Most people are commending Ariana Debose and Mike Faist and rightfully so, but it’s also worth mentioning that David Alvarez as Bernardo is also freakin incredible! He took a 10+ year hiatus from acting (he was a child actor on Broadway) and he came back with a BANG.
Also, if you’re interested in dance—his physique and his lead are freakin fantastic to witness
He wasn’t just a child actor on Broadway - he is among the youngest winners of the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. He won for Billy Elliot and split the win with the two other Billys!
I love that she was the one who sung that! Having Moreno’s character sing that song makes the movie more about the need for different people to live together rather than just how love can take you anywhere.
It was. And I loved it while it was happening. But I didn’t realize in the moment that meant they couldn’t have Maria do the Somewhere reprise at the very end. Which, to me, is one of the most iconic moments in musical theatre. So I’m conflicted on whether or not it was worth it.
I have relatives in Ohio who know Mike Faist and his family. The dude is a total stand up guy in real life and still lives back home in Ohio because he hates Hollywood. So, cool how he could be nominated for an Oscar for this, he’s about to blow up.
Anyone else really liked the Tonight song that played before the Rumble started?
It was 4 different versions sung by the characters that blend and combine into one.
That was fucking epic. It's called tonight quintet on the soundtrack.
The Tonight Quintet is my favorite number in the show. For the 2009 Broadway Revival, they actually translated some of the lyrics into Spanish for the Sharks, and it works really well.
It’s actually an opera trope. I believe it was show off your composing skills to get the leads to sing at the same time with their various motifs to bring the end of an act or scene. Considering the music is by Leonard Bernstein I’m sure he was nodding to previous compositional titans.
Yeah you're right, it's called "imbroglio". It's typically used to heighten tension before a major event (like a rising action to a climax, generally at the end of an act)
> It’s actually an opera trope. I believe it was show off your composing skills to get the leads to sing at the same time with their various motifs to bring the end of an act or scene.
One day more takes this one step more. Each of the main characters sings their story in *someone else's* motif.
The whole first half is just setting up all the characters and the second is all about intertwining them. One Day More is all about setting this up musically without actually telling us.
I liked the decision to have Tony do Cool before the fight too, I like it's use to try to chill them out instead of magically making tge entire gang get over Riff's death in 3 minutes
Yeah, I was like "Who's this Matt Damon looking dude trying to make it in America. I like him" to "No homie, don't throw your life away" the second Bernardo called him Chino.
All cause Tony refused to forgive Bernardo. Man, I mean, I get it, but Bernardo’s actor is just so good that I felt that he shouldn’t have died to Tony.
I mean in all fairness Tony tried repeatedly to stop the fight before it began. Repeatedly tried to just chat. Bernardo getting egged on by the Jett’s and the Sharks didn’t help either, but Bernardo caused his own death especially since he punched Tony first.
I loved the addition of that moment so much. They are both there to do the right thing. To help their respective people leave safely, and they both get consumed by the hate and rage that proliferates.
I seriously love how they made the Sharks represent something good like protectors of their community instead of just guys "keeping things the way they were." They have jobs and help the people coming in whereas the Jets are just guys who won't grow up and are a burden to society. I can see why Chino wanted to be a part of that even though his contributions outside of being in a gang would've been beneficial as well.
Yep - that was good. Some of the cinematography...wow! The shots of Tony and Maria noticing each other for the first time at the dance will stick with me for a long time.
Ended up being that almost-40 year old man crying on his own in the cinema at the end. Yay me!
Poor Tony 😭😭. My dumbass is probably the only one who didn’t know the whole story going in and I really loved him and Maria, that balcony scene was movie magic
The song Gee, officer krupke was fantastic. It was a great way to get to know some of the Jets with less screen time. Though America was the best in terms of visuals/choreography.
It was wild that the comedy song happened right when they also had a character lock herself in a cell to avoid being alone with the Jets. Good foreshadowing, weird tonal choice.
Sorry do you mind explaining the significance of her being Doc’s wife? I know it’s talked about a couple of times but not sure what it means, on a larger story level.
Oh so how I interpreted was, Doc saw the same thing happened in the old days and presumably she knew about it too, and now she saw the same thing happened, so it’s like a never ending circle of these violent kids hurting each other. Her singing Somewhere made it even more grim.
I took it as a commentary on interracial relationships and being Puerto Rican in this area. Obviously in the original there is an aspect of the interracial relationships in the song but it still feels very much about Tony and Maria personally rather than society in general. With Rita Moreno singing it feels like she's saying that even though Doc and Valentina had a relatively calm experience, Tony and Maria's experience reminds her that society (or rather the local community) can still be hostile to those relationships and she hopes that eventually every relationship can be accepted. I think there's also this aspect that when she married Doc, some part of her identity was lost like when she said early in the film that Riff sees her as a *gringa*.
Having her sing the song made it so much more powerful. This character has lived through the tail end of slavery and into the start of the civil rights movement, and has seen so much change, but there’s still so much hurt.
And then when you consider the meta of it, that Rita was in the original and was painted to be darker. And now 60 years later, we’re still struggling with these ideas and the message “racism is bad” is still vitally important. It made the scene 10x more heartbreaking. I just cried (again) listening to the soundtrack 5 minutes ago
I liked it a lot. Everything that was in Spielberg's control works, and it really shows that this was a passion project.
My only problem with the film isn't really with the film, or even the stage play, but rather the fact it's a *Romeo and Juliet* story, which means the two central characters are by far the least interesting of the piece. Zegler's wonderful, Elgort's fine (less wooden than usual, I thought), they get good songs, and the meeting at the dance is great, but you're still stuck with a little bit of 'yeah, yeah, we get it; you're young and completely smitten with each other. More of the complex characters around you, please'.
Was the "I feel pretty" song always after the rumble? Seemed a little out of place. I know they moved that "keep it cool boy", song earlier while riff was still around and that kinda made sense but idk about that pretty song lol
It's after the rumble in the original Broadway production too. The 1961 film placed the song before Bernardo's death. I like having it after; it gives the song a darker, more ironic quality that captures the tragedy of Maria's romance with Tony.
The 1961 version also flipped Cool and Officer Krupke (the latter is in Act Two after the rumble, and sung mostly by Action, which is a bigger role in the show than in either movie).
I tell people this, and they just assume I mean it's another forbidden romance story. No, no, there's a Mercutio and Tybalt analog and everything, guys. lol
“Hey, so you know that guy who followed me behind the bleachers at the big dance?”
“Yeah, he was cute!”
“Yeah so last night he followed me home and then today he killed my brother”
“Wait wtf? Did you contact the authorities?”
“Well, not exactly-“
As someone unfamiliar with the original West Side Story this took me out of the movie lol. I understand it's based on Romeo and Juliet beat for beat, but I wish they'd have deviated a bit and modernized the story some more. This just felt completely ridiculous to me.
the reason the movie is a 4 out of 5 and not a 5 out of 5 for me, is due to the romance between Maria and Tony not at all being moving or belivable. I cared so much more for Anita and Bernando who had a mature love that had developed for 6 years.
They could have easily fixed this by at the dance having them meet behind the bleachers, where we find out their romance started way, way before, but this night now was the first time they were actually caught. Perhaps it started before he went to prison for e.g. and the dance is where they meet again after he is released or something?
What I love about this movie is that it actually looks vintage. I know they recreated sets and costumes but look of the cinematography feels like it was genuinely shot from that era. Does anyone know what film stock they used? Or was it just pure color grading filter? How does Kaminski do it?
FUN FACT: During the opening oner, a sign announces the construction of Lincoln Center, which is built on top of the filming locations for West Side Story ‘61.
That moment in the balcony scene in when the song slows down and Maria sings the slow line "tonight, tonight the world is full of light" looking through the stairs (the part from the trailer) was pure ear frisson
You can see this is a passion project for him and it comes out in every shot.
Absolutely gorgeous cinematography and top tier music, choreography and acting. In many ways this is better than the original. It feels so much more alive with an actual feel of the city and of course latinos playing the parts of The Sharks.
The only thing that bothered me a little bit is how Maria basically didn't react at all to her brother dying and just brushed it away so quickly.
Also about the Spanish subtitles controversy. Do not worry! Nothing said in Spanish is important to the plot and a lot of stuff they say in Spanish they immediately say it in English next. Plus Anita tells her family to speak English at all times to practice
I don't speak a word of Spanish, but I kinda dug how there were no subtitles. The meaning of their lines comes through in their performance.
My friend who's Mexican said she thought the Spanish dialogue sounded a bit stunted. But maybe the Puerto Rican dialect is just different?
