339. West Side Story; movie review

 

 

WEST SIDE STORY

Cert 12A

156 mins

BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence, discrimination, sexual threat, implied strong language

That all moved rather quickly, didn't it.

Meet a girl at a dance, fall in love from the first kiss and cause such a ruckus that within 24 hours... well, you know the rest.

Apparently, Steven Spielberg became under West Side Story's spell as a ten-year-old when his mum and dad played the soundtrack continuously.

For some time, he has harboured the idea of making his own version and finally here it is.

I must admit that, for a while, I wondered what he had added to Robert Wise's 1961 classic.

Sure, the new version has a wonderfully vibrant look, its songs are delivered with great passion but it needed more to make it a Spielberg classic.

It delivered just that in the movie's final 30 minutes when it becomes much edgier than the original.

Spielberg sets his battle between the white-skinned Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks in an area of New York which is set for demolition and gentrification.

Therefore, resentment is already simmering in the community.

Mike Faist plays Jets leader Riff who is looking for a rumble with the Sharks, led by David Alvarez's Bernardo.

There is a bit of action between the two gangs before the introduction of Tony (Ansel Elgort) who has recently been released from jail after nearly killing a rival.

Despite Riff's insistence, Tony wants to avoid any brushes with the law and works quietly at the local chemist's shop run by a new character, Valentina, played by Rita Moreno who was in the 1961 film.

Against his better judgment he goes to a dance where his eyes meet those of Maria (Rachel Zegler) and their flirtation causes tempers to flare.

Chemistry is the key to West Side Story's success - whether it is the tenderness between Zegler and Elgort, the feistiness of Alvarez's character and his girlfriend Anita (Ariana DeBose) or the flashpoints between Bernardo and Riff.

The singing from all cast members is rock solid and the dance routines are stunning.

I particularly enjoy what I would term flash-mob scenes where there is a slow build-up and full-on finale so, with that in mind, America is my favourite number.

But the whole picture is intoxicating and well worth anyone's entrance fee.

We watched it at the Arc in Beeston - our first visit since it opened last summer. Shame they don't do Cineworld or Odeon-style deals otherwise we would attend there much more often.

Reasons to watch: Vibrant and intoxicating

Reasons to avoid: The story is well well-known

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 9/10

Did you know? The original concept of East Side Story, which is what choreographer Jerome Robbins & composer Leonard Bernstein called the project, was a division between Jews and Catholics. They changed it when they revisited the project six years later.

The final word. Steven Spielberg: “I never would have dared go near it had it only been a film. But, because it’s constantly being performed across the globe, I didn’t feel I was claim-jumping on my friend Robert Wise’s 1961 movie.” The Guardian

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