West Side Story
First up in our series of movies that inspired or are referenced by “La La Land,” we have “West Side Story”. In an interview with choreographer Mandy Moore, it’s revealed that the “I Feel Pretty” sequence directly inspired a number in “La La Land.” The are other areas where this 1961 Best Picture winner influenced Damien Chazelle as well. Let’s take a look at “West Side Story.”
Out of all the movie musicals I’ve never seen (a large number), West Side Story seems the most familiar to me. It’s been parodied so many times in film and on TV, and just seems to be such a part of the fabric of pop culture history, that as I watched the opening sequence, it did not seem new to me at all. I didn’t do any research prior to watching it, but I felt like I was a long way from going in blind. I believe this helped to set my expectations a bit. I knew at least in some capacity what I was getting into.
This film is viewed as a classic by many, and while I wouldn’t hesitate to call it iconic, after watching I’m not sure I would describe it as a classic film. Like a lot of movie musicals, I feel like this probably plays better on a stage. For whatever reason, less is more when it comes to sets for these productions. A lot more is left to the imagination on stage. On screen, the details are much more fleshed out, and more often than not this detracts from the experience for me, even though I can’t quite put my finger on exactly why.
The story is timeless, of course; it’s hard to argue that something based on a Shakespeare work isn’t. It’s a brilliant way to update Romeo & Juliet: racial tensions between gangs in New York City? Perfect. And as much as that worked for the 50s and 60s, it fits just as well today. So the story isn’t the problem here.
As far as this particular production, though, there are parts that just don’t hold up. The score, which underscores every dramatic moment, is overbearing, though not any more so of anything else of that era. But some of the dialog, and especially the acting, make this thing feel more like a romp than a tragic love story. This is mostly corrected though, after the last musical number, when Anita goes to the soda shop and Tony thinks his lady love is already a goner. (Oh, what is her name again? I wish they would’ve made it more clear…) Despite this thing being 50+ years old, the ending felt totally vital to me.
From a musical standpoint, some of the numbers work incredibly well (the whole opening sequence, “America”), and some feel more like fluff (“I Feel Pretty” anyone?). The only one I really didn’t like was “Gee, Officer Krupke”, which had to have seemed like a total cornball number in 1962, let alone today.
For me, the best part of the film was the use of color by directors Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. The school dance sequence is a great illustration of this. The room is a passionate red, underscoring the high emotions of both sides. The Jets are dressed in blues and neutrals, The Sharks in reds and purples. And then there’s Maria, decked out in her virginal white dress, apart from everyone else, but with a red sash around her waist, lest we forget what side she’s on.
Aside from the costuming, there’s a lot of colorful light being cast on the characters throughout. Some examples:
As far as suggestive shots go, this one isn’t exactly subtle. Kneeling together, Maria in a veil, a cross in the window, and a golden light shining down from above. Surely, that light means these kids are blessed and are going to make it, right?!
Well, shit. This light seems to be sending a very different, very clear message of what’s about to come.
And to be honest, I’m not sure what the colors here are conveying, but it’s a cool shot nonetheless. But just moments before, we get this with our two lovers:
Yeah, here we’re clearly looking at our couple through bars. Quite a change for them since their pseudo-wedding at the shop.
Overall, the color and lighting form a great stylistic theme, and that theme makes this a pleasant and more engaging experience. It’s a nice counter-balance to some of the elements I felt didn’t work so well in the film, and it’s also the area where the film’s influence can be most directly felt in “La La Land.” Chazelle uses colorful lights even more intensely in his production, to wonderful effect.
After taking a look at these screen shots, can we talk about our lovely Maria? I know she’s smitten and all, but don’t you think a decent person would maybe wait more than about seven minutes after finding out about her brother’s death before sleeping with ANYONE, let alone the guy that killed him? Is that asking too much? And Tony is a good-looking guy, and must’ve seemed like a level-headed, good-natured guy amongst a sea of punks. But on the other hand, he went from trying to break up a fight to stabbing a guy in about 10 seconds. I’m not trying to be just be an ass here, but these aren’t a pair I felt myself exactly rooting for throughout this story. I felt the gangs as a whole were much more compelling than the two members at their respective centers. I’m sure casting Natalie Wood as Maria didn’t help that dynamic, at least for someone like me watching through a modern lens. I know this is the way things worked back then (and still do to some degree today, unfortunately), but Natalie Wood was about as close to being a Latina as I am.
(Just another random thought here, related to our main couple: watching the scene of Tony and Maria lying in bed together, I was struck by the difference between the early 60s and even a few years prior, when there was no earthly chance that scene would’ve made it in the film. But I digress.)
There were a number of other cool shots and sequences throughout the film, including the gangs making their entrances before the rumble and the superb pullback shot as the Jets are running towards the camera in the parking garage during “Cool”. But perhaps my favorite shot in the film is a relatively small moment, when Tony is wandering the streets, thunderstruck by his encounter with Maria at the dance:
I love the green light that bathes the shot, a stark contrast to all the red throughout the rest of the film. And I love the wide angle shot and how it places Tony alone on the street, not a care in the world, lost in his newfound infatuation.
Overall, I’m glad I could scratch this one off my list, if only so I won’t have to feel like a fraud the next time I vaguely recognize a parody and have to act like I know the source material. The acting, the score, some of the musical numbers? Maybe not my favorite. But the lighting and cinematography are definitely admirable, and there were enough directorial flourishes to make this a memorable, if not totally classic, entry in the movie musical genre to me.