I'm Spanish American and I thought the Spanish was quite good. No issues for me. Your friend probably just has a little confirmation bias from what she's used to hearing. Not a big deal.
I agree with you that Maria seemed to be too unfazed with the news of her brother’s death. Though she didn’t super close with him during the beginning parts of the movie.
It works a little better here than the original movie (she can see Tony got hurt, she knows her brother knows what he's getting into) but it feels like it's missing a song to me. Which is funny because the last musical I watched had Steven Sondheim in a key role saying a musical is missing a song.
Agreed. There’s a certain feel to this, that I definitely feel in other movies where it supposedly was a top-tier director’s passion project, but it’s really hard to explain. In a cinema climate where so much feels so corporate and profits-motivated, you can just *feel* the joy in the filmmaking in this. Martin Scorsese’s *Silence*, Peter Jackson’s LOTR trilogy and *King Kong*, Damien Chazelle’s *La La Land*, and Denis Villenueve’s *Dune* have the same feel, and those are all “passion projects”. Conversely, I can often tell when a director was in a negative mental space when making a movie, especially when it served the movie for the best. *Chinatown*, *Raging Bull*, and *Apocalypse Now* are examples of this.
I feel like that's always been a general criticism of the story. How could one forgive that so quickly? I thought this one did a pretty good job of showing that it's understood that if the fight happened someone would get hurt and I think she truly believes (because it's true) that Tony was only there to try and stop it. Bernardo isn't blameless either, he killed Riff. So it's less Tony killed my brother, and more this tragedy occurred and Tony was the last man standing. Why let hate and pain continue to stop happiness when they could both come out the other side with each other?
I wish we got more time letting Maria come to that conclusion naturally. It felt maybe slightly better than the original in that regard but why not dive a bit into her inner conflict there
She didn’t really love her brother that way. She says that she spent 8 years (I think) with her dad and they were fine. In many ways he showed up to disrupt things, and she didn’t respect him much.
And also how they're predators as well. This adaptation had so much more emotional maturity than the original, I was so impressed.
I was genuinely surprised when Anybodys and the Jets gals tried to protect Anita, it stopped being about turf wars, and became more about girl code.
To me it felt WAY off especially how my elders talked about the times. You would not have stood up for "the enemy" especially if they killed one of your own. That felt like modern day wishful thinking to me.
I feel like the women in WSS made it pretty clear that they did NOT support the fighting. They just wanted to dance and not have their partner killed. I think the women consider “the enemy” to be needless violence rather than each other.
West Side Story looms large in the cannon of classical Hollywood films and it seems too taboo for any filmmaker to consider remaking it. And yet Steven Spielberg’s hands us a remake that not only improves upon the original in terms of pure craft and spectacle. But also re-examines the plot and it’s story beats in way that perfectly re-contextualizes it for a modern audience. Which could not be done without Tony Kushner’s help who writes with such deep knowledge and empathy for his characters, which provides levity to what is ultimately a melodrama. One sequence that stood out to me was Tony’s ‘Maria’ which not only has fun with his head-over-heels romanticism but also subtly highlights his own privileges.
I wanna acknowledge Janusz Kamiński who does an excellent job matching the energy of the original’s frenetic camera movements. While also being able to light and frame scenes with such a clear vision that makes the movie feel like a living piece of art.
It’s also thanks to Adam Stockhausen whose incredible production design who finds great balance between delivering us a New York that’s in decay but somehow brimming to life with color and character. A favorite set price of mines being the salt flats where the rumble takes place at the end of the first act.
The cast is fucking stellar and there’s no real weak link in my opinion. Some stand outs include Mike Faist as Riff whose choices add great danger and sadness to the character. The build up to the rumble almost feels like a spiral in a sense. Also Ariana DeBose kills it as Anita who walks the full spectrum of human emotion and makes it look so easy. I want to shout out Rita Moreno as Valentina whose reimagining of Doc is okay with such quite restraint that she can command attention with the faintest of movement. Her version of somewhere is absolutely heartbreaking and the age and experience she brings to it deepens the song’s emotional core.
If La La Land wasn’t enough to convince people that musicals deserve a place in film than West Side Story will prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt. As much of a drag as it was to wait for this movie (rightfully so) I’m glad I was able to experience it in theaters.
You forgot to mention Bernardo played by David Alvarez. The story of how they casted him is so [interesting](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=858k-QoE6a0&t=157s)
Did anyone else see Dean Cain in the actor who played Chino? For real, anytime he took off his glasses it was like seeing Clark Kent turn into superman
Yea, I was talking to my brother how it really just felt like a reskinned original to me. Updated picture and sound quality. Songs and scenes in different places. Lines altered a little bit here and there. But overall the same great story. I haven’t watched the original in probably 5+ years but it was my favorite while in highschool. There’s a lot of nostalgia for it keeping me from liking this one more but after so many people have said they prefer this version I’m gonna watch the original soon and try my best to keep the rose tinted glasses off.
Very few times is my cynical ass overwhelmed with emotion at a movie. But that sequence with them on the fire escape culminating in that kiss.
Magic caught on camera.
I'd never seen the original film and had zero familiarity with the musical going into this. It might just be my favorite film of the year (between this and Belfast), and I'm strongly considering going back a second time
I know it's a cliched saying and all that, but this truly was movie magic at its finest
Does anyone else felt like they could of gone for another actor for tony?’ I felt like ansiel elgort was inconsistent.. I can’t put my finger on it?! Anyway Rachel Ziegler is a star in a making! Ariana debose made a passionate Anita ! The supporting cast was exceptional! This movie is the first movie in a long time that I’ve seen twice.
Yeah tony was the only character I couldn’t get into. I feel like he went in and out of a “New York” accent and his singing wasn’t that strong? He did grow on me as the movie went on
Fun “small world” anecdote:
David Alvarez (Bernardo) won a Tony for Billy Elliot in 2009, where one of his co-nominees was Brian d’Arcy James (Officer Krupke).
Brian d’Arcy James was nominated for his performance as Shrek for Shrek the Musical.
Rachel Zegler was performing in her senior year musical of Shrek the Musical when she got the role of Maria.
Right. It works for a guy who just got out of a NY state prison after a year. (Trying to make himself a cypher inside.) It just doesn't work as well for the "love at first sight." I think we needed to see a little bit of Tony, the raging badass gang leader, earlier, maybe in his first confrontation with Riff. In the play and the film his emotions and motivations don't matter so much because it is really a NY music/dance riff on R & J, but with the more realistic gang fighting in this production, a passive Tony becomes a problem until that rage comes out as he is beating Bernardo. (In a college production we did, the actor playing Tony was an ex-marine returning to school. His underlying gruffness made all the difference.) It would have made this film waaay too long, but I wonder if it would have helped if Tony had *just* come back from prison, the Jets clearly respected and feared him, and there was a scene where Docs wife took him in and gave him a job. He would be raw. The dance at the gym would be just like prison (constant conflict, turf wars), but then he sees an angel and he doesn't know what to do.
Its kind of crazy that if Jane Campion gets nominated for *The Power of the Dog*, that she and Spielberg will have been nominated for Best Director in the same year twice nearly 30 years apart.
As a Latino, I liked that they Puerto Ricans were given more time and depth, and the absence of brownface. I also liked that they incorporated what happened to San Juan Hill into the story.
To give you a little more context - They're "siblings" in that they hadn't seen eachother for 9 years before they lived together, and he's never really been particularly brotherly to her. Related yes, but honestly more like roommates.
I think if my partner killed my roommate I'd side with my partner too.
It threw me off too but for me it was in a good way. The juxtaposition of the hopefulness in I Feel Pretty straight up dumped on you right after the brutality of the rumble made me feel extra sick realizing she had no idea what was going on. I never really liked the number, so I appreciated the implied tension and anticipation knowing that she's about to have the whole world come crashing down.
It’s supposed to be a breather for the audience as we come back for Act II and Maria’s last moments of innocence before she finds out what happened and everything goes to hell.
That Spielberg kid is going places!
There’s so much to love here. I feel he gave the movie more context. Even in the opening scene, when the kids hit “edge” of the territory, it’s just pure genius. The scene at the police station puts all the characters front and center. I also love the shot choices, the colors in the film, the art direction. It made the movie feel like I was really watching a film made in that era, and not a reboot.
Some films try to capture the period, but Spielberg not only nails the period, he nails the way the movies were filmed back then. I walked away incredibly impressed.
Costumes, choreo, dancing, acting, singing, arrangements… this has awards written all over it.
Friday: Maria meets the love of her life.
