Beauty Break: To Rita Moreno on her 90th Birