completed in 1969. Now it is the home of several well known performing arts organizations; the New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet, and the Metropolitan Opera. The construction is just a set up and not seen throughout the movie. The young members of The Jets gang emerge from an underground hole and they contact their leader in a trailer.
Riff (Mike Faist) leaves the trailer with his girlfriend, Graziella (Paloma Garcia-Lee). Faist was in the drama film, The Atlantic City Story (2020). His Riff is loyal, a bit thin compared to other gang members, but the actor can sing since he was in the Broadway production of Dear Evan Hansen. Garcia-Lee was previously in the Fosse/Verdon (2019) mini-series, but her character is basically a cameo. It’s really the same with most of the members of The Jets, their names don’t come up, but they are featured in one song. The 1961 movie had more identifiable Jets and they are more fun characters, the Jets here are just punks and petty criminals. They walk the streets, have to pause as black men and women cross the street, then steal what they want. I do like that they occasionally break into dance, but this is brief. The Jets pick up other members and then get paint cans.
They reach a court area with Puerto Rico flag artwork, pushing away Anybodys (Iris Menas), and begin to deface it with the paint. Their rivals, The Sharks, enter and there is no dance fighting, it’s just fists until Baby John (Patrick Higgins) is captured. He is given a vicious reminder. This is when the police arrives; Officer Krupke (Brian d’Arcy James) and Lieutenant Schrank (Corey Stoll). James plays Derek Bishop in the Hawkeye series. Stoll was Junior Soprano in The Many Saints of Newark (2021). They break up the gang fight and Schrank wants to know who hurt Baby John. He is tough on The Jets, but the racism is clear with The Sharks. He sends Bernardo (David Alvarez) and his gang away. Alvarez was in the American Rust crime drama. His Bernardo is a real leader caring about his gang members, but also works as a boxer. Most of the gang members are boxers, meeting at a ring, so they would be tough fighters compared to the untrained Jets.
Bernardo returns to sing “La Borinqueña”, the national anthem of Puerto Rico. This is the other part of the film, it has more Spanish than the first movie, but with no sub-titles in later important lines, I miss the emotional context. The opening just shows the rivalry between the two great houses, pardon, gangs. Later, Riff meets with his gang, says that he wants a rumble with the Sharks and Tony should be there. Then, they sing the “Jet Song”, this ends at a quarry and fades to black, the transitions are just strange. Tony is checking bottles at the basement, his room, of Doc’s drug store. The character of Tony is more developed here, he was in prison for year, on his return Valentina hired him as a stock boy because she saw his potential. Riff meets with Tony and wants him to go to the dance, but Tony doesn't want to break his parole. His aggression is his weakness and wants to get away from any kind of violent life. I read that Elgort can’t sing compared to his co-star and that is just foolish. He is a singer who recorded several records.
Riff leaves and Tony walks up the steps to see the store owner, Valentina (Rita Moreno). Moreno was of course Anita in the 1961 West Side Story and recently was Lydia Riera in remake comedy show, One Day at a Time. Her character was once married to Doc and she serves his function as a neutral party to both gangs, but seems to not trust the thieving Jets. They look at the reflection in the store’s floor and Tony sings, “Something’s Coming”, dancing a bit with Valentina! Then, we get Maria (Rachel Zegler), a stunning debut for the actress. Zegler has forthcoming Shazam! Fury of the Gods and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Maria is new to the country, she can’t be controlled by her older brother or really anyone else, and features Zegler’s soprano voice. She is disappointed in her white dress for the dance.
Her roommate and Bernardo’s girlfriend is Anita (Ariana DeBose). The actress was part of the ensemble in Hamilton and also Alyssa Greene in The Prom (2020). Anita has her own independence as seen in the “America” number (which has a few changed lyrics), but of course loves Bernardo. Anita decides to add her red bow to Maria’s dress which is identical to Natalie Wood’s dress in the 1961 movie, nice touch by costume designer Paul Tazewell. Bernardo enters with the young man who will be Maria’s date, Chino (Josh Andrés Rivera). This is also Rivera’s first movie. Chino has a bit more development, he is going to trade school, and has potential so Bernando doesn’t want him to be a part of The Sharks. They head over to the dance, open the doors, and we get the spectacle of the dance courtesy of Kaminski. There is a swirl of dancers, lights, and a band. Excellent choreography by Justin Peck using the Robbins dances, but giving it good energy.
The war council is at the bathroom, not at Doc’s, and they agree to the rumble. Later, the rival dancers get pushy. The conflict is broken up by Officer Krupke and the school principal. Instead, the principal has the women circling the men, everyone is reluctant until Bernando leads out Anita. Riff and Graziella follow. The circle starts turning, but at the stop of the music, the dancers find they are matched with their rivals. Anita breaks the tension calling for a mambo from the band. Tony arrives greeted by Riff. Maria and Chino step away from the dancers, but Chino eventually joins them. Tony walks to the side of the dancers and sees Maria “across a crowded room”, yup it was Some Enchanted Evening. She walks through the dancers and they meet behind the bleachers. It is kinda awkward, but you can see the connection between them especially their dance. This angers Bernardo and sows his hatred against Tony. The balcony scene is a brilliant staging and the romance works there. The emphasis of West Side Story is on the Puerto Rican characters which is good, mixed with the young love between Tony and Maria, and the inevitable battle between two gangs. The original has its moments and flaws, the same with the current re-imagining, both are excellent entertainments and one is not superior to the other, but go see this West Side Story!
Five Red Bows out of Five!
#WestSideStory, #StevenSpielberg, #AnselElgort, #RachelZegler, #ArianaDeBose, #DavidAlvarez, #MikeFaist