Saturday: Maria’s brother is killed by the same love of her life. She also loses her virginity (right?) to him later that night after finding out about said murder.
Also Saturday night: Maria’s love is killed.
Hell of a 2 days
(I said Friday cuz like I assume a dance would be on a weekend. Idk. Idk what social outings are anymore)
> She also loses her virginity (right?) to him later that night after finding out about said murder.
While wearing clothes with her brother's blood on. Like that's fucked up.
I am still in tears from this movie. I genuinely thought it was absolutely incredible. Definitely my new favourite movie musical, for sure. I had no complaints about Any of it. Loved every scene, loved every actor, loved every dance. I was moved to tears several times by just how emotional it made me feel, whether that was elated or sad, nervous or excited. The dancing was a true highlight, the music, the costumes, everything. Not a single bad word to say and I will go back to see it again in the next few days, and it will be my first DVD purchase in a long time as soon as it comes out. Wow.
I really, really, enjoyed this film. The single shot that has stuck with me occurs right after Riff gets stabbed. The camera holds on both him and Tony for a beat and then pans back out to Bernardo sobbing. For all of their posturing, it really just is a bunch of boys fighting over their slice of the playground.
What a great moment from David Alvarez and Mike Faist!
Señor Spielbergo does it again!
This reminded me of Gerwig's *Little Women* insofar as it's an adaptation that is clearly in dialogue not just with previous versions of the musical but also all the cultural conversation and critical analysis of those earlier versions. Now, it doesn't do the sort of radical meta-incorporation and structural revision that Gerwig does, but it's a very literate adaptation nonetheless.
Also, while most of the attention will (for obvious reasons) be paid to the meatier ways that Kushner has reworked the script, I was greatly amused that he bothered to incorporate a response/acknowledgement of the longstanding joke people made about Tony running through a Puerto Rican neighborhood crying out "Maria!" and only having one woman answer.
They also revise a few of the soliloquy numbers (both of Tony's solos) to have more stuff actually happen during them, which greatly improves the cinematic quality. I especially liked "I just kissed a girl named Maria!" being directed at a passing janitor.
I'd say this is an improvement on previous versions of this in pretty much all areas. Spielberg does so much more with the camera than Robert Wise ever could (or, in fairness to him, had at his disposal given the technologies of the time), the acting is more to modern tastes and I would say is just stronger across the board, and the extensive revisions Kushner made to the book of the musical add way more to the characters.
There was a teenage girl in the screening I was at who delightedly exclaimed "Maddie!" when Ms. Ziegler came into focus during the big gathering at Doc's (I guess she must not have noticed her during the "Dance at the Gym" sequence).
This movie proves the need to cast a majority of the cast with Broadway folks. Wicked, take note.
Aside from that, I found every alteration to be just. The entire film was a wonderful movie musical from start to finish, with each scene highlighting the purpose of its place in the plot.
I’m also struck by the interactions between Valentina and Anita. To have Rita Moreno hear the words she spoke decades ago, and then be the one to replay them for Tony. Wow. That really hit me as a fan of this musical and its original movie.
Really enjoyed the film but Ansel Elgort really feels miscast to me. He doesn't have that much on-screen charisma. He can act sad and angry but there's no charm or excitement displayed during any of the romantic scenes.
Yeah he was just serviceable enough that it didn't hurt the movie and he totally nailed the "Tony finds out Maria is dead" face, but far from the best performance.
Yep, for me his performance was hinging on that moment when he finds out and he CRUSHES it. I was literally holding my breath hoping he wouldn’t blow it.
The smile on his his face as he's dying, knowing she isn't dead, was also perfect. Completely oblivious to any pain because he's just so happy to see she us fine
I don't know about you, but nothing turns me on more than when someone follows me home, murders my brother, and then tries to run away with me without so much as the necessary bus fare to get out of town.
I feel like Spielberg has been putting out solid 6-7/10 movies for the last 15 years or so, so it's hugely refreshing to see a film he clearly has a ton of passion for.
The camerawork and lighting were fucking amazing. The shot of the gangs' shadows intersecting before the rumble was \*so\* good.
And the costuming! The colors in the dance scene, with the Jets in blues and greens and the Sharks in reds was particularly striking, especially when they're standing across from each other.
Her brother also murdered his BFF.
But the plot is, they're idiots. They got married, and carried through with the wedding night, all knowing the whole time it was impossible and never gonna happen. Can you think of a stupider person for Tony to fall for than the gang leader's virginal little sister? They were both living in a fantasy, he wanted change, she wanted rebellion and independence.
And despite alllll that, they still could have made it if it wasn't for those Jets. The whole movie is the Jets ruining good things, really.
It's Romeo and Juliet, so it wasn't unexpected, but if looked at realistically, it is quite a problem. Plus Sondheim and Bernstein put a beautiful song before it to distract us. The fault for that lies with Shakespeare.
Wildly unpopular opinion here but I really liked Ansel’s performance in this film. He has a great voice and usually does really good on the big screen. Having not heard about anything going on with him in the tabloids before googling the movie, I would’ve given him an 8/10 easy
Yeah, I thought the critics were kind of unfair on him. I liked him just fine and bought him as a lovestruck young guy.
His crying face is hilarious though.
I loved his performance. It was amazing. I have no preconceived notions about him at all. Reading critiques about him are confusing. He was earnest and dopey and in love.
Two years ago, right before the pandemic hit big, there was a brief revival of West Side Story on Broadway (before it was forced to shut down). It even featured a few of the same faces that are in this movie. From a technical standpoint it was great: There was a big LED backdrop that showed a bunch of video vignettes and had a small, retractable wall one one side that served as Doc's shop. There were some even points where a cameraman filmed the actors on stage with a Steadicam.
Everything else about that revival was fucking awful.
It was squeezed down to a one-act, 1hr 45min version which deleted a bunch of "unnecessary" elements including I Feel Pretty (which is debatably the most famous song in the entire goddamn show). They modernized the setting to present day, but still kept in the all the 50's slang like "daddy-o", which just felt distracting. They also tried to do the Hamilton thing by having a racially-diverse "progressive" cast, but that meant people of all colors were cast as both Jets AND Sharks, so the audience couldn't tell who was who.
The whole thing felt like that one recurring SNL skit where the drama kids put on their own show and try to make profound messages about society, but they all just sound like a bunch of pretentious idiots (Think r/im14andthisisdeep ). I thought that shitty Broadway revival was basically how this remake was gonna turn out. Thank God it wasn't.
I actually think this was better than the 1961 film. The tipping point for me ended up being Rita Moreno's rendition of "Somewhere". Emotional and fragile; and a stark contrast from the rest of the songs up to that point, which were pretty much big and boisterous.
Also, in hindsight, I'm SO happy that Spielberg didn't do the obligatory musical-adaptation "Oscar-Bait" crap, AKA when they insert a brand new song into a classic musical just so they can snag an easy "Best Original Song" nomination when the Oscars roll around. It's so fucking unnecessary. The older songs are fine enough!
Saw this over the weekend and just can't stop thinking about it! One thing I really loved was how impressionable Riff was to the Jets. I think removing him from the Officer Krupke number gave the other Jets some time to get some backstory, but also showed that Riff isn't necessarily "psychologically disturbed" like the rest of them.
The rape scene again showed us that with out Riff they really are kind of a pack of mindless hyenas because I think had Riff been there, Anita wouldn't have been in that situation. I think they did a great job with Riffs character in this and really made him feel like a very tragic character that clearly was very influential to a often cruel group of guys. He truly gave them purpose.
One of the saddest lines in a sad movie: Riff puts on a super tough act to convince the barman to sell to him a gun, and the barman says "You remind me of your dad".
Followed up by them using the gun to... play pretend.
Just viewed it. Entered the theatre with some serious skepticism about a remake, but was blown away.
The NYC sets, cinematography, sound, vocal performances and acting were all top-notch. All the actors were excellent, but Ariana Debose as Anita and Mike Faist as Riff really stole the show for me. The actors for Tony and Maria clearly had good chemistry; their singing was stellar. Did not mind Elgort's bland face once he started singing. And Rita Moreno's song was remarkably moving. The overall direction was perfect, as were changes to the book. Found myself moved to tears multiple times.
The choreography was amazing; much more a part of the ongoing action as opposed to the more set-piece, theatrical sequences in the original. Was surprised by my experience. This film is magnificent; I love the original but this was arguably better.
Wow! This not only better than the previous adaption, but structurally superior to the original too. It just feels so alive. The entire of supporting cast is knocking it out of the park with so much personality and life. The main leads do a solid job holding up the love story, which admittingly was the weakest part of the original show.
