SIFF Review: On Seeing West Side Story for the First Time

White Tank Top is a West Side Story-Virgin No More

I’m now convinced that West Side Story is the second best update of Romeo and Juliet ever (the first is, of course, Taylor Swift’s “Love Story”). 

 If only I hadn’t watched the musical thinking about Elvis the whole time. This is Seattle Times critic Misha Berson’s fault. She’s writing a book on West Side Story and one of the nuggets she shared with us in her introduction is that Mr. Presley was the studio’s first choice to play Tony. With all due respect to Richard Beymer, every time I saw him I thought of Elvis. Though maybe with Robert Wise directing, Jerome Robbins choreographing, Leonard Bernstein composing and Stephen Sondheim providing the lyrics, the biggest stars were always behind the camera.

Read the full review after the jump.

And what a film they made. Seeing it for the first time, I was startled by the millennial modernity. The Jets’ skinny pants and cheap jackets are straight off the racks of Urban Outfitters — I pictured hipsters across Capitol Hill swooning at each of Riff’s new outfits. Just like today, the Puerto Ricans are inexplicably just as good as Americans at balletic international basketball. Plus, the film has loads of street art for Banksy fans and cunning new steps for parkour enthusiasts.    

On the other hand, there are those anachronistic racial tensions and strict boundaries enforced by profiling police officers — thank God we’ve fixed those problems in America! Wait…

While the dancing, from the Jets’ first stroll through the projects, is splendid, there are some nice directorial touches that make film version of West Side Story special. Overhead shots of the city emphasize the trapped, ants-in-an-ant-farm feel of life for the rival gangs.  I loved the cut from Maria spinning into a red hourglass figure in her room straight to another dancer whirling on the floor downstairs. The way Wise turned a dress shop with a small window into a church, complete with stained glass and a mannequin bridal party was masterful.

Though Anita (Rita Moreno) gets the lioness’ share of the best lines (“What am I, cut glass?”), I’d be remiss not to mention Maria’s (Natalie Wood) sensible admonishment to an excited Tony: “When you come, use the back door.”  This drew some titters from the crowd (okay, maybe just me).

In the battle of the songs I have to give the edge to the Sharks for “America,” on the strength of the lyrics alone (“Life is all right in America / If you're a white in America”). Bernardo (George Chakiris) is a revelation in a black pencil tie, purple shirt and black jacket with matching purple lining. “America” also generated the most spontaneous audience applause in our screening, perhaps because the Sharks are just a little bit cooler.

I’m so glad the movie could solve some of life’s mysteries for me. West Side Story is the reason people snap their fingers together in unison when trying to be faux-intimidating. And this film is the genesis of the chicken dances the Bluths do to goad each other on Arrested Development. 

In the end, I had to join some others in the audience in getting a little sniffly. West Side Story tells my favorite story, and tells it well.

See what's on tonight by reading the SIFF 2010 guide, available online.