I feel like an even bigger Steven Spielberg fan today than I ever was before. West Side Story, along with Spielberg's previous film Ready Player One, are some of the only movies I've seen in recent years that made me want to go and see them again the very next day. The genre and the story aren't the point so much as the pure, raw filmmaking style. The framing of the shots, the motion of the camera and the timing of the editing just make these movies an incredible joy to watch. The actors hit the right notes, the stories are well-constructed and, in West Side Story, the songs sound as good as ever, but as examples of the cinematic artform, these movies feel vibrant and alive in ways that few other movies do.
I saw the original 1961 West Side Story one time before, in high school in the 1990s. I think it was in Spanish class. I also saw My Fair Lady in English class, so maybe our faculty was just big musical fans. Lots of things stayed with me about West Side Story, but especially the song "Tonight." I thought that was pure magic, one of the best love songs ever done. There were certainly elements that felt dated about the movie even back then. No one could mistake it for a 1980s movie, like some of us might have thought Willy Wonka was (yet another musical I first saw in school!). So when I heard Spielberg was remaking West Side Story, I was very excited to see it. A story filled with drama, romance, violence, comedy and great music, updated to modern film sensibilities by one of my favorite directors sounded like a slam dunk.
Seeing it in Dolby Cinema, my high expectations were met. The movie is a visual feast, one of the rare ones that isn't obviously dependent on CGI. The leads, Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler, bring just the right sense of optimism and naivete to their doomed romance. They also deliver the best singing in the movie, that truly surpasses what's in the original film. Mike Faist is a surprising standout as Riff, a character I can't even remember from the 1961 version. Physically, he couldn't look more right for the part. He also brings depth and subtlety to the role that gives a sense of the tortured soul underneath his aggressive exterior. He deserves a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination (he's earned 4 with 1 win from critics groups so far).
I think the new Anita and Bernardo are just on par for their roles. Neither seem to have the same electricity firing them up that the 1961 actors did. Hence, the "America" number feels like one of the few that doesn't measure up to the 1961 movie. The actors don't seem to bring the same bite to all those cutting back-and-forth remarks. The "Anybodys" character seems to be one of the most noteworthy modernizations in the movie, as she now represents a very modern idea of a gender-neutral character, rather than the old tomboy stereotype of the original. But the problem with this character is that the actor is one of the oldest in the main cast. It made more sense to have a young teenager tagging along and trying to join a street gang than a near 30-year-old. This version of the character loses some of that cute comic charm.
Almost all of the songs in the movie are so revitalized that I felt like I was hearing them for the first time. Most of the movie feels like the new, definitive film adaptation of the play. "Tonight," and its reprise in a later medley, are magnificent and powerful. The way the characters are shot through the fire escape grates during the duet adds a level of visual poetry that's absent from the 1961 film. The new choreography for "Officer Krupke" makes that song even more hilarious. I'm more impressed seeing the filmmakers make visual magic happen on a small set like that than out on the city streets. It takes more creativity to make things look interesting on camera under those tighter limitations. Zegler gets the innocence of her character just right for "I Feel Pretty." Elgort completely holds command of the screen for his solos "Something's Coming" and "Maria." I think the dancing is wisely deemphasized throughout the movie in favor of what might be better termed "stylized movement." That makes it feel more relatable and modern, as opposed to an old time Busby Berkeley affair. There is dancing in the scene set at an actual dance, of course, and that looks terrific.
The dark themes in the story didn't stop me from leaving the theater feeling satisfied, full of emotion and humming the songs. When I listened to the songs online later, though, I was struck with a serious craving to see the visuals again. The visual imagination put into the film is what makes the 1961 version completely pale in comparison. This is one of the best-looking films that Spielberg has ever made. The theatricality of the material has freed Spielberg up to create grand, stylized imagery, in a way that wouldn't be possible in a traditional narrative film. Meanwhile, his natural inclination for authenticity has compelled him to work with a certain level of restraint. This makes for the best possible motivation, to use every cinematic technique possible to make a realistic city appear more stunning and breathtaking than it ever could to someone just walking through it in real life. I don't know who asked for this movie, or if it made sense to make, but we should all be grateful that it did get made. Spielberg has taken something old and dated and made it feel newer and fresher than most of the formula franchise films that are filling multiplexes today.
