Walking out of West Side Story, Steven Spielberg’s masterful remake of the 1957 musical and 1961 film, I found myself humming a tune Maria sings, with the words stuck in my mind: "Tonight I saw you and the world went away."
That’s the magic great cinema, like all great art, possesses. The magic is when the work is so dynamic, transcendent, and soul-fulfilling that the outside world vanishes and an audience is completely captivated into the world on screen that’s somehow become real.
20th Century’s on-screen revival of the famous Broadway story, 60 years later, is so good that it earns all the magical praise listed above and then some. This new West Side Story celebrates the past while showcasing a deep pool of diverse talent, both on and off camera, with equal enthusiasm.
What Spielberg, his incredible cast and his thorough crew have made is undoubtedly the best movie of the year, and it’s possibly the best piece of entertainment I’ve seen this year in any medium.
For anyone who’s yet to have the pleasure of discovering the timeless show (or anyone who’s lived in a bunker their whole lives), the story is a retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet set in late 1950s New York as Manhattan’s west side slums are being developed.
Two rival gangs, the caucasian Jets and the Latinx Sharks, are fighting over the limited territory left, but a romance from two members distanced from the gangs might be the antidote to end the animosity once and for all.
Spielberg’s decades in Hollywood (and his public love for the source material) have trained and prepared him for this project with chemical precision. He knows exactly where to point the camera and how to create a jaw-dropping shot, finding and creating perspectives into the song, dance and sets as only a camera can.
Not one member of the large ensemble brings down the calibre of work the whole cast does. The story, of course, relies on the truth in Tony (Ansel Elgort) and Maria’s (Rachel Zegler, in a star-making turn) romance, and both leads have strong voices and endless heart to showcase.
Yet as good as they are, it’s the supporting cast of Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez and Mike Faist who are the scene-stealers. They respectively play Anita, Bernardo and Riff, and all three of them exude confidence in their character, voice, dance ability (oh can they dance!) with cosmic perfection and sincerity. All three of them should win Oscars.
One more memorable part is Rita Moreno, who won an Oscar for playing Anita in the 1961 film, now as new character Valentina, replacing Doc in the original script. She’s just as captivating now in her new part as she was before, solidifying her as one of the great artists of the twentieth century. It’s even more impressive when you learn her 90th birthday is tomorrow - December 11.
The thing that truly elevates West Side Story above other musical films is the dancing. Jerome Robbins’ original choreography is made more incredible by Justin Peck, resident choreographer of the New York City Ballet. His work will go down among the greatest showcases of dance in the history of cinema.
It also helps that almost every member of the cast is an accomplished dancer with years of training, and the skill is evident when every major character at some point pulls off increasingly more impossible moves. If it were possible for Peck to win an Academy Award for choreography, he should deservingly receive one.
Another key player is past Spielberg collaborator Tony Kushner’s (Angels in America) whose revised screenplay corrects many of the plot’s problems and outdated sticking points from the original show.
But his new settings (like the police station for "Gee, Officer Krupke") or retooling (like "Cool" for Tony and Riff) and conceptions for new versions of characters (like Doc and Anybodys) all feel obviously brilliant, as if it should’ve been this way all along.
Right from the beginning, we see both sides are at fault. Both the Jets and Sharks are violent, impulsive, racist and short-sighted. And both sides are worse off for it: both suffer loss and both see the damage that violence breeds.
At the same time, there’s empathy built into their plights and desperate hope for a home that won’t come under threat. The Jets shouldn’t be defacing murals, and the Sharks shouldn’t be threatening the neighbourhood police with violence. But we understand there’s a desperation to both communities needing a place to call home.
That’s part of why this story endures today; the consequences of hatred in rival communities is powerful enough to kill, and that’s why the connection of love is always worth fighting for. Sadly, that struggle to overcome racism, bigotry and distrust in others is just as critical a lesson today as it was when the show first premiered on stage.
Some people may take offence at this film being a remake of the 1961 original, which won a whopping ten Oscars on its release. But the nature of musical theatre is classic shows like this are revived all the time - that’s the point of these scripts.
They’re meant to be remounted with new directors, actors and creative teams so new audiences can see it for the first time and new creative talents can create something grand on the foundation of those before us.
The argument this doesn’t work in film simply because the work of the past is digitized is meritless - multiple digital versions of the same stage shows exist too. They all have their place in the history of culture, and when the new version is even superior to the original, like this one is by correcting the unintentionally insensitive creative choices of its forefather, it’s all the more important we do remake it.
2021 was always going to be a big year for musicals, and while there have been some duds (such as Amazon’s Cinderella) most have been pleasing. Dear Evan Hansen and Encanto were good. In The Heights and Tick, Tick… Boom! were terrific.
West Side Story soars far beyond them all into the stratosphere. It shows the best of the musical, romance and drama genres, while also showcasing the intelligence of Shakespeare’s story and Leonard Bernstein and the late, great Stephen Sondheim’s music.
Spielberg has led a mesmerizing team of artists who created a masterpiece. This new West Side Story is the unmissable movie of the holiday season and the best thing you’ll see this year.
West Side Story
10 out of 10
PG, 2hrs 36mins. Musical Drama Romance Epic.
Directed by Steven Spielberg.
Starring Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, Mike Faist, David Alvarez, Corey Stoll and Rita Moreno.
Now Playing Film.Ca Cinemas, Cineplex Winston Churchill and Cineplex Oakville & VIP.
