West Side Story Review – Masterful, Remake Wows from the Beginning
- Details
- Category: Film
- Published on Friday, 25 March 2022 17:59
- Written by Janet Walker
West Side Story, from 20th Century Studios, brings to the screen a grand remake of the 1961 classic and with the finger snap opening Steven Spielberg, solidifies his place in history as one of the best directors ever.
The film opens to Manhattan's Upper West Side, which at this time is near the Lincoln Center area, the demolition of old row houses, and piles of construction, become the playground for the two warring gangs looking to control the neighborhood: The Jets and The Sharks.
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The Jets, the natural citizens, born and raised in Manhattan, and have held their turf for decades. Riff, played by Mike Faist, their de-facto leader, must send a clear message to the gringos who believe they can move into their neighborhood, remove their stores, and build a home in their land.
The Sharks on the other hand, are the beginning of the influx of Puerto Ricans that migrate to Manhattan. The war is for territory. Long before the weapon's advanced, wars were fought with chains, bricks, rocks, and words.
Today that message is to deface the Puerto Rician flag mural, which leads to a brawl, as the two groups war in the streets. When the fight leads to a demolished building lot, suddenly the cops, led by office Krupke, played by Brian d'Arcy James, and Lieutenant Schrank, played by Corey Stoll, who gives everyone a bit of truth.
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Everyone in the neighborhood is being evicted as construction on high rise towers are beginning. Riff and Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks, played by David Alvarez, each are fueled by the uncertainty of change and if they fight long enough and hard enough that the inevitable will cease to be.
So, Riff decides what they need is a winner take all rumble and decides that at tonight's social dance he will challenge Bernardo, set up the rules and location.
The dance is when all the characters come together. Tony, played by Ansel Elgort, who said he wouldn't go is there, Maria, Bernardo's sister, played by Rachel Zegler, who has just arrived in the U.S, Bernardo's girl, Anita, played by Ariana DeBose, and the entire cast.
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As the tension between the two groups is palpable, from nowhere, across the room Tony catches sight of someone new, someone he has never seen before and in an instant, all the rules that erected stone barriers, corralling beliefs, and actions, evaporated. And the room of lights, actions, wars, faded until there was only those two.
As Riff and Bernardo meet to set the ground rules in the turf rumble, the fight is set for the next night. By the evenings end, lives and destinates would be changed forever.
West Side Story is very good and is expected to secure an Oscar win for Ariana DeBose, as Best Supporting Actress, who has swept the awards circuit this season.
The performances were outstanding, the production design transportive. The storyline as enveloping as the original. As the forbidden love became realized, relating to Tony and Maria was natural and life with its complications, for one moment, faded, allowing them to breathe fresh air, to hope, and be filled with a belief that escape was possible, only to tricked as fate reared its destructive ugliness.
Nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, West Side Story is wonderful, vibrant, and filled with memorable music and the sounds of Tijuana brass.
West Side Story is available in theaters and across multiple streaming platforms.
See it.
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Country: USA.
Language: English, Spanish.
Runtime: 156 minutes.
Director: Steven Spielberg.
Executive Producer: Tony Kushner, Rita Moreno, Daniel Lupi.
Producer: Kevin McCollum, Steven Spielberg.
Writer: Tony Kushner, based on the book and play by Arthur Laurents.
Cast: Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Rita Moreno, Brian d'Arcy James, Corey Stall, Mike Faist, Josh Andres Rivera, Iris Means, David Aviles Morales, Sebastian Serra, Ricardo Zayas, Carlos E. Gonzalez, Ricky Ubeda, Andrei Chagas, Paloma Garcia-Lee, Leigh Ann Esty, Lauren Leach, Adriel Flete, Jacob Guzman, Kevin Delgado, Carlos Sanchez Falu, Julius Rubio, Yurel Echezarreta, David Guzman, Sean Harrison Jones, Jess LeProtto, Patrick Higgins, Kyle Allen, John Michael Fiumara, Kevin Csolak, Kyle Coffman, Daniel Patrick Russell, Ben Cook, Harrison Coll, Garett Hawe, Myles Erlick.
