03 April 2018
DAN101-1001
Prof E Allen
University of Nevada, Reno
Spring 2018 04A18
James Langelle
Once an Immigrant, Always an Immigrant
On the streets at night in major US cities such as Los Angeles, New Orleans or New York City, one can easily relate to why West Side Story (1961) was filmed in the latter. Whether the upper East Side, Off Broadway, the Garment District, Greenwich Village, Chinatown, the Bowery or Wall Street, the film captures the essence of the city. In particular, it emphasizes the cultural conflict in the poor side of town and the conflict that ensues. It would have been too easy to simply make another juvenile delinquent film such as Blackboard Jungle (1955) or King Creole (1958), where the principal characters are portrayed as hoodlums, not so in the case of West Side Story. It’s a musical, it’s a love story, a cultural statement and a step, a dance step, backwards in time, to an era where complications of young adulthood were translated into style. Beginning with the choreography and ending with Leonard Bernstein’s musical score, the film is a celluloid masterpiece, never to be an anachronism, a throwback, as many from the era are. Daylight opens the film, but that doesn’t last long, the rest of the film takes place in the dark on the streets of midtown Manhattan where, as we learn when the “rumble” is agreed upon in the soda shop, there are familiar places such as “the park,” “the river,” and “under the highway.”
Dancing and singing their way toward a tragic ending, the youth of the Caucasian Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks find themselves in a conflict with no resolution, with only one objective, to maintain control over their turf. From the beginning, in dance scene after dance sequence, the two opposing forces seek to establish hegemony on the basketball court, in the gymnasium at the dance, the soda shop, the alleyways and on the rooftops. Superbly executed, all of the dance performances are intertwined into the plot, which actually seems to settle the film down and make it credible. Opening with initial contact in broad daylight on the basketball court, the Jets and the Sharks square off in choreographic precision followed by some open street confrontations that exemplify Russ Tamblyn’s (Riff) gymnastic skills. A signature dance gesture incorporated by both of the gangs is finger snapping, both for rhythm in step, but also as a signal to move or in some cases to inform a persona non grata to get lost, or “beat it.” The Jets hatch a plot to goad the Sharks into a “rumble” even as the plot unfolds that will match the Jets’ Tony with Maria, the sister of the Sharks gang leader, at the dance. The gymnasium dance sequence begins with a rather unorthodox roundabout with the ladies in an inner circle and the men on the outside. The idea was to allow intermingling of the rivals, but it didn’t work out that way. Following an awkward moment, the Sharks family breaks out into the mambo and it is countered by a Jets performance, reduced ultimately to the gang leaders and their dance partners. Although playing second fiddle to Maria (Natalie Wood), the captivating Anita (Rita Moreno) steals the show, not just once, but many times over as the film progresses. Following the kiss between Maria and Tony on the dance floor, the plot unhatches forcing the two rival gangs into a showdown.
Tony introduces the number “Maria” on the street, meets up with Maria on the fire escape and f the two lovers feature the memorable song “Tonight.” In the meantime, on the Puerto Rican rooftop, Tony is called a “pollock” and the Sharks find themselves in lyrical gender battle with (I Like to Be in) “America.” Once again, Rita Moreno gives a stellar performance dropping one-liners like, “Once an immigrant, always an immigrant,” to her lover Bernardo (George Chakiris). The choreography here ranged from tap and shuffle from the 6 male counterparts, to can can Latina style from the 5 ladies. Waiting for the war council at Doc’s Candy Shop, the Jets are confronted by police Lt Schrank (Simon Oakland) and his patrolman sidekick, who becomes the object of the satirical “Officer Krupke” performance. The lyrics are without a doubt the best in the film, with a portrayal of the juvenile delinquents, JD’s, as victims of their upbringing and the culture.
Ultimately, the war council is set and here the decision is made to fight “under the highway.” It will become Tony’s responsibility to stop the rumble.
Following the Intermission, the dress shop number features Maria, in love, dancing and singing “I Feel Pretty” along with her Latina seamstresses after which she is visited by Tony and they decide he has to stop the rumble. But by then it is too late, the ethnic turmoil boils over under the highway and both gang leaders are killed in a knife fight, Bernardo by Tony himself. Following the loss of Riff, the new leader has to ease the panic of the others, who by now are completely ragged and grimy, and this is achieved in the garage sequence “Cool.” The next time Maria and Tony hook up, it’s in her apartment where they make love and are discovered by Anita. Their plan to run away together soon turns sour as Chino (Jose de Vega), Bernardo’s lieutenant in the gang, is out for revenge and looking to kill Tony. Once again, Rita Moreno is called into action and attempts to locate him at the candy shop, only to be almost sexually assaulted by the Jets before Doc breaks up the party. Her dazzling put-down of the Jets was too real. The lie that Maria had been killed by Chino is outed and when she reunites with Tony on the basketball court outside, Chino gets his revenge. Broken hearted Maria, filled with hate, makes an effort to vent her own anger at the gang members only to break down as the police arrive.
What can be said for a film that has withstood the test of time other than any attempt to imitate it has failed miserably throughout the years. Whether in screenwriting, set and costume design, musical composition or dance sequences, there is no, and never will be, substitute for authentic. It’s not necessarily about the musical at all, the dancing, singing and stage performances. It is about people, caught up in a hopeless situation where somebody had enough wisdom to create a lasting, memorable impression of a time many years ago that at the time, was relevant. There will never be another opportunity to present the struggle of youth in its formative years like that portrayed in West Side Story.
