That stinging lyric of love was put into music sixty years ago and hasn’t lost its power or pain. I watched Steven Spielberg’s new adaptation of West Side Story this weekend, which harnesses the conveying power of art with astonishing completeness. It uplifts, heals, and enchants minds, hearts, and eyes, all consumed daily by a news feed that ignites hope and lives with a seemingly inconceivable malice. can be cured.
I have photographed Leonard Bernstein so many times, and have always loved his company, including the sheer randomness of his mood. Camera is always ready with Lenny! His benevolent spirit can manifest itself in the most abrupt, spontaneous and worthy manner. I always call him the conductor, out of respect. And I always know, I always stand in the glory of genius.
I grew up with these songs. How could anyone create this music in their head? How can you take the ancient themes of love, loss, need for acceptance, human pride and desperate yearning for a place in this world, and wrap the notes around it all? The music is filled with hate, the energy of a street carnival, the subtle pause of new-found love and dramatic harbingers of some doom. How does the score pack the instant catalytic punch even though it is bound to an operational approach conceived in the 50s? It feels new and necessary again.
Combined with Sondheim’s lyrics, the soundtrack incorporates new dance moves and is superbly rendered (original 1961 film directed by sublime choreographer Jerome Robbins) and exquisite production design. . Beautiful nuances and emotional detail are all captured with evocative lighting and angles by peerless cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, who once said, “I think there’s more to cinema than it is. about cameras and film stock. It’s like talking to a costume designer about the type of sewing machine they use.” Make me laugh.
The lyrics, these days in raw language, may seem corny to some, but to me, they haven’t lost their sense of humor or wit. When the Jets and the Sharks go head to head, the mood and pitch of the music can be as dangerous as a dark alley, then soar to confrontation and climax, while the chanted lyrics feature an angry snap of their fingers. of a trap bear. As songs surround Tony and Maria, the words and notes will sublimate, like the delicate strings of a plant searching for light. Their love will find no nourishment or tolerance on the shabby streets they walk.
For me, this is Spielberg witnessing his incredible skills. Genius is a word commonly used in our culture today…. but this To be things of genius. This is an emotional vaporizer. And gifts of gifts! Rita Moreno is back on camera as Valentina. She won an Oscar for her role as Anita in 1962, and now Spielberg has wisely chosen her as the voice of experience and grace. She is extremely lovable, and possesses a melancholy mind. She holds the camera. Thankfully, it knows how to linger. Her shop, Tony’s hideout, is luminescent, gorgeous, and brightly lit.
Spielberg describes it as a movie he had to make. Now. “The divide between like-minded people is as old as time,” he said in an interview.
Like time itself…. yes, yes, but now hatred and fear have been metastasized by the immediacy of the internet. Fire broke out in Ukraine. Exclusion, hate and disregard for difference have emerged globally.
Responded by Ami Vitale, Nat Geo photographers of all times have offered prints for lightning discounts, to be done quickly. 100% of profits go to Direct Relief for medical assistance in Ukraine. This is link… ..
And…. Give your heart and eyes a rest. Turn off the news, even for a short while. Hear and look at Western Tales. Call it respite from the storm, call it the power of art. Let’s call it a good movie. Let the music, the lyrics, the generosity, the innocence, and the healing nature of love, the resignation but the power shine, take you away, if only for a little while.
More tk….
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