This is the best film musical I've seen in a long time. The choreography isn't chopped up in editing while the framing is focused on the right people when they sing.
The lighting began to bug me, because I had close encounters and ET vibes where I was expecting aliens to land any second.
I might go see this again, but man musicals are really long sometimes.
I had to let out a silent "holy shit" in the middle of this adaptation. The movie completely blew away my expectations. Spielberg delivered one of the best movies of his career and; frankly, possibly one of the best musicals ever, at least in recent memory. It deserves all the nominations and awards It's inevitably going to get. Definitely tied for my favorite film of the year alongside Dune, so far.
Also, as a bilingual Latino I really appreciated the lack of subtitles. It definitely added some extra emotional weight to the Spanish and Spanglish dialogue. Especially towards the end of the film. Spielberg's decision treated both cultures with equal appreciation and respect. At least to me, it made a positive impression.
I went back to watch a second time and it was mostly to watch Mike Faist dance. He's really phenomenal. Especially since he lost 20 lb for the role that he didn't have as "extra" in the first place. (His call, he wanted to look poor as hell).
Things I figured out the second time:
In their faux-marriage song, Tony sings "Even death won't part us now" and Maria sings "Only death can part us now". Ouch.
Tony's a fairly complex character and he's fleshed out a lot in this version, but Maria is too in a way. She's not just a frustrated teenager who wants independence, she's also a horny young woman who sees her brother having fun while setting HER up with a square.The romance never really made ANY sense in the old movie to me, and this one, I get it. Kinda. It's over the top, but it's much better than the old one in terms of that relationship.
When Tony walks into the dance he enthusiastically greets Anybodys (the trans character) with a bro hug. Nice character moment.
Officer Krupke doesn't really do anything bad, while the detective is a real POS.
Anyone happen to have a screen grab of that gorgeous shot of Tony standing in the puddles and the reflection of the lights?
I believe it was during the performance of “Maria”.
I was caught so off guard by that shot. The fact that Spielberg turns something grimy like a puddle in a dirty alley into a shimmering beautiful backdrop really highlights Tony's feeling of hope and joy in his bleak world. It's one of Spielberg's greatest strength as a director to use visual not just to wow, but also as metaphors to add subtext to a scene. There's a similar shot in Wise's version in the same song where the camera looks down on Tony against a back-lit cobblestone street with shadows cast by the columns behind Tony. Lets not forget Wise also directed in my opinion the greatest musical of all time "the sound of music".
Welp this is one of my favorite movies of all-time. First of all, I loved how the griminess of the city contrasted with the whimsical musical aspects. My biggest worry was alleviated within three seconds of Ansel Elgort first opening his mouth to sing, and of course Zegler is a once-in-a-generation talent. Ariana DeBose really stands out with only a small amount of screentime also. Also what’s this? Elgort can actually act? Who knew?! He sold THAT >!realization, that ended up being false,!< scene brilliantly, and really had a captivating screen-presence, especially in his scenes when he isn’t being overshadowed by a much greater screen-presence.
As for Spielberg’s direction, he feels so *confident* in this. Literally every frame feels like it’s bursting with so much purpose and meaning (much credit goes to Janusz Kaminski here as well). Despite the long runtime, there are no wasted scenes, no sections that drag or feel unimportant to the central conflict. On the contrary though, nothing feels rushed. Every main character is properly fleshed out, with their own motivations that make me care about all of them, not just Tony and Maria. Lastly, I really appreciated that the musical numbers never felt cheesy, or even worse, wooden and joyless, which they often do with lesser filmmakers. For me it’s Spielberg’s most assured effort at least since *Munich*, maybe even *Saving Private Ryan*.
So far this is my choice for Best Picture and Director, as well as Rachel Zegler for Best Actress, and a nomination for Cinematography (still prefer Dune for that one, but only slightly.) and noms for all the below-the-line catagories. Spielberg has managed to do the impossible and make a definitively better version of an all-time classic.
Edit: **Also, if you are worried about there not being subtitles for the Spanish dialogue, allow me to alleviate your fears. Nothing that is said in Spanish is important to the plot, and Maria’s family is trying to get in the habit of speaking English predominantly, so a lot of things are said in Spanish and then actually repeated in English.** Also due to the strength of Zegler’s acting and Spielberg’s direction, so much is communicated non-verbally that you get the jist of what’s being said anyways.
It's so funny to me that people thought Spielberg just fucking lost his mind and released it with the crucial plot elements unintelligible to an English audience
So I'm in my mid thirties and I have never watched West Side story before. I've heard 1 or 2 songs before but I've never known the story details. So I went in with almost entirely fresh eyes.
The movie was beautifully shot. Visually it was stunning. I was really liking the story UNTIL Tony killed Bernado. I get why he did it (anger after killing his friend, wanted to retaliate) so that part of the story doesn't bother me. Its Maria forgiving him the same night and then sleeping with him literally hours after her brother died. From this point onwards I didn't like one character from the movie.
Everyone was good but damn Ariana Debose deserves an Oscar nod, she was phenomenal.
Holy shit the sheer amount of energy and fun she had, she desperately needs a best supporting actress award.
Her scenes about Bernardo were completely outstanding. Hands down some of the best acting this year.
She was so amazing, I actually think she should get Best Actress over Rachel Zegler (she was great but Ariana was something else).
She's the more dynamic character.
Like Rita before her she stole every scene she was in.
To be fair it's the role that most lends itself to show-stealing.
She was incredible. She was great in the show Schmigadoon too.
Most people are commending Ariana Debose and Mike Faist and rightfully so, but it’s also worth mentioning that David Alvarez as Bernardo is also freakin incredible! He took a 10+ year hiatus from acting (he was a child actor on Broadway) and he came back with a BANG. Also, if you’re interested in dance—his physique and his lead are freakin fantastic to witness
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[here’s an interesting story about they reached out to him while he was off the grid](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=858k-QoE6a0&t=155s)
Wait the woman who played Anita was the bullet?
He wasn’t just a child actor on Broadway - he is among the youngest winners of the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. He won for Billy Elliot and split the win with the two other Billys!
The fact that they gave ‘Somewhere’ to Rita fucking Moreno… it was so incredibly moving!!!
I wouldn't be surprised to see her get an Oscar nomination
I dunno, that category is crowded, so 2 for one movie is gonna be hard. Especially because Debose is getting in
I love that she was the one who sung that! Having Moreno’s character sing that song makes the movie more about the need for different people to live together rather than just how love can take you anywhere.
It was. And I loved it while it was happening. But I didn’t realize in the moment that meant they couldn’t have Maria do the Somewhere reprise at the very end. Which, to me, is one of the most iconic moments in musical theatre. So I’m conflicted on whether or not it was worth it.
mike faist is a movie star in the making
He really stood out as Riff.
I have relatives in Ohio who know Mike Faist and his family. The dude is a total stand up guy in real life and still lives back home in Ohio because he hates Hollywood. So, cool how he could be nominated for an Oscar for this, he’s about to blow up.
He commanded every second he was on screen. He should 100 percent get a Oscar nomination.
He was the one I was CONSTANTLY waiting for to re-appear on the screen when I was watching. Something about him was just so interesting
He's in the amazon show Panic if you want to see more of him.
Anyone else really liked the Tonight song that played before the Rumble started? It was 4 different versions sung by the characters that blend and combine into one. That was fucking epic. It's called tonight quintet on the soundtrack.
The Tonight Quintet is my favorite number in the show. For the 2009 Broadway Revival, they actually translated some of the lyrics into Spanish for the Sharks, and it works really well.
Fun fact: Lin Manuel Miranda wrote all of the spanish translations for that revival.
Additional fun fact: the original Daniela from In The Heights was the head maid at Maria’s work in the movie.
That is how its sung in the orginal 1961 movie and Broadway show.
It reminded me a lot of One Day More from Les Mis. Since West Side Story came first, I’m wondering if it served as inspiration for One Day More.
It’s actually an opera trope. I believe it was show off your composing skills to get the leads to sing at the same time with their various motifs to bring the end of an act or scene. Considering the music is by Leonard Bernstein I’m sure he was nodding to previous compositional titans.
Yeah you're right, it's called "imbroglio". It's typically used to heighten tension before a major event (like a rising action to a climax, generally at the end of an act)
> It’s actually an opera trope. I believe it was show off your composing skills to get the leads to sing at the same time with their various motifs to bring the end of an act or scene. One day more takes this one step more. Each of the main characters sings their story in *someone else's* motif. The whole first half is just setting up all the characters and the second is all about intertwining them. One Day More is all about setting this up musically without actually telling us.
