If any other director had said they were seeking to do a remake of one of the most beloved movie musicals of the last 100 years, they would have been told they were crazy to even undertake such an effort. West Side Story won 10 Oscars in the 1961, including Best Picture and a historic win for Rita Moreno for Best Supporting Actress. To say it was groundbreaking was the understatement of the century.
But this remake is helmed by Steven Spielberg and that alone sends the curiosity factor through the roof. It doesn’t matter the genre with the filmmaker, he triumphs. There is no doubt in my mind that his West Side Story will be a contender for Best Picture and every other award it qualifies for in 2022.
During the Oscars 2021, 20th Century Studios unveiled the teaser trailer for the film starring Rachel Zegler and Ansel Elgort, who portray those iconic star-crossed lovers Maria and Tony. Zegler is Latinx and Elgort is white, and each has a gang of souls that live to protect each other from each other. The subject matter, sadly, is still quite timely and to get Spielberg’s modern take on the classic musical defines the phrase must-see.
West Side Story started its journey to legend status in 1957 with its Broadway debut. It was penned by Arthur Laurents, icon Leonard Bernstein and another legend in Stephen Sondheim. They saw it as a modern day telling of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
Now with Spielberg at the helm, Elgert and Zegler passing puppy dog eyes while the stakes of their romance couldn’t be higher, West Side Story looks from the short teaser above, to be an early contender for Best Picture in 2022. Knowing that, the studio wisely chose to delay the release from this year of the pandemic to one where those astute viewers who adore the art of cinema, can sit in the dark with their fellow movie lovers and experience one of the greatest musical experiences that exists. Period.
Tony Kushner penned the script. He and Spielberg go back, the screenwriter wrote Lincoln for the icon, so there’s a shorthand there that cannot be missed, even from a short teaser trailer.
West Side Story also stars Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist, Corey Stoll, and Brian d’Arcy James. This time out, Spielberg is using actual Latino actors to play Latino characters. Something that wasn’t 100-percent back in 1957. Moreno also returns to the production that sent her career shooting to the stars as Valentina, a role altered from the “Doc” of the classic adaptation from the 60s. Her character provides help and guidance. She’s a set of ears to talk to and it appears that many of her students innately need someone non-judgmental to “guide” them through those crazy years called being a teenager.
Spielberg’s latest is currently scheduled for a December 10 release date. Of course, in this era of Covid-19, time will tell. But call me Mr. Optimistic because I have a feeling, we will be singing I Want to Live in America in theaters in the days leading up to Christmas.