Spielberg takes on West Side Story

By Gracen Harmon

Academy Award winning director, Steven Spielberg, has reimagined one of America’s beloved musicals, West Side Story.

From Broadway to the big screen, West Side Story has become one of the most popular musicals in the film and theater industries. Steven Spielberg decided to take onthe challenge of reintroducing the modern day story of Shakespear’s Romeo and Juliet to the twenty-first century. 

This 2021 film received four Golden Globes in 2022,including Best Picture for Musical/Comedy.

West Side Story takes place in 1950’s New York City when several Puerto Ricans came to the States. Our main focus is on the gang rivalry between the American Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks in Manhattan. 

Tony, an ex-Jet, falls in love at first sight with the Shark’s leader’s little sister, Maria. The lovers fight to keep their relationship strong as both sides battle to be the better one of the two. 

The original film,starring Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer, came out in 1961 and was based on the Broadway musical that opened in 1957. After its release in theaters, the movie received high praise from critics and viewers alike. The 2021 version stars actor Ansel Elgort as our love struck Tony, and actress Rachel Zegler as our young and naive Maria.

Spielberg is one of America’s well-known directors, creating some well known movies, including Back to the Future, E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial, Ready Player One, and many more. 

On the website West Side Story, Spielberg states, “This film is probably the most daunting of my career. West Side Story is arguably the greatest score ever written in the theater, and that’s not lost on any of us…But I believe that great stories should be told over and over again, in part to reflect different perspectives and moments in time into the work.” 

West Side Story can be streamed on Disney+ and HBOMax today.