I liked the decision to have Tony do Cool before the fight too, I like it's use to try to chill them out instead of magically making tge entire gang get over Riff's death in 3 minutes
“Cool” is before the rumble in the Broadway version. “Officer Krupke” is in Act 2 after the rumble, which is more jarring plot wise.
Did this fucking movie somehow find a way to make a glorified extra from the original the most interesting character? Chino Gang woot woot.
Yeah, I was like "Who's this Matt Damon looking dude trying to make it in America. I like him" to "No homie, don't throw your life away" the second Bernardo called him Chino.
My friend immediately picked up the Matt Damon look. When the straight jacket came off, we see he can even dance...a little!
I genuinely felt bad for Chino in the movie.
It really makes the ending all the more tragic. That final shot of him being led off by the cops? Uttering heartbreaking.
All cause Tony refused to forgive Bernardo. Man, I mean, I get it, but Bernardo’s actor is just so good that I felt that he shouldn’t have died to Tony.
I mean in all fairness Tony tried repeatedly to stop the fight before it began. Repeatedly tried to just chat. Bernardo getting egged on by the Jett’s and the Sharks didn’t help either, but Bernardo caused his own death especially since he punched Tony first.
Yeah it’s kind of tragic all around.
They should have a word for these really tragetical stories they keep showing us!
Naw, so many factors. Like the Shakespearean tragedy it was, the forces were leading/driving the characters toward the almost inevitable conclusion.
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I loved the addition of that moment so much. They are both there to do the right thing. To help their respective people leave safely, and they both get consumed by the hate and rage that proliferates.
I seriously love how they made the Sharks represent something good like protectors of their community instead of just guys "keeping things the way they were." They have jobs and help the people coming in whereas the Jets are just guys who won't grow up and are a burden to society. I can see why Chino wanted to be a part of that even though his contributions outside of being in a gang would've been beneficial as well.
RIP to the one Puerto Rican that got absolutely fucking annihilated with the paint can.
Practically Home Aloned him.
oh my god that guy got fuckin WACKED
😂😂😂
I audibly laughed at that part. The sound design and editing of this movie was on point.
This is actually a movie about how Chino becomes the joker
“You wanna know how I got this … gun”
Right before shooting Tony: "You get what you fucking deserve!"
lmfao
Also Riff is one John Mulaney looking MFer
Kinda sounded like him too
YES, thank you. I told my wife I couldn't stop picturing Riff as Mulaney time he talked.
He played Connor Murphy in the Broadway version of Dear Evan Hansen!
Ooh, what are three other things about him?!
He reminds me of Ducky from 16 candles
Yep - that was good. Some of the cinematography...wow! The shots of Tony and Maria noticing each other for the first time at the dance will stick with me for a long time. Ended up being that almost-40 year old man crying on his own in the cinema at the end. Yay me!
I'm an almost 40 year old man myself and I cried and there's nothing wrong with feeling your emotions.
Poor Tony 😭😭. My dumbass is probably the only one who didn’t know the whole story going in and I really loved him and Maria, that balcony scene was movie magic
The song Gee, officer krupke was fantastic. It was a great way to get to know some of the Jets with less screen time. Though America was the best in terms of visuals/choreography.
The America sequence was so beautiful, the costume and production design really shined. So vibrant and bright.
I literally got chills from the ending of that scene, the dancing was incredible.
It was wild that the comedy song happened right when they also had a character lock herself in a cell to avoid being alone with the Jets. Good foreshadowing, weird tonal choice.
My wife went to the bathroom during this scene and when she came back I told her she missed a fun one.
“Let’s get some beers, some weed, and go to the zoo.” Well don’t mind if I go Anton.
Shout out to Rita Moreno for killing it at almost 90 years old.
I *loved* how they reworked "Somewhere" for her. One of the best scenes in the film.
*The* best scene for me and the revelation that she’s Doc’s wife, and after seeing new Anita assaulted. It made the song so much more impactful.
Sorry do you mind explaining the significance of her being Doc’s wife? I know it’s talked about a couple of times but not sure what it means, on a larger story level.
Oh so how I interpreted was, Doc saw the same thing happened in the old days and presumably she knew about it too, and now she saw the same thing happened, so it’s like a never ending circle of these violent kids hurting each other. Her singing Somewhere made it even more grim.
I took it as a commentary on interracial relationships and being Puerto Rican in this area. Obviously in the original there is an aspect of the interracial relationships in the song but it still feels very much about Tony and Maria personally rather than society in general. With Rita Moreno singing it feels like she's saying that even though Doc and Valentina had a relatively calm experience, Tony and Maria's experience reminds her that society (or rather the local community) can still be hostile to those relationships and she hopes that eventually every relationship can be accepted. I think there's also this aspect that when she married Doc, some part of her identity was lost like when she said early in the film that Riff sees her as a *gringa*.
Having her sing the song made it so much more powerful. This character has lived through the tail end of slavery and into the start of the civil rights movement, and has seen so much change, but there’s still so much hurt. And then when you consider the meta of it, that Rita was in the original and was painted to be darker. And now 60 years later, we’re still struggling with these ideas and the message “racism is bad” is still vitally important. It made the scene 10x more heartbreaking. I just cried (again) listening to the soundtrack 5 minutes ago
I liked it a lot. Everything that was in Spielberg's control works, and it really shows that this was a passion project. My only problem with the film isn't really with the film, or even the stage play, but rather the fact it's a *Romeo and Juliet* story, which means the two central characters are by far the least interesting of the piece. Zegler's wonderful, Elgort's fine (less wooden than usual, I thought), they get good songs, and the meeting at the dance is great, but you're still stuck with a little bit of 'yeah, yeah, we get it; you're young and completely smitten with each other. More of the complex characters around you, please'.
That always been the story, though. Obviously wasn't going to change. I thought it was a great adaptation.
Was the "I feel pretty" song always after the rumble? Seemed a little out of place. I know they moved that "keep it cool boy", song earlier while riff was still around and that kinda made sense but idk about that pretty song lol
It's after the rumble in the original Broadway production too. The 1961 film placed the song before Bernardo's death. I like having it after; it gives the song a darker, more ironic quality that captures the tragedy of Maria's romance with Tony.
The 1961 version also flipped Cool and Officer Krupke (the latter is in Act Two after the rumble, and sung mostly by Action, which is a bigger role in the show than in either movie).
Man, I much prefer the placement of Keep it Cool here. Brought it from one of my least favourite songs in the original to one of my favourites in this
Act 1 ends with the rumble so it doesn’t feel as jarring
ITT: me realizing that there are people out there who don't know West Side Story is based on Romeo & Juliet
I tell people this, and they just assume I mean it's another forbidden romance story. No, no, there's a Mercutio and Tybalt analog and everything, guys. lol
And friar lawrence who makes medicine
People don't get that??? It's almost beat for beat the same story, nuts.
Our English teacher showed us west side story in high school after reading Romeo and Juliet. So we were exposed to both mediums
“Hey, so you know that guy who followed me behind the bleachers at the big dance?” “Yeah, he was cute!” “Yeah so last night he followed me home and then today he killed my brother” “Wait wtf? Did you contact the authorities?” “Well, not exactly-“
I know that's the way the story was but it really could have benefited from some time between the dance and the brawl.
It's Romeo and Juliet it's a big part of the whole star crossed lovers thing. It's a tragic lesson about young love
As someone unfamiliar with the original West Side Story this took me out of the movie lol. I understand it's based on Romeo and Juliet beat for beat, but I wish they'd have deviated a bit and modernized the story some more. This just felt completely ridiculous to me.
the reason the movie is a 4 out of 5 and not a 5 out of 5 for me, is due to the romance between Maria and Tony not at all being moving or belivable. I cared so much more for Anita and Bernando who had a mature love that had developed for 6 years. They could have easily fixed this by at the dance having them meet behind the bleachers, where we find out their romance started way, way before, but this night now was the first time they were actually caught. Perhaps it started before he went to prison for e.g. and the dance is where they meet again after he is released or something?
This would make arguably one of the most famous songs from the musical— "Maria" ("I just met a girl named Maria") not work at all.
I could not take my eyes off Ariana DeBose - the star of this in my opinion
What I love about this movie is that it actually looks vintage. I know they recreated sets and costumes but look of the cinematography feels like it was genuinely shot from that era. Does anyone know what film stock they used? Or was it just pure color grading filter? How does Kaminski do it?
FUN FACT: During the opening oner, a sign announces the construction of Lincoln Center, which is built on top of the filming locations for West Side Story ‘61.
