ElMaruecan82
"West Side Story" is unanimously regarded as one of the all-time greatest cinematic romances yet when we think of Tony and Maria, there isn't much imagery to come to mind, except for the Cinderella-like thunderbolt and the Shakespearian conclusion. Apart from that, the two modern 'Romeo & Juliet' never shine as well as they interact with their respective circle, instead of each other. As Tony, Richard Beymer, who's not given the meatiest role anyway, is more appealing as the ex-Jets leader desperately trying to talk the two rival gangs into peace, and Natalie Wood is irresistible as the enamored Puerto-Rican nubile, feeling so confidently pretty, witty and gay, and strong enough to defy her overly protective brother Bernardo.The love story is here and it is as pure and touching as the two idealistic lovers, but ironically, their interaction tends to slow down a narrative that is more excitingly driven by the hateful passion inhabiting the two gangs. Even the romantic songs are objectively forgettable when compared to the iconic "America" or the climactic "Tonight", even the dialogues are never as sharp and biting as when they're used in the very context of a confrontation. The romance is so overshadowed by the cinematic appeal of the rivalry that I'm wondering if "West Side Story", while not the best love story, might be the best hate story ever.For instance, take the two Oscar-winning roles: Rita Moreno who played Anita and George Shakiris as Bernardo, both Puerto-Rican. These are the characters that stuck to mind because they reflect the contradictions within immigrants, both strike as traditional people in their mindset but they live in lust and transgression, so much for their Catholic background and Family values. And there is a reason why Anita only half disapproves Maria's liaison, and why the most defining song is "America". Indeed, the catchiness of the refrain, the wit of the lyrics, Leonard Bernstein bombastic rhythm all elevates the scene to the same iconic status as "Singin' in the Rain" or "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". Ironically, the song doesn't even drive the story, it's just a parenthesis revealing a gender-related shift within the ethnic one.The conflict is also between boys and girls and this is a very relevant statement about emigration, as it's common knowledge that women are more enthusiastic to embrace freedom while men, coming from patriarchal cultures, are embittered over losing their authority, let alone for Whites. This is a social relevance that foresees more serious dramas about racial tensions, like Spike Lee's "Do The Right Thing" or "Jungle Fever". And when you think about it, which other movies comes to your mind when you think of Puerto Rico? Now, where does the heat come from? For Anita, it's just about guys having to let something out, according to the cops, they're just hoodlums, according to Doc, the candy store owner, these are the youth that will make the world lousy. According to the mainly concerned ones, they're just being misunderstood. What they all can agree about is that violence is inevitable.To those who blame emigration, the film indicates an often overlooked point, it is more a generational thing, immigrants mostly consist on young people, young men whose disoriented behavior is more likely to tend toward violence when mixed with poverty. These are the roots of violence and adds the generational gap to the gender and ethnic one. And I maintain that this is one of the greatest hate stories, even more because you can hardly make hatred or war appealing, but this is where the music has the edge over the story. The film was directed by two men: Robert Wise for the drama and Jerome Robbins for the dance choreographs but there's more to admire in Robbins' direction because he really had a way with the music.And "West Side Story" is certainly one of the best on that level, a vast project that took months of rehearsal and that, for the first time, used the urban landscape of New York as an area of artistic expression of a troubled youth and an energetic and energizing dancing never seen before, a sort of musical tagging on Hollywood walls. Violent moments were shot like graceful poetry while poetical lyrics conveyed hotness and coolness, in all the meaning of the words. Of course, here and there, you get some dated exchanged, the whole "chicken" jokes are a bit redundant, but the use of violence was still risqué, not to mention some sexual innuendo, and till know, I believe one of the most sensual moments of American Cinema is Anita putting her stocking and say that she's going to have her kicks… and have her private mix tonight, under the red lighting that leaves no doubt about the tragedy to comes.Love vs. Hate, men vs. women, young vs. old, Jets vs. Sharks, Robbins vs. Wise, "West Side Story" is constantly driven by binary forces, there are always two "sides" of the story, no pun intended and generally, there's one of them slightly superior to the other on a technical level, but never disposable as everything has its purpose. And the conclusion of the film, while predictable, because of the Shakespearian narrative, leaves you stunned by the incongruous power of silence. The prophecy has been fulfilled, the kids indeed made the world lousy. And Maria, like a Virgin Mary whose red dress is like spilled by all the bloodshed, blindly curses the haters and mourns her Anton, achieving the genesis of one of the all-time romances.I know I said it wasn't necessary the best, but given that it's one of the best musical ever that happen to be a romance, there was no way we could ever forget Tony and Maria, an iconic couple by proxy, but iconic nonetheless.
