What did Spielberg keep and what did he update when reviving the West Side Story?

In America, there are no subtitles for Spanish lines.

The main focus of this West Side Story is on the portrayal of race and gender. Anybodies, a female character from the original who wants to join the Jets, is clearly filled with the desire to become a man, and this time the role was entrusted to transgender actor Iris Menace. In the United States, where there is debate over actors who are not LGBTQ+ playing LGBTQ+ roles, this choice can be said to reflect the trends of the times. However, the topic of gender was not explored in any greater depth. This was probably due to the risk of deviating from the original development.

On the other hand, regarding the film's central theme of racial issues, the amount of Spanish was significantly increased in order to realistically portray the characters of Puerto Rican descent. Although the songs used are unchanged from the original, one new song has been added, ` `La Borinquena' ', which is in Spanish. This song was sung in 1868 for Puerto Rico's independence, and was prohibited by law at the time. When the Sharks sang it, their patriotic spirit for Puerto Rico was strongly expressed.

“West Side Story” (C) 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Regarding this portrayal of Puerto Rico, director Spielberg and the production team sought detailed advice from a Puerto Rican expert living in New York. David Alvarez, who plays Bernardo from the Sharks, is of Cuban descent, Ariana DeBose, who plays Anita, has a Puerto Rican father, and Rachel Zegler, who plays Bernardo's sister Maria, has a Colombian mother.

Spanish was used in the 1961 film as well, but the amount used this time is nothing like that. What is surprising is that the Spanish was not subtitled in English when it was released in the US. It is common practice, not just in the US, to add subtitles to lines in a foreign language mixed with the local language. However, the production team of "West Side Story" refused to do this. In other words, they wanted the audience to accept the words of the people living there as they were. Even if there are parts that are difficult to understand, that is what makes it real.

“West Side Story” (C) 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Initially, the production team requested that the version released in Japan not have subtitles for the Spanish lines. However, Walt Disney Japan decided that there would be many parts that would be incomprehensible to Japanese people, and after some negotiations, it was decided that most of the Spanish lines would be subtitled in Japanese. This is because, while in America, there are some opportunities to hear Spanish on a daily basis, this is rare in Japan.

The reason Spielberg gave such detailed consideration to the way races are depicted is that, even now, more than 60 years after the original was created, the ``divisions'' in the world have not disappeared, and in fact, they have become deeper. Probably because I wanted to. Originally, this is a masterpiece that should have been updated in more ways than one, but it was important to present it to today's audience in its original form. West Side Story proves that the world has not learned that much.

Interview and text: Hiroaki Saito

Became freelance in 1997, contributing movie reviews and interview articles to various media such as movie magazines, theater pamphlets, and movie sites. The column is constantly updated on Yahoo! News.

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"West Side Story"

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