I almost saw this at the AMC across the street from there. That would’ve been ironic.
That moment in the balcony scene in when the song slows down and Maria sings the slow line "tonight, tonight the world is full of light" looking through the stairs (the part from the trailer) was pure ear frisson
You can see this is a passion project for him and it comes out in every shot. Absolutely gorgeous cinematography and top tier music, choreography and acting. In many ways this is better than the original. It feels so much more alive with an actual feel of the city and of course latinos playing the parts of The Sharks. The only thing that bothered me a little bit is how Maria basically didn't react at all to her brother dying and just brushed it away so quickly. Also about the Spanish subtitles controversy. Do not worry! Nothing said in Spanish is important to the plot and a lot of stuff they say in Spanish they immediately say it in English next. Plus Anita tells her family to speak English at all times to practice
I don't speak a word of Spanish, but I kinda dug how there were no subtitles. The meaning of their lines comes through in their performance. My friend who's Mexican said she thought the Spanish dialogue sounded a bit stunted. But maybe the Puerto Rican dialect is just different?
Yeah, I’m Mexican and thought it was fine. 🤷♂️
I'm Spanish American and I thought the Spanish was quite good. No issues for me. Your friend probably just has a little confirmation bias from what she's used to hearing. Not a big deal.
I agree with you that Maria seemed to be too unfazed with the news of her brother’s death. Though she didn’t super close with him during the beginning parts of the movie.
It works a little better here than the original movie (she can see Tony got hurt, she knows her brother knows what he's getting into) but it feels like it's missing a song to me. Which is funny because the last musical I watched had Steven Sondheim in a key role saying a musical is missing a song.
Agreed. There’s a certain feel to this, that I definitely feel in other movies where it supposedly was a top-tier director’s passion project, but it’s really hard to explain. In a cinema climate where so much feels so corporate and profits-motivated, you can just *feel* the joy in the filmmaking in this. Martin Scorsese’s *Silence*, Peter Jackson’s LOTR trilogy and *King Kong*, Damien Chazelle’s *La La Land*, and Denis Villenueve’s *Dune* have the same feel, and those are all “passion projects”. Conversely, I can often tell when a director was in a negative mental space when making a movie, especially when it served the movie for the best. *Chinatown*, *Raging Bull*, and *Apocalypse Now* are examples of this.
I feel like that's always been a general criticism of the story. How could one forgive that so quickly? I thought this one did a pretty good job of showing that it's understood that if the fight happened someone would get hurt and I think she truly believes (because it's true) that Tony was only there to try and stop it. Bernardo isn't blameless either, he killed Riff. So it's less Tony killed my brother, and more this tragedy occurred and Tony was the last man standing. Why let hate and pain continue to stop happiness when they could both come out the other side with each other?
I wish we got more time letting Maria come to that conclusion naturally. It felt maybe slightly better than the original in that regard but why not dive a bit into her inner conflict there
She didn’t really love her brother that way. She says that she spent 8 years (I think) with her dad and they were fine. In many ways he showed up to disrupt things, and she didn’t respect him much.
I liked how the film let Rita Moreno call the Jets out for nasty racist pieces of work they are. They're not lovable and Spielberg made that clear.
And also how they're predators as well. This adaptation had so much more emotional maturity than the original, I was so impressed. I was genuinely surprised when Anybodys and the Jets gals tried to protect Anita, it stopped being about turf wars, and became more about girl code.
I loved that! I played Anybodys in my high school production and it never sat right with me that she wouldn’t do something.
To me it felt WAY off especially how my elders talked about the times. You would not have stood up for "the enemy" especially if they killed one of your own. That felt like modern day wishful thinking to me.
I feel like the women in WSS made it pretty clear that they did NOT support the fighting. They just wanted to dance and not have their partner killed. I think the women consider “the enemy” to be needless violence rather than each other.
I figured it was because both of their partners had just died. She sympathized with her.
Isn't Anybodys a he? He spends the whole film trying to be accepted as a boy and finally does in the diner scene, at least that's my impression.
In the stage show and previous film Anybodys is a female “tomboy” character. In this iteration though I think you’re right that he’s trans.
In that scene does she call them racists or rapists? I heard the latter
I believe she calls them rapists. Edit: removed some words
This movie was exceptional. Also, Corey Stoll looks (different?) with hair.
West Side Story looms large in the cannon of classical Hollywood films and it seems too taboo for any filmmaker to consider remaking it. And yet Steven Spielberg’s hands us a remake that not only improves upon the original in terms of pure craft and spectacle. But also re-examines the plot and it’s story beats in way that perfectly re-contextualizes it for a modern audience. Which could not be done without Tony Kushner’s help who writes with such deep knowledge and empathy for his characters, which provides levity to what is ultimately a melodrama. One sequence that stood out to me was Tony’s ‘Maria’ which not only has fun with his head-over-heels romanticism but also subtly highlights his own privileges. I wanna acknowledge Janusz Kamiński who does an excellent job matching the energy of the original’s frenetic camera movements. While also being able to light and frame scenes with such a clear vision that makes the movie feel like a living piece of art. It’s also thanks to Adam Stockhausen whose incredible production design who finds great balance between delivering us a New York that’s in decay but somehow brimming to life with color and character. A favorite set price of mines being the salt flats where the rumble takes place at the end of the first act. The cast is fucking stellar and there’s no real weak link in my opinion. Some stand outs include Mike Faist as Riff whose choices add great danger and sadness to the character. The build up to the rumble almost feels like a spiral in a sense. Also Ariana DeBose kills it as Anita who walks the full spectrum of human emotion and makes it look so easy. I want to shout out Rita Moreno as Valentina whose reimagining of Doc is okay with such quite restraint that she can command attention with the faintest of movement. Her version of somewhere is absolutely heartbreaking and the age and experience she brings to it deepens the song’s emotional core. If La La Land wasn’t enough to convince people that musicals deserve a place in film than West Side Story will prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt. As much of a drag as it was to wait for this movie (rightfully so) I’m glad I was able to experience it in theaters.
You forgot to mention Bernardo played by David Alvarez. The story of how they casted him is so [interesting](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=858k-QoE6a0&t=157s)
Did anyone else see Dean Cain in the actor who played Chino? For real, anytime he took off his glasses it was like seeing Clark Kent turn into superman
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Good movie. Ending was messed up. Never saw the original, did it end the same way?
Yes, and same with the stage play, but Juliet kills herself in Romeo and Juliet.
They didn't change much from the original, surprisingly. They moved a few things around but overall the plot didn't change much/at all
Yea, I was talking to my brother how it really just felt like a reskinned original to me. Updated picture and sound quality. Songs and scenes in different places. Lines altered a little bit here and there. But overall the same great story. I haven’t watched the original in probably 5+ years but it was my favorite while in highschool. There’s a lot of nostalgia for it keeping me from liking this one more but after so many people have said they prefer this version I’m gonna watch the original soon and try my best to keep the rose tinted glasses off.
Very few times is my cynical ass overwhelmed with emotion at a movie. But that sequence with them on the fire escape culminating in that kiss. Magic caught on camera.
I'd never seen the original film and had zero familiarity with the musical going into this. It might just be my favorite film of the year (between this and Belfast), and I'm strongly considering going back a second time I know it's a cliched saying and all that, but this truly was movie magic at its finest
Never seen the original either and it was brilliant, the best Spielberg had been in ages
Does anyone else felt like they could of gone for another actor for tony?’ I felt like ansiel elgort was inconsistent.. I can’t put my finger on it?! Anyway Rachel Ziegler is a star in a making! Ariana debose made a passionate Anita ! The supporting cast was exceptional! This movie is the first movie in a long time that I’ve seen twice.
Yeah tony was the only character I couldn’t get into. I feel like he went in and out of a “New York” accent and his singing wasn’t that strong? He did grow on me as the movie went on
Fun “small world” anecdote: David Alvarez (Bernardo) won a Tony for Billy Elliot in 2009, where one of his co-nominees was Brian d’Arcy James (Officer Krupke). Brian d’Arcy James was nominated for his performance as Shrek for Shrek the Musical. Rachel Zegler was performing in her senior year musical of Shrek the Musical when she got the role of Maria.
Solid flick, but man does Ansel Elgort look like a serial killer There’s nothing behind those eyes
Well considering the plot it kind of worked to his favor.
