YNOT at the Movies

It has been sixty years since "West Side Story" (1961), the first film adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical based on William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, swept ten Oscars and made Leonard Bernstein's music and Stephen Sondheim's lyrics emblems of American pop culture. Six decades later, the legendary director Steven Spielberg presents us with "West Side Story" (USA 2021 | 156 min.), a splendid remake of the earlier film based on a new script by Tony Kushner. It surely will regenerate the magic that has captivated the audience for generations, and it is guaranteed to get a truck load of Oscar nominations.

As a remake, the new film keeps most of those musical numbers that people are familiar with, as well as some of the elegant dance moves originally choreographed by Jerome Robbins. However, its casting is notably changed. It has all the Latino characters, which were mostly played by white actors in the 1961 movie, played by Latino actors. In this updated version, sometimes the characters even often have Spanish dialogues without subtitles, just like in real life!

The story is still set in the '50s, when the low income Upper West Side of New York City is demolished to make room for the Lincoln Center. The neighborhood is predominantly occupied by immigrants from Puerto Rico and poor white residents. The streets and the demolition sites are the playground for two rival gangs. One side is the white gang, the Jets, led by Riff (Mike Faist) and Tony (Ansel Elgort). The other side is the Puerto Rican gang, the Sharks, led by Bernardo (David Alvarez).

Bernardo's sister Maria (Rachel Zegler) and Bernardo's girlfriend Anita (Ariana DeBose) both work night-shifts as cleaners in a department store. Bernardo wants to set Maria up on a date with Chino (Josh Andrés Rivera) at a local school dance. But when Maria and Tony spot each other at the dance, they fall madly in love, which doesn't sit well with Bernardo and Chino.

The Jets and Sharks plan to have a rumble. But Tony is no longer interested in fights like this, having recently been released from prison and working at Valentina's (Rita Moreno) drug store. He wants to set his life straight and now all he wants is to be with Maria. When Tony learns about the fight, he promises Maria that he will go and stop them. Unfortunately, not only does he fail to stop the fight, but he also becomes part of the tragedy following the fight.

While preserving much of the original materials, the director Steven Spielberg fantastically adds new life and fresh perspective in this remake. The new script highlights the gentrification in the '50s in New York City, and brilliantly replaces the original store owner character with the Puerto Rican widow Valentina. The Academy Award, Emmy Award, GRAMMY Award, Tony Award, and Peabody Award winner Rita Moreno, who played Anita in the 1961 movie (which won her the Oscar), now gives a marvelous performance as the wise and loving Valentina. She might just get another Oscar nomination for it.

All the actors beautifully transcend their elegant and jubilant dance moves into incredible energy. They make us realize time and again the magic of dancing on the streets in New York City. When the camera circles around the heartthrob Ansel Elgort as he sings his heart out with the melody of "Maria", you cannot help but believe the existence of love-at-first-sight. When the 89-year-old Rita Moreno (she will turn 90 the day after the movie's opening night, what a birthday gift!) delivers a poignant "Somewhere," you will be inspired by hope.

Six decades later, this triumphant remake of a classic will make history yet again.

"West Side Story" opens on Friday, December 10, 2021.