Prof E Allen
University of Nevada, Reno
Spring 2018 04A18
James Langelle
Once an Immigrant, Always an Immigrant
On the streets at night in major US cities such as Los Angeles, New Orleans or New York City, one can easily relate to why West Side Story (1961) was filmed in the latter. Whether the upper East Side, Off Broadway, the Garment District, Greenwich Village, Chinatown, the Bowery or Wall Street, the film captures the essence of the city. In particular, it emphasizes the cultural conflict in the poor side of town and the conflict that ensues. It would have been too easy to simply make another juvenile delinquent film such as Blackboard Jungle (1955) or King Creole (1958), where the principal characters are portrayed as hoodlums, not so in the case of West Side Story. It’s a musical, it’s a love story, a cultural statement and a step, a dance step, backwards in time, to an era where complications of young adulthood were translated into style. Beginning with the choreography and ending with Leonard Bernstein’s musical score, the film is a celluloid masterpiece, never to be an anachronism, a throwback, as many from the era are. Daylight opens the film, but that doesn’t last long, the rest of the film takes place in the dark on the streets of midtown Manhattan where, as we learn when the “rumble” is agreed upon in the soda shop, there are familiar places such as “the park,” “the river,” and “under the highway.”
Dancing and singing their way toward a tragic ending, the youth of the Caucasian Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks find themselves in a conflict with no resolution, with only one objective, to maintain control over their turf. From the beginning, in dance scene after dance sequence, the two opposing forces seek to establish hegemony on the basketball court, in the gymnasium at the dance, the soda shop, the alleyways and on the rooftops. Superbly executed, all of the dance performances are intertwined into the plot, which actually seems to settle the film down and make it credible. Opening with initial contact in broad daylight on the basketball court, the Jets and the Sharks square off in choreographic precision followed by some open street confrontations that exemplify Russ Tamblyn’s (Riff) gymnastic skills. A signature dance gesture incorporated by both of the gangs is finger snapping, both for rhythm in step, but also as a signal to move or in some cases to inform a persona non grata to get lost, or “beat it.” The Jets hatch a plot to goad the Sharks into a “rumble” even as the plot unfolds that will match the Jets’ Tony with Maria, the sister of the Sharks gang leader, at the dance. The gymnasium dance sequence begins with a rather unorthodox roundabout with the ladies in an inner circle and the men on the outside. The idea was to allow intermingling of the rivals, but it didn’t work out that way. Following an awkward moment, the Sharks family breaks out into the mambo and it is countered by a Jets performance, reduced ultimately to the gang leaders and their dance partners. Although playing second fiddle to Maria (Natalie Wood), the captivating Anita (Rita Moreno) steals the show, not just once, but many times over as the film progresses. Following the kiss between Maria and Tony on the dance floor, the plot unhatches forcing the two rival gangs into a showdown.
Tony introduces the number “Maria” on the street, meets up with Maria on the fire escape and f the two lovers feature the memorable song “Tonight.” In the meantime, on the Puerto Rican rooftop, Tony is called a “pollock” and the Sharks find themselves in lyrical gender battle with (I Like to Be in) “America.” Once again, Rita Moreno gives a stellar performance dropping one-liners like, “Once an immigrant, always an immigrant,” to her lover Bernardo (George Chakiris). The choreography here ranged from tap and shuffle from the 6 male counterparts, to can can Latina style from the 5 ladies. Waiting for the war council at Doc’s Candy Shop, the Jets are confronted by police Lt Schrank (Simon Oakland) and his patrolman sidekick, who becomes the object of the satirical “Officer Krupke” performance. The lyrics are without a doubt the best in the film, with a portrayal of the juvenile delinquents, JD’s, as victims of their upbringing and the culture.
Ultimately, the war council is set and here the decision is made to fight “under the highway.” It will become Tony’s responsibility to stop the rumble.
Following the Intermission, the dress shop number features Maria, in love, dancing and singing “I Feel Pretty” along with her Latina seamstresses after which she is visited by Tony and they decide he has to stop the rumble. But by then it is too late, the ethnic turmoil boils over under the highway and both gang leaders are killed in a knife fight, Bernardo by Tony himself. Following the loss of Riff, the new leader has to ease the panic of the others, who by now are completely ragged and grimy, and this is achieved in the garage sequence “Cool.” The next time Maria and Tony hook up, it’s in her apartment where they make love and are discovered by Anita. Their plan to run away together soon turns sour as Chino (Jose de Vega), Bernardo’s lieutenant in the gang, is out for revenge and looking to kill Tony. Once again, Rita Moreno is called into action and attempts to locate him at the candy shop, only to be almost sexually assaulted by the Jets before Doc breaks up the party. Her dazzling put-down of the Jets was too real. The lie that Maria had been killed by Chino is outed and when she reunites with Tony on the basketball court outside, Chino gets his revenge. Broken hearted Maria, filled with hate, makes an effort to vent her own anger at the gang members only to break down as the police arrive.
What can be said for a film that has withstood the test of time other than any attempt to imitate it has failed miserably throughout the years. Whether in screenwriting, set and costume design, musical composition or dance sequences, there is no, and never will be, substitute for authentic. It’s not necessarily about the musical at all, the dancing, singing and stage performances. It is about people, caught up in a hopeless situation where somebody had enough wisdom to create a lasting, memorable impression of a time many years ago that at the time, was relevant. There will never be another opportunity to present the struggle of youth in its formative years like that portrayed in West Side Story.