_edited.jpg)
Hollywood loves a good story. So why not tell it again? And again? And… again? With 70% of the top-grossing films of the past few years being adaptations, it's reasonable if the public is beginning to experience adaptation fatigue and yearn for original screenplays. Though I share many of those beliefs, a recent rewatch of Spielberg’s 2021 spectacle West Side Story made me realize that perhaps adaptations aren’t inherently flawed–it's how to rightfully adapt a story that makes or breaks it.. With the film’s release year being so close to the critically derided 2019 Lion King ‘live’ adaptation which arguably catapulted the “Are adaptations necessary?” conversation, any criticism the film had felt like it was inflated to prove that very point. Too long, too different from the original – the changes disrespected the original and made no sense? Three years later, does the movie still hold up and, was it worthy of all nine nominations received at the Academy Awards?
Throughout history, all forms of art have thrived on the sole concept of adaptation. A brief look into the history of West Side Story is enough to show that the musical itself is the culmination of various adaptations. Not only was the original 1961 film an adaptation of the 1957 Broadway production, but the concept of the story came from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, adding to the multiple modern takes of Romeo and Juliet throughout art and pop culture. However, it did not just start there. Shakespeare’s play was based on the 1562 narrative poem ‘The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet’ by Arthur Brooke, which itself was an adaptation of the same story written by Matteo Bandello in 1554. For centuries, artists have taken the frame of this plot and its ever-relevant exploration of oppression, fate, and unrequited love and spun it to be a story worth retelling years later. In the case of the four minds behind West Side Story, Robbins, Laurents, Bernstein, and Sondheim were inspired by what was happening around them in New York City in the 1950s. After their initial story idea fell through, the project was abandoned for 5 years. It wasn’t until news broke out about teenage gang violence and turf wars in the Upper West Side of Manhattan that they decided to angle their story to depict the oppression in their city. In their case, they wanted to highlight the oppression and violence in New York at the time, showing the audience that hundreds of years after Shakespeare’s play was first written, the underlying message of the consequences of prejudice remains in human society.
Though Spielberg’s film tackles the same basic plot, he adds a new depth and nuance to the Broadway classic, something which would not have been possible during the 1950s. Working again with long-time collaborator Tony Kushner, Spielberg wanted to bring more attention to the culture of Puerto Ricans in New York (Nuyoricans). Unlike the 1961’s controversial white-washed casting of the Puerto Rican Sharks where white actors were painted brown, Spielberg set out to cast a fully Latino cast for the Sharks and other Puerto Rican characters in the movie, something which was becoming the norm but had to be addressed regarding the original movie’s failure to do so. In 1961, Oscar winner Rita Moreno who played Anita was the only Puerto Rican cast in the film. Even then, she recounts that the make-up artists often coloured her skin darker on set to enhance the contrast between the Puerto Ricans and the white Jets, as the white characters are now presented as even whiter and purer. In this new adaptation, Moreno was cast again but now as drug store keeper Valentina, the Puerto Rican widower of a white man who was not in the previous adaptations. The new addition of her character is anything but a mere cameo. Her interactions with Tony, the Jets, and her beautifully heartbreaking rendition of ‘Somewhere’ serve as a constant reminder of the cycle of conflict that has been poisoning the Upper West Side. Off-screen, the actress was also signed on as an executive producer, acting as one of the many Puerto Ricans Spielberg and Kushner worked with to truly flesh out the culture which had not been done justice in prior adaptations.
