West Side Story **** (2021, Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist, Rita Moreno) -Movie Review

First off, the 1957 stage show West Side Story is brilliant and timeless, the best of its kind.

Second, the 1961 film of it, West Side Story, is also brilliant and timeless, the best of its kind.

Third, why would anyone want or need to remake West Side Story in 2021?

But Steven Spielberg has. For him, as an old bloke, it’s an indulgence in a slice of sweet nostalgia. It takes him back to the old days, maybe the good old days. Spielberg recalls: ‘West Side Story was actually the first piece of popular music our family ever allowed into the home. I fell completely in love with it as a kid.’

Okay then. That’s fine. So, what are his new ideas? What does he bring to it? Does he succeed at all?

The answer is that West Side Story has had a complete makeover, though it is subtle enough not to show. They want to respect the iconic material at the same time as reinventing it. Here are 10 of the things that they did.

First, they hired a totally Latinx cast to play the Sharks’ boys and girls. This allows talented unknown Rachel Zegler to make her feature film debut as the doomed heroine María, selected from over 30,000 applicants, whereas Natalie Wood, born Natalie Zacharenko in San Francisco to Russian immigrant parents, played her in the original film.

Second, Rita Moreno, who played Anita in the 1961 film, plays Valentina, a reconceived and expanded version of the original character Doc, mentor to the younger characters.

Third, there is a new Black character, Abe (Curtiss Cook).

Fourth, Anybodys (Iris Menas), who is a tomboy desperate to become a Jet in the stage show and 1961 film, is played as a transgender character by the non-binary actor Iris Menas. This led Middle Eastern countries to ban the film.

Fifth, Justin Peck’s new choreography is original and does not attempt to replicate Jerome Robbins’ choreography.

Sixth, some scenes are played out in Spanish or a mix of Spanish and English with no subtitles.

Seventh, songs are shuffled around, and relocated, and the key number ‘Somewhere’ is now sung by Valentina.

Eighth, ‘One Hand, One Heart’, ‘Somewhere’. ‘A Boy Like That/I Have a Love’ and portions of ‘Maria’ were unusually sung live on set.

Ninth, three of the Jets from the 1961 film, Harvey Evans, who portrayed Mouthpiece, Bert Michaels, who played Snowboy, and David Bean, who played Tiger, appear as extras.

Tenth, Tony Kushner’s screenplay is closer to the Broadway script than to the 1961 film adaptation written by Ernest Lehman, though it sure doesn’t feel like it.

And probably there are many other changes, additions, subtractions and reinventions. It is clearly a labour of love, way beyond the bounds of usual Hollywood professionalism, years in the making. Spielberg as a master of cinema and story-telling was obviously the right man for the job. Nevertheless, and despite all the hard work, it ends up feeling like a straight remake of the 1961 film. What else can it be? It’s West Side Story. So there’s a strong sense of deja vu. Been there, done that, etc. So there’s a strong sense of letdown too. However, that said, for all those who have never seen the stage show or the first film, this is a stupendous entertainment, with lots of thrilling sequences, brilliant dancing, nice singing and attractive performances. It is a robust piece of film-making, with everything taken perfect care of.

West Side Story (2021, Ansel Elgort).

There are several outstanding performers, especially Rachel Zegler (in her lovely feature film debut) as María, Ariana DeBose as Anita, David Alvarez as Bernardo and Mike Faist as Riff, all of them memorable, with great screen moments. These are star-making performances. Everyone will be happy to have Rita Moreno aboard. She has a quite lot to do, and does it very appealingly. Also notable are Brian d’Arcy James as Officer Krupke, Corey Stoll as Lieutenant Schrank and Josh Andrés Rivera as Chino, all brisk, clean and efficient.

Sadly, the weak link is Ansel Elgort as Tony, who seems awkward, ungainly and hesitant, particularly so when he is asked to dance, though his singing is not always inspired either. He looks the handsome, romantic part, a proper Romeo, but they have dressed him up drably. How odd is that?

Back to Steven Spielberg. So, does Spielberg succeed? Well, yes, he kind of does.

Two key things. Spielberg says: ‘Divisions between un-likeminded people is as old as time itself. And the divisions between the Sharks and the Jets in 1957, which inspired the musical, were profound. But not as divided as we find ourselves today. It made the story of those racial divides more relevant to today’s audience than perhaps it even was in 1957.’ The new script understandably has a go at emphasising the divides and making them more relevant. This leads to a lack of subtlety but an unambiguous clarity. It was all there in the original, but it’s even more there in 2021.

In reworking a stage show as cinema, Spielberg goes for a lot of directorial flourishes to keep it looking smart and snazzy. The original period is respected and admired in the settings, and he chucks his cameras around gleefully. It is very cinematic and exciting. He also concentrates hard on his dialogue and dramatic scenes, so they are not static or talky. There is some nervy cutting, to move things on no doubt. It’s a shame he doesn’t just let his singers sing and his dancers dance, and keep it all continuous and flowing, and keep the cameras in there following the action. But he still does capture the vibrant musical spirit of the numbers. There is plenty of the needed energy and style.

He brings out the rage and anger and violence underlying West Side Story, and hits hard on its peaceful message of harmony. If only we could solve the world’s problems with a musical or a show tune! Maybe we can. If people are singing and dancing, they’re not fighting and killing. The romantic dance doesn’t have to be followed by the killer rumble.

Spielberg says: ‘I’ve always wanted to make a musical – an old-fashioned, conservative musical.’ And that’s what this is. Tremendous, sometimes exhilarating as his film is, however, you kind of wish he spent all his energies making a brand new musical. One that would really challenge his audiences. And if it makes anyone check out the original West Side Story or have the chance to see the stage show, that would be good.

It was released on 10 December 2021, the 60th anniversary of the release of the 1961 film, after a year’s delay because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The film needs an estimated $300 million to break even but grossed only $27.5 million worldwide in its first 10 days.

It was filmed in Harlem and other Manhattan locations and in Flatlands, Brooklyn, in July 2019. There were ten days of shooting in Paterson, New Jersey, where an outdoor set was built, in August 2019. Filming also took place in Newark and other parts of Essex County, New Jersey. It wrapped on 27 September 2019 after 79 days of shooting. All sets were constructed at a warehouse at Steiner Studios.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Movie Review

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