10 December,2021 05:40 PM IST | Mumbai | Johnson Thomas
A still from West Side Story
Steven Spielberg's adaptation of a Broadway musical, the 1957 Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim/Arthur Laurents creation previously realized in a much loved Academy Award-sweeping 1961 Robert Wise film, does great credit to his genre-transcending versatility and film making genius. This new film follows the screenplay by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Tony Kushner, while exploring forbidden love and the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds.
In Steven Spielberg's able hands we see a grittier, less stagey âWest Side Story.' The iconic helmer makes his interpretation more dynamic and soaked in feelings. It's a "Romeo and Juliet" riff that makes you sing, dance and cry with equal abandon. Gang life is much more pronounced and vivid in this "West Side Story," hostilities flare up with volatility that appears more threatening.
The slums of New York City are in for a makeover. Cinematographer and two-time Oscar winner Janusz Kaminski's camera swarms in on an ongoing demolition in the neighborhood before highlighting the "Property Purchased by New York City for Slum Clearance" sign that says it all. Development has reared it's unwelcome head and street gangs like the Jets, led by Riff (Mike Faist), and Sharks consisting of Puerto Rican rivals led by Bernardo (David Alvarez) are further frustrated and unsettled by the changing face of the neighborhood. Their bottled-up angst adds more fuel to an already raging rivalry.
The ex-Jets' muscle Tony (Ansel Elgort), fresh-out-of-jail, has opted for a peaceful life, working for Valentina (Rita Moreno, Oscar winner from the 1961 film) the widow of Doc(from the original film) who now runs the Drug store/Pharmacy. He falls instantly in love with Bernardo's sister, Maria (Rachel Zegler) at a dance, but the racial divide between them is not that easy to overcome. Clandestine assignations lead them on the path to tragedy as the Jets and Sharks face off with both warring factions suffering losses they could have well done without.
The dancing remains the fulcrum of this effort - high on energy, twists, twirls, and kicks. The choreography is edgy and the delineation of resentments is much more intense thereof. While the screenplay has Tony and Maria finding an instant connection, Elgort and Zegler (the actors essaying those roles) fail to drum up enough chemistry to make that stick. But eventually, their passionate love for each other does come through in the mechanics of their collective performances, choreography, music, and song. Spielberg's âWest Side Story' is special because of the high vigor and zest epitomized by the supporting players. Alvarez as Bernardo, Faist as Riff, Ariana as Bernardo's girlfriend Anita and Rita Morena impress much more with their emotive talents, powerful voices, dance moves and screen presence.
The elements of racial conflict lend the narrative a contemporary relevance while the unraveling of themes helps make the story more immediate and relatable. Spielberg gives the film a vintage tone akin to the ambiance experienced in screen musicals from the '60s. Spielberg's technical proficiency is visible in the manner in which he uses innovative techniques to generate visual excitement while cloaking the narrative in classical style. Composer Leonard Bernstein's excellent score performed by the New York Philharmonic, reproductions of original choreographer Jerome Robbins' work and recently deceased lyricist Stephen Sondheim's freshly voiced originals blend in beautifully. This film is certain to be reckoned as amongst Spielberg's most accomplished works.
