CULTURE
By Sister Rose Pacatte, FSP
Sister Rose’s
SHORT LIST FOR THE
OSCARS
Belfast
CODA West Side Story The Power of the Dog Spencer
?
WANT MORE? Visit our website: StAnthonyMessenger.org
F
ifty years after Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise’s cinematic interpretation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Steven Spielberg presents a gritty, luminous new rendering that transports us, once again, to the Lincoln Square neighborhood on Manhattan’s West Side of the late 1950s. The Jets are a White gang, led by Riff (Mike Faist). The Puerto Rican gang, the Sharks, is led by Bernardo (David Alvarez), a boxer. As their neighborhood is being demolished around them to make room for the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and new high-rise apartment buildings, the gangs “rumble” for territory and dominance. The cops, led by Officer Krupke and Detective Schrank, are a constant presence in their lives. The inexperienced María (Rachel Zegler) attends a dance at the local gym with Chino (Josh Andrés Rivera), her brother, Bernardo, and his girlfriend, Anita (Ariana DeBose). The Jets and Sharks dance off in a choreographed battle. But things heat up when Tony (Ansel Elgort), a former Shark who is now on probation after a year in prison, shows up at Riff ’s insistence and sees María. They are immediately attracted to one another and agree to get together the next afternoon. Meanwhile, the two gangs agree to meet for a rumble. Riff and some of his gang members buy a gun. Tony, who was given a home and a job at the drugstore by Valentina (Rita Moreno), warns him to stay away from the Jets. When Tony tells María about the rumble, she begs him not to go, but Tony thinks he can stop it from happening. But the best of intentions and young love cannot prevent violence and the inevitable deaths to follow. West Side Story runs a little too long at 156 minutes, but what struck me is how relevant the story still is. It’s a tale of star-crossed lovers in a changing world where there is a great deal of instability, social upheaval, distrust in the authorities, and violence fueled by racism. With few opportunities and little access to education, hope is the most precious commodity on the West Side. In this version, it is Valentina who sings the song “Somewhere,” voicing hope in tired, heartbreaking tones. She sings for all who come to America for a better life, while asking those already here to make room for immigrants and those on the margins. Her understated performance in a role created just for her (she won an Academy Award for playing Anita in the 1961 version) deserves a nomination. Zegler’s María is stunning, while Faist’s Riff is the most compelling character.
A-3, PG-13 • Strong violence, some language, suggestive material.
42 • February 2022 | StAnthonyMessenger.org
BEING THE RICARDOS: COURTESY AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES; THE UNFORGIVABLE: COURTESY NETFLIX
Sister Rose is a Daughter of St. Paul and the founding director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies. She has been the awardwinning film columnist for St. Anthony Messenger since 2003 and is the author of several books on Scripture and film, as well as media literacy education.
WEST SIDE STORY
LEFT: COURTESY SISTER ROSE PACATTE, FSP/MIKE BLAKE/REUTERS; WEST SIDE STORY: COURTESY TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION
Sister Rose Pacatte, FSP
