Movie Review - 'West Side Story

Faithful but different remake 

Rating: three stars

What's the point of making a remake of "West Side Story," a musical film classic that is more known for its songs than for the movie itself (a long and somewhat boring film called "Amor, sublime amor")? The answer is given by the director himself, Steven Spielberg, debuting in the genre: in recent interviews, he said that, as a child, at the end of the 50s, he heard the soundtrack of the Broadway musical with his parents and was amazed. In the following decade, he saw the film. And he always wanted to do a version. Now the time was right, with the themes of race and diversity permeating everything. It was worth a try.

As a fan, Spielberg was faithful, basically, to two things: first, keeping the plot set in the same period, 1957, in New York, when the city was going through a great real estate transformation, with entire neighborhoods (populated by white and Latino immigrants) falling down to make way for middle class buildings. The second, to use the same photography of the 1961 film (60 years have passed!), directed by Robert Wise ('The Rebel Novice'), a dark yellowish color that, at times, gives the impression that we are watching a remastered period film. It makes a good visual impression. But his best decision was not to have made a remake to the letter. Here and there he inserted different touches.

Otherwise, we have the magnificent songs by Stephen Sondheim (who saw the remake shortly before he passed away), wonderfully wrapped by Leonard Bernstein's orchestration, based on the text by Jerome Robbins (who wrote the play). Which went beyond the film, played on the radio and, to this day, are in the popular imagination. Like "America" and "Tonight". To top it all off, the affectionate participation of Rita Moreno, who played Anita in the original (and won an Oscar), at the age of 90. The original film won 10 Oscars, including those for best picture and direction. A bit over the top.

The plot, which involves the forbidden love between Tony, a young white man (Ansel Egort, from 'Baby Driver') who is part of the Jets gang; and Maria (Rachel Zegler), a Latin girl who, to top it all off, is the sister of the leader of the rival gang, the Sharks, updates elements from Shakespeare (the script is slightly based on that of 'Romeo & Juliet') to a contemporary setting, making still valid social and political criticism.

However, there is not the same chemistry that existed between the couple of the 60s (Natalie Wood played Maria) and the current one. Mike Feist, meanwhile, makes a Riff (leader of the Jets) as good as Russ Tamblyn did in the original. However, the boxer and leader of the Sharks, Bernardo (David Avarez), doesn't have the same presence as George Shakiris, the one from the 60s (which got him Oscars). Just the right ethnicity. His girlfriend, Anita (the exuberant Ariana Debose), has been 'blackened', to give more diversity to the film, which also features a gay character, absent in the 60s.

Dealing with similar subjects (gentrification, racism etc), and set in present times, the recent Latin musical 'In the heights' is better danced and acted than this one (it only loses in the songs). But it doesn't have Spielberg's name on the sign and was ignored. Compare.

Review by G. Colombo