Through working with Puerto Rican dancers, actors, and singers, one of the major changes added to the script was the addition of Spanish dialogue which was not subtitled. Spielberg himself added “If I subtitled the Spanish I’d simply be doubling down on the English and giving English the power over the Spanish. This was not going to happen in this film, I needed to respect the language enough not to subtitle it.” There, is where the political undercurrents of the film truly shine. In the film’s opening sequence, the Jets vandalise a mural of the Puerto Rican flag. The set design featured depictions of the light blue Puerto Rican flag rather than the later revised dark blue flag, a change which although subtle, is a clear example of the oppression faced by American rules, as the Puerto Rican flag was changed to better match the colours of the American flag. Though the story’s original author Arthur Laurents had once said that “because of our own bias and the cultural conventions of 1957, it was almost impossible for the characters in ‘West Side Story’ to have authenticity”, Spielberg’s small yet vastly meaningful changes contribute greatly to telling this story in a new light, one which adds social commentary to the forefront in an ever-relevant conversation about racial bias.
West Side Story often had its flaws, namely a lack of complex characters and the risk of stereotyping. On the Jets side, the most obvious perpetrator of this is Tony, a role which many argue never had that much intrigue despite being the musical’s protagonist. In an attempt to elevate his character, Kushner gave Tony the backstory of having just got out of jail. His internal conflict is a microcosm of the entire conflict throughout the play–the fight between loyalty. A fleshing out of Tony’s character led to further exploration of the other supporting and minor characters throughout the movie, including the non-binary character Anybodys and their desire to fit in, Valentina’s backstory which “is 25 pages long,” according to Kushner, and the two gangs. Spielberg wanted to enhance the threat which led to the Jets and Sharks fight for the Upper West Side, so he and Kushner looked into the demolition and relocation of homes in the West Side in preparation for building the Lincoln Center. This new outlook allows them to create a sense of sympathy for both sides, as “all of these kids—Jets and Sharks—were subjected to that upheaval. These kids are fighting for territory that’s disappearing before their eyes.”
Characters and plot changes aside, Spielberg’s mastery behind the camera alone breathes new life into the film. His decision to set the ‘America’ sequence outdoors with characters dressed in vibrant frilly dresses dancing in the streets of the Upper West truly allowed the filmmaker to show off his skills. The dynamic camera style and the breathtaking visuals best capture the action of seeing the performance on a stage, whilst also being able to capture a grittier tone regarding the heavier themes explored, using technology that would not have been available in the 1960s.
So, was it all good? Of course, the elephant in the room is Ansel Elgort’s controversies and while I am defending this movie, his performance is low on my favorites regardless of his allegations. In order to execute this movie in a way that proves to audiences that this remake was worthy of existing, Spielberg had to cast triple threats–those that could sing, dance, and act all in one. Whether it is a newcomer and now fast-rising star Rachel Zegler, Oscar winter Ariana DeBose, Broadway star David Alvarez, or fan favorite Mike Faist, everyone delivered–except one. Compared to all the powerhouse performances, Elgort’s character Tony still feels lacking on a second watch, even with the new depth added to his character.
West Side Story’s initial success was largely due to the musical’s retelling of the ever-popular Romeo and Juliet through a spectacle of dance, song, and expressing culture, adding a modern twist to the classic. Now, through Spielberg’s reimagining, the legendary filmmaker takes the story a step closer to becoming one that everyone can appreciate, regardless of race and bias. Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story proves that not all movie adaptations will disconnect the audience from the beauty of cinema, and when done right, can unite viewers, somewhere, somehow.
Sources
Rujmy, Jordan “Quentin Tarantino Says Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’ “Should Have Won the Oscar” World of Reel 28 Feb, 2024
Collinge, Miranda “Is Steven Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’... Better Than the Original Film?” Esquire 2 Mar, 2022
Lee, Ashley “Commentary: Spielberg tried to save ‘West Side Story’. But its history makes it unsalvageable” Los Angeles Times 12 Dec, 2021
Salisbury, Mark “How Steven Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’ reimagined the classic musical for the 21st century” Screen Daily 11 Mar, 2022
“Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner’s Fresh Take on ‘West Side Story’” The Walt Disney Company 10 Dec, 2021
Stockly, Ed “Feedback: In defense of Steven Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’” Los Angeles Times 21 Jan, 2022
Comments