{"id":5051888,"date":"2021-12-14T03:51:07","date_gmt":"2021-12-14T03:51:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/malatinonews.com\/?p=5051888"},"modified":"2021-12-14T03:51:07","modified_gmt":"2021-12-14T03:51:07","slug":"west-side-reboot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/2021\/12\/14\/west-side-reboot\/","title":{"rendered":"West Side Reboot"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I am an avid fan of movies. My favorite pastime is sitting down with some popcorn in front of a big or, increasingly,  small screen. So, as an amateur movie reviewer, I went into a Washington, D.C. preview of Steven Spielberg\u2019s \u201cWest Side Story\u201d reboot with a healthy mix of anticipation and skepticism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am also Puerto Rican. So given all the issues the original movie had depicting the Puerto Rican community (It had only one boricua cast member. One that was presented in a noticeably stereotypical way) I had to say to myself, \u201cwhy bother with this new version?\u201d It seemed like Hollywood was being lazy, just reusing cliches, instead of coming up with an original idea for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this is still \u201cWest Side Story.\u201d The original musical was laced with legendary — and fantastic — music and lyrics penned by icons of Broadway and Hollywood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So it was a very pleasant surprise to see what Spielberg and co. did with this new version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The opening scene explains what exactly happened to that West Side neighborhood in New York City. In real life, it was demolished to make way for Lincoln Center, which sparked the turf war between the Sharks and the Jets. While Mar\u00eda and Tony falling in love escalated tensions between the Sharks and the Jets, it was really the new development of the neighborhood that started pushing out lower-income Puerto Rican and Irish residents. The Sharks and Jets were left fighting over shrinking turf. That social frame is much clearer in the new version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Mar\u00eda’s character is much more fleshed-out this time around.  Rachel Zegler does a fine job in that role,  despite the forced accent her character is given. Even among all the Puerto Rican characters, no one but Mar\u00eda seems to have this grating accent. It was truly unnecessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

How many times will you hear “prieta,” “pendejo,” or the more obscure Puerto Rican slang “s\u00e1ngano” in a Hollywood movie?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Nonetheless, other accents in the film are far more authentic. The NYC Irish accents from the Jets and the \u201ccoppers\u201d (including a well done Officer Krumpke) are spot on, as is the Spanish slang from the Sharks and other Latino characters, many of whom were cast in Puerto Rico. How many times will you hear “prieta,” “pendejo,” or the more obscure Puerto Rican slang “s\u00e1ngano” in a Hollywood movie?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LIFE WITHOUT SUBTITLES<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In fact, none of that particular slang — or any of the Spanish dialogue for that matter \u2013 is conveyed via subtitles. Spielberg says this was intentional, so as not to \u201cgive English the power over Spanish.\u201d He wanted to \u201crespect the (Spanish) language enough not to subtitle it.\u201d It\u2019s certainly not the first time a movie doesn\u2019t include subtitles in non-English-speaking parts (\u201cThe Treasure of the Sierra Madre,\u201d way back in 1948, is one standout example).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life doesn\u2019t come with subtitles and people screaming \u201cSpeak English!\u201d as they do both in the movie and real life, is something speakers of Spanish (or any other language, no doubt) deal with day and night. As one moviegoer commented after the film: \u201cToo bad if they can\u2019t understand it. \u00a1Que aprendan!\u201d It definitely felt more authentic to hear dialogue without subtitles. I\u2019m guessing most people who would complain about that wouldn\u2019t bother with the movie anyway, and that\u2019s their loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/
Iterations of \u201cWest Side Story” have been hits on Broadway, film, and with some iconic tunes, on your parents\u2019 turntable.  <\/em>
Photo by Blueee77 via Shutterstock<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ariana DeBose of “Hamilton” fame does a fantastic job as Anita. Without giving too much away, the GOAT Rita Moreno, who played Anita in the 1961 film, runs a pharmacy\/soda shop in this version and steals the screen whenever she shows up. Her rendition of \u201cSomewhere,\u201d pulls at your heartstrings. Moreno, the first Latina (and Puerto Rican, specifically) to win an Academy Award for her work in the original movie, does more than enough to earn another nomination this time around. Now, wouldn\u2019t that be something? Moreno winning another Oscar, exactly 60 years later, for a role in a remake of the same movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The film\u2019s good cinematography is expected from director Steven Spielberg, as are the depictions of 1950s New York City, from the Gimbels department store (RIP) and the subway trains, to the cars on the street and the smallest of period details. The First Communion snapshot with the reddish-brownish hue is typical of nightstand photos back then. Familiar too are the bedspreads and Formica kitchen tables in Anita, Bernardo, and Mar\u00eda’s apartment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/
Acclaimed filmmaker Steven Spielberg helmed the new version of \u201cWest Side Story.\u201d Rita Moreno, who won an Oscar for her performance in the 1961 film, returns as executive producer and portrays a new character, Valentina.  Photo by Niko Tavernise via 20th Century Fox and The Hollywood Archive<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I remember a comment my mother would always make about the moment that convinced her the original film was a complete fabrication of the community: when Tony arrives at Mar\u00eda\u2019s apartment building and starts calling her name from the street. \u201cNo one says anything, no one comes to the window to say shut the hell up? And in a building full of Puerto Ricans, there\u2019s only one Mar\u00eda? C\u2019mon! my mother would say, laughing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll let you watch the new version to see how they really handle that. Guaranteed, it\u2019ll make you nod your head and laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE GUY WRITING<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

OK, I\u2019ll end this by airing just one more beef about the film. You can tell this was written by men. Were there any women in the room? There is absolutely no way Puerto Rican women would hang their underwear and bras on a clothesline outside the building and over an alley, for the world to see. No way! I\u2019ll guarantee those items were (as they often still are) hung on the pole in the bathroom shower, or laid on the radiators (especially in winter or you\u2019re in a rush).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spielberg and the producers included Latino community leaders both in the mainland United States and in Puerto Rico in the development of the movie. Several characters are portrayed by actors from the island. But there are still concerns over casting. Primarily, it\u2019s that Mar\u00eda is portrayed by a non-Puerto Rican actress (Zegler is the daughter of Colombian and Polish parents) and that DeBose is the only Afro-Latina or Latino in a major role. However, my informal survey of the complaints shows that the pointed criticisms are coming from folks who apparently have not yet seen the movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, you can see all this for yourselves soon enough. The film\u2019s public debut is upon us. My final opinion: The film generally delivers. You should give this one a chance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Patricia Guadalupe<\/strong> is a frequent contributing writer and editor for <\/em>palabra. She is a freelance journalist based in Washington, D.C. She writes for NBC Latino and Latino Magazine, and is the president of the D.C. chapter of NAHJ. Patricia is also an adjunct professor in the School of Communication at American University.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

West Side Reboot<\/a> was first published on .palabra<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Publisher’s Note: MA Latino News amplifies the work of others in elevating the visibility and voices of the Hispanic-Latino<\/em> community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s much to applaud in the new 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