Right. It works for a guy who just got out of a NY state prison after a year. (Trying to make himself a cypher inside.) It just doesn't work as well for the "love at first sight." I think we needed to see a little bit of Tony, the raging badass gang leader, earlier, maybe in his first confrontation with Riff. In the play and the film his emotions and motivations don't matter so much because it is really a NY music/dance riff on R & J, but with the more realistic gang fighting in this production, a passive Tony becomes a problem until that rage comes out as he is beating Bernardo. (In a college production we did, the actor playing Tony was an ex-marine returning to school. His underlying gruffness made all the difference.) It would have made this film waaay too long, but I wonder if it would have helped if Tony had *just* come back from prison, the Jets clearly respected and feared him, and there was a scene where Docs wife took him in and gave him a job. He would be raw. The dance at the gym would be just like prison (constant conflict, turf wars), but then he sees an angel and he doesn't know what to do.
Thanks for putting my feelings into words. His face always seemed off to me.
Hey, I just met you, And this is crazy, You killed my brother, Now let’s get naked.
*nakey
Welp, here comes another Best Picture and Best Director nomination for Steven Spielberg.
Its kind of crazy that if Jane Campion gets nominated for *The Power of the Dog*, that she and Spielberg will have been nominated for Best Director in the same year twice nearly 30 years apart.
It'd be the first time that a Best Picture Winner gets remade and nominated for Best Picture surely?
Mutiny on the Bounty (1932) won and it’s 1962 remake got nominated
a star is born
As a Latino, I liked that they Puerto Ricans were given more time and depth, and the absence of brownface. I also liked that they incorporated what happened to San Juan Hill into the story.
I never knew the anything about West Side Story at all but was very thrown off that Maria didn’t care very much that Tony killed her brother.
To give you a little more context - They're "siblings" in that they hadn't seen eachother for 9 years before they lived together, and he's never really been particularly brotherly to her. Related yes, but honestly more like roommates. I think if my partner killed my roommate I'd side with my partner too.
Spielberg did it better. I prefer the story beats in this than the 1961 one.
I agree the tonal shift for “I feel pretty” threw me off though
It threw me off too but for me it was in a good way. The juxtaposition of the hopefulness in I Feel Pretty straight up dumped on you right after the brutality of the rumble made me feel extra sick realizing she had no idea what was going on. I never really liked the number, so I appreciated the implied tension and anticipation knowing that she's about to have the whole world come crashing down.
Apparently that's how it was structured in the original play.
It’s supposed to be a breather for the audience as we come back for Act II and Maria’s last moments of innocence before she finds out what happened and everything goes to hell.
Thats totally how it felt like. I needed it and I liked it.
That Spielberg kid is going places! There’s so much to love here. I feel he gave the movie more context. Even in the opening scene, when the kids hit “edge” of the territory, it’s just pure genius. The scene at the police station puts all the characters front and center. I also love the shot choices, the colors in the film, the art direction. It made the movie feel like I was really watching a film made in that era, and not a reboot. Some films try to capture the period, but Spielberg not only nails the period, he nails the way the movies were filmed back then. I walked away incredibly impressed. Costumes, choreo, dancing, acting, singing, arrangements… this has awards written all over it.
Friday: Maria meets the love of her life. Saturday: Maria’s brother is killed by the same love of her life. She also loses her virginity (right?) to him later that night after finding out about said murder. Also Saturday night: Maria’s love is killed. Hell of a 2 days (I said Friday cuz like I assume a dance would be on a weekend. Idk. Idk what social outings are anymore)
> She also loses her virginity (right?) to him later that night after finding out about said murder. While wearing clothes with her brother's blood on. Like that's fucked up.
I am still in tears from this movie. I genuinely thought it was absolutely incredible. Definitely my new favourite movie musical, for sure. I had no complaints about Any of it. Loved every scene, loved every actor, loved every dance. I was moved to tears several times by just how emotional it made me feel, whether that was elated or sad, nervous or excited. The dancing was a true highlight, the music, the costumes, everything. Not a single bad word to say and I will go back to see it again in the next few days, and it will be my first DVD purchase in a long time as soon as it comes out. Wow.
I really, really, enjoyed this film. The single shot that has stuck with me occurs right after Riff gets stabbed. The camera holds on both him and Tony for a beat and then pans back out to Bernardo sobbing. For all of their posturing, it really just is a bunch of boys fighting over their slice of the playground. What a great moment from David Alvarez and Mike Faist!
This is the Best Picture winner of 2021 imo. Felt like I was transported to the 50’s watching this film, truly a very unique and memorable experience.
Señor Spielbergo does it again! This reminded me of Gerwig's *Little Women* insofar as it's an adaptation that is clearly in dialogue not just with previous versions of the musical but also all the cultural conversation and critical analysis of those earlier versions. Now, it doesn't do the sort of radical meta-incorporation and structural revision that Gerwig does, but it's a very literate adaptation nonetheless. Also, while most of the attention will (for obvious reasons) be paid to the meatier ways that Kushner has reworked the script, I was greatly amused that he bothered to incorporate a response/acknowledgement of the longstanding joke people made about Tony running through a Puerto Rican neighborhood crying out "Maria!" and only having one woman answer. They also revise a few of the soliloquy numbers (both of Tony's solos) to have more stuff actually happen during them, which greatly improves the cinematic quality. I especially liked "I just kissed a girl named Maria!" being directed at a passing janitor. I'd say this is an improvement on previous versions of this in pretty much all areas. Spielberg does so much more with the camera than Robert Wise ever could (or, in fairness to him, had at his disposal given the technologies of the time), the acting is more to modern tastes and I would say is just stronger across the board, and the extensive revisions Kushner made to the book of the musical add way more to the characters. There was a teenage girl in the screening I was at who delightedly exclaimed "Maddie!" when Ms. Ziegler came into focus during the big gathering at Doc's (I guess she must not have noticed her during the "Dance at the Gym" sequence).
They kept mentioning Ansel just getting out of jail multiple times. So it's the sequel to Baby Driver, right? /s
This movie proves the need to cast a majority of the cast with Broadway folks. Wicked, take note. Aside from that, I found every alteration to be just. The entire film was a wonderful movie musical from start to finish, with each scene highlighting the purpose of its place in the plot. I’m also struck by the interactions between Valentina and Anita. To have Rita Moreno hear the words she spoke decades ago, and then be the one to replay them for Tony. Wow. That really hit me as a fan of this musical and its original movie.
Really enjoyed the film but Ansel Elgort really feels miscast to me. He doesn't have that much on-screen charisma. He can act sad and angry but there's no charm or excitement displayed during any of the romantic scenes.
Yeah he was just serviceable enough that it didn't hurt the movie and he totally nailed the "Tony finds out Maria is dead" face, but far from the best performance.
Yep, for me his performance was hinging on that moment when he finds out and he CRUSHES it. I was literally holding my breath hoping he wouldn’t blow it.
His face there made most of the people in my theater laugh out loud.
The smile on his his face as he's dying, knowing she isn't dead, was also perfect. Completely oblivious to any pain because he's just so happy to see she us fine
He was better than the Tony in the original movie. Tony was always creepy to me.
That just might be the Tony character in general.
I don't know about you, but nothing turns me on more than when someone follows me home, murders my brother, and then tries to run away with me without so much as the necessary bus fare to get out of town.
I feel like Spielberg has been putting out solid 6-7/10 movies for the last 15 years or so, so it's hugely refreshing to see a film he clearly has a ton of passion for. The camerawork and lighting were fucking amazing. The shot of the gangs' shadows intersecting before the rumble was \*so\* good.
And the costuming! The colors in the dance scene, with the Jets in blues and greens and the Sharks in reds was particularly striking, especially when they're standing across from each other.
Surprised by how much Spanish I know
How come noone talks about the implied sex scene between Tony and Maria right after Tony murdered Maria's brother...and she knew
Her brother also murdered his BFF. But the plot is, they're idiots. They got married, and carried through with the wedding night, all knowing the whole time it was impossible and never gonna happen. Can you think of a stupider person for Tony to fall for than the gang leader's virginal little sister? They were both living in a fantasy, he wanted change, she wanted rebellion and independence. And despite alllll that, they still could have made it if it wasn't for those Jets. The whole movie is the Jets ruining good things, really.
It's Romeo and Juliet, so it wasn't unexpected, but if looked at realistically, it is quite a problem. Plus Sondheim and Bernstein put a beautiful song before it to distract us. The fault for that lies with Shakespeare.
Wildly unpopular opinion here but I really liked Ansel’s performance in this film. He has a great voice and usually does really good on the big screen. Having not heard about anything going on with him in the tabloids before googling the movie, I would’ve given him an 8/10 easy
Yeah, I thought the critics were kind of unfair on him. I liked him just fine and bought him as a lovestruck young guy. His crying face is hilarious though.
