What to make of Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story,” set to screen in Los Angeles next Monday night. If you’ve read my 10.27.21 piece titled 'West Side Story' Plagued By Studio Fears of Backlash, you know just how nervous Disney is with this movie, in terms of Ansel Elgort and the Latinx representation.
Let’s not talk about that, for a moment. What interests me most is whether we have a rejuvenated Spielberg with this film. I actually find Spielberg became a better, more refined, filmmaker as he aged into his 60s. The craft and masterful storytelling between 1998 and 2006 ("Saving Private Ryan," "Munich," "Minority Report," "AI," "Catch Me If You Can," and "War of the Worlds") at times exceeded his, mostly, brilliant work from the '70s and '80s.
However, something changed post-2005 as he switched his style into more talky, slow-burning dramas ("Lincoln," “The Post,” "Bridge of Spies" “War Horse”). Spielberg seemed to be going for old-fashioned Hollywood craftsmanship. I like to think of this as the Victor Fleming/Howard Hawks phase of his career, both his cinematic idols.
Now at 71-years of age, Spielberg will release the Tony Kushner-penned remake of the classic musical “West Side Story.” Oh, boy. What a risk. However, judging by the footage we’ve seen so far of it, Spielberg looks re-energized. Revitalized. Something has sprung back up inside him. Is his cinematic mojo back?
I don’t think I’ve spoken to anyone who hasn’t been, at the very least, intrigued with the “West Side Story” trailer. On-paper, it sounds like a terrible idea, but watching some of these sneak peeks has made me more comfortable with the idea that Spielberg may have something special here.
Of course, basing this opinion purely on marketing is semi-foolish. The film is 156 minutes long, it is based on a story we all know quite well, not to mention the ‘61 film is partly based on “Romeo and Juliet.” It’ll be interesting to see how this goes with critics on Monday.
This is the adaptation of the nonfiction book by Dan Schilling and Lori Longfritz. It wrapped production in February and has been in post-production ever since. The film test-screened a few months ago.