I saw the original 1961 West Side Story one time before, in high school in the 1990s. I think it was in Spanish class. I also saw My Fair Lady in English class, so maybe our faculty was just big musical fans. Lots of things stayed with me about West Side Story, but especially the song "Tonight." I thought that was pure magic, one of the best love songs ever done. There were certainly elements that felt dated about the movie even back then. No one could mistake it for a 1980s movie, like some of us might have thought Willy Wonka was (yet another musical I first saw in school!). So when I heard Spielberg was remaking West Side Story, I was very excited to see it. A story filled with drama, romance, violence, comedy and great music, updated to modern film sensibilities by one of my favorite directors sounded like a slam dunk.
Seeing it in Dolby Cinema, my high expectations were met. The movie is a visual feast, one of the rare ones that isn't obviously dependent on CGI. The leads, Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler, bring just the right sense of optimism and naivete to their doomed romance. They also deliver the best singing in the movie, that truly surpasses what's in the original film. Mike Faist is a surprising standout as Riff, a character I can't even remember from the 1961 version. Physically, he couldn't look more right for the part. He also brings depth and subtlety to the role that gives a sense of the tortured soul underneath his aggressive exterior. He deserves a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination (he's earned 4 with 1 win from critics groups so far).
I think the new Anita and Bernardo are just on par for their roles. Neither seem to have the same electricity firing them up that the 1961 actors did. Hence, the "America" number feels like one of the few that doesn't measure up to the 1961 movie. The actors don't seem to bring the same bite to all those cutting back-and-forth remarks. The "Anybodys" character seems to be one of the most noteworthy modernizations in the movie, as she now represents a very modern idea of a gender-neutral character, rather than the old tomboy stereotype of the original. But the problem with this character is that the actor is one of the oldest in the main cast. It made more sense to have a young teenager tagging along and trying to join a street gang than a near 30-year-old. This version of the character loses some of that cute comic charm.
Almost all of the songs in the movie are so revitalized that I felt like I was hearing them for the first time. Most of the movie feels like the new, definitive film adaptation of the play. "Tonight," and its reprise in a later medley, are magnificent and powerful. The way the characters are shot through the fire escape grates during the duet adds a level of visual poetry that's absent from the 1961 film. The new choreography for "Officer Krupke" makes that song even more hilarious. I'm more impressed seeing the filmmakers make visual magic happen on a small set like that than out on the city streets. It takes more creativity to make things look interesting on camera under those tighter limitations. Zegler gets the innocence of her character just right for "I Feel Pretty." Elgort completely holds command of the screen for his solos "Something's Coming" and "Maria." I think the dancing is wisely deemphasized throughout the movie in favor of what might be better termed "stylized movement." That makes it feel more relatable and modern, as opposed to an old time Busby Berkeley affair. There is dancing in the scene set at an actual dance, of course, and that looks terrific.
The dark themes in the story didn't stop me from leaving the theater feeling satisfied, full of emotion and humming the songs. When I listened to the songs online later, though, I was struck with a serious craving to see the visuals again. The visual imagination put into the film is what makes the 1961 version completely pale in comparison. This is one of the best-looking films that Spielberg has ever made. The theatricality of the material has freed Spielberg up to create grand, stylized imagery, in a way that wouldn't be possible in a traditional narrative film. Meanwhile, his natural inclination for authenticity has compelled him to work with a certain level of restraint. This makes for the best possible motivation, to use every cinematic technique possible to make a realistic city appear more stunning and breathtaking than it ever could to someone just walking through it in real life. I don't know who asked for this movie, or if it made sense to make, but we should all be grateful that it did get made. Spielberg has taken something old and dated and made it feel newer and fresher than most of the formula franchise films that are filling multiplexes today.