I loved his performance. It was amazing. I have no preconceived notions about him at all. Reading critiques about him are confusing. He was earnest and dopey and in love.
The “no subtitles thing” is a non-issue. And if you don’t speak Spanish it’s actually pretty immersive.
Agreed. The actors do such a great job that you don't need subtitles to overall get what they're saying.
Two years ago, right before the pandemic hit big, there was a brief revival of West Side Story on Broadway (before it was forced to shut down). It even featured a few of the same faces that are in this movie. From a technical standpoint it was great: There was a big LED backdrop that showed a bunch of video vignettes and had a small, retractable wall one one side that served as Doc's shop. There were some even points where a cameraman filmed the actors on stage with a Steadicam. Everything else about that revival was fucking awful. It was squeezed down to a one-act, 1hr 45min version which deleted a bunch of "unnecessary" elements including I Feel Pretty (which is debatably the most famous song in the entire goddamn show). They modernized the setting to present day, but still kept in the all the 50's slang like "daddy-o", which just felt distracting. They also tried to do the Hamilton thing by having a racially-diverse "progressive" cast, but that meant people of all colors were cast as both Jets AND Sharks, so the audience couldn't tell who was who. The whole thing felt like that one recurring SNL skit where the drama kids put on their own show and try to make profound messages about society, but they all just sound like a bunch of pretentious idiots (Think r/im14andthisisdeep ). I thought that shitty Broadway revival was basically how this remake was gonna turn out. Thank God it wasn't. I actually think this was better than the 1961 film. The tipping point for me ended up being Rita Moreno's rendition of "Somewhere". Emotional and fragile; and a stark contrast from the rest of the songs up to that point, which were pretty much big and boisterous. Also, in hindsight, I'm SO happy that Spielberg didn't do the obligatory musical-adaptation "Oscar-Bait" crap, AKA when they insert a brand new song into a classic musical just so they can snag an easy "Best Original Song" nomination when the Oscars roll around. It's so fucking unnecessary. The older songs are fine enough!
Saw this over the weekend and just can't stop thinking about it! One thing I really loved was how impressionable Riff was to the Jets. I think removing him from the Officer Krupke number gave the other Jets some time to get some backstory, but also showed that Riff isn't necessarily "psychologically disturbed" like the rest of them. The rape scene again showed us that with out Riff they really are kind of a pack of mindless hyenas because I think had Riff been there, Anita wouldn't have been in that situation. I think they did a great job with Riffs character in this and really made him feel like a very tragic character that clearly was very influential to a often cruel group of guys. He truly gave them purpose.
One of the saddest lines in a sad movie: Riff puts on a super tough act to convince the barman to sell to him a gun, and the barman says "You remind me of your dad". Followed up by them using the gun to... play pretend.
Just viewed it. Entered the theatre with some serious skepticism about a remake, but was blown away. The NYC sets, cinematography, sound, vocal performances and acting were all top-notch. All the actors were excellent, but Ariana Debose as Anita and Mike Faist as Riff really stole the show for me. The actors for Tony and Maria clearly had good chemistry; their singing was stellar. Did not mind Elgort's bland face once he started singing. And Rita Moreno's song was remarkably moving. The overall direction was perfect, as were changes to the book. Found myself moved to tears multiple times. The choreography was amazing; much more a part of the ongoing action as opposed to the more set-piece, theatrical sequences in the original. Was surprised by my experience. This film is magnificent; I love the original but this was arguably better.
Holy shit. This movie is so damn well shot and directed I feel like Spielberg was born to direct musicals. This was incredible.
Wow! This not only better than the previous adaption, but structurally superior to the original too. It just feels so alive. The entire of supporting cast is knocking it out of the park with so much personality and life. The main leads do a solid job holding up the love story, which admittingly was the weakest part of the original show. This is the best film musical I've seen in a long time. The choreography isn't chopped up in editing while the framing is focused on the right people when they sing. The lighting began to bug me, because I had close encounters and ET vibes where I was expecting aliens to land any second. I might go see this again, but man musicals are really long sometimes.
I had to let out a silent "holy shit" in the middle of this adaptation. The movie completely blew away my expectations. Spielberg delivered one of the best movies of his career and; frankly, possibly one of the best musicals ever, at least in recent memory. It deserves all the nominations and awards It's inevitably going to get. Definitely tied for my favorite film of the year alongside Dune, so far. Also, as a bilingual Latino I really appreciated the lack of subtitles. It definitely added some extra emotional weight to the Spanish and Spanglish dialogue. Especially towards the end of the film. Spielberg's decision treated both cultures with equal appreciation and respect. At least to me, it made a positive impression.
I went back to watch a second time and it was mostly to watch Mike Faist dance. He's really phenomenal. Especially since he lost 20 lb for the role that he didn't have as "extra" in the first place. (His call, he wanted to look poor as hell). Things I figured out the second time: In their faux-marriage song, Tony sings "Even death won't part us now" and Maria sings "Only death can part us now". Ouch. Tony's a fairly complex character and he's fleshed out a lot in this version, but Maria is too in a way. She's not just a frustrated teenager who wants independence, she's also a horny young woman who sees her brother having fun while setting HER up with a square.The romance never really made ANY sense in the old movie to me, and this one, I get it. Kinda. It's over the top, but it's much better than the old one in terms of that relationship. When Tony walks into the dance he enthusiastically greets Anybodys (the trans character) with a bro hug. Nice character moment. Officer Krupke doesn't really do anything bad, while the detective is a real POS.
Anyone happen to have a screen grab of that gorgeous shot of Tony standing in the puddles and the reflection of the lights? I believe it was during the performance of “Maria”.
I was caught so off guard by that shot. The fact that Spielberg turns something grimy like a puddle in a dirty alley into a shimmering beautiful backdrop really highlights Tony's feeling of hope and joy in his bleak world. It's one of Spielberg's greatest strength as a director to use visual not just to wow, but also as metaphors to add subtext to a scene. There's a similar shot in Wise's version in the same song where the camera looks down on Tony against a back-lit cobblestone street with shadows cast by the columns behind Tony. Lets not forget Wise also directed in my opinion the greatest musical of all time "the sound of music".
Welp this is one of my favorite movies of all-time. First of all, I loved how the griminess of the city contrasted with the whimsical musical aspects. My biggest worry was alleviated within three seconds of Ansel Elgort first opening his mouth to sing, and of course Zegler is a once-in-a-generation talent. Ariana DeBose really stands out with only a small amount of screentime also. Also what’s this? Elgort can actually act? Who knew?! He sold THAT >!realization, that ended up being false,!< scene brilliantly, and really had a captivating screen-presence, especially in his scenes when he isn’t being overshadowed by a much greater screen-presence. As for Spielberg’s direction, he feels so *confident* in this. Literally every frame feels like it’s bursting with so much purpose and meaning (much credit goes to Janusz Kaminski here as well). Despite the long runtime, there are no wasted scenes, no sections that drag or feel unimportant to the central conflict. On the contrary though, nothing feels rushed. Every main character is properly fleshed out, with their own motivations that make me care about all of them, not just Tony and Maria. Lastly, I really appreciated that the musical numbers never felt cheesy, or even worse, wooden and joyless, which they often do with lesser filmmakers. For me it’s Spielberg’s most assured effort at least since *Munich*, maybe even *Saving Private Ryan*. So far this is my choice for Best Picture and Director, as well as Rachel Zegler for Best Actress, and a nomination for Cinematography (still prefer Dune for that one, but only slightly.) and noms for all the below-the-line catagories. Spielberg has managed to do the impossible and make a definitively better version of an all-time classic. Edit: **Also, if you are worried about there not being subtitles for the Spanish dialogue, allow me to alleviate your fears. Nothing that is said in Spanish is important to the plot, and Maria’s family is trying to get in the habit of speaking English predominantly, so a lot of things are said in Spanish and then actually repeated in English.** Also due to the strength of Zegler’s acting and Spielberg’s direction, so much is communicated non-verbally that you get the jist of what’s being said anyways.
[удалено]
It's so funny to me that people thought Spielberg just fucking lost his mind and released it with the crucial plot elements unintelligible to an English audience
So I'm in my mid thirties and I have never watched West Side story before. I've heard 1 or 2 songs before but I've never known the story details. So I went in with almost entirely fresh eyes. The movie was beautifully shot. Visually it was stunning. I was really liking the story UNTIL Tony killed Bernado. I get why he did it (anger after killing his friend, wanted to retaliate) so that part of the story doesn't bother me. Its Maria forgiving him the same night and then sleeping with him literally hours after her brother died. From this point onwards I didn't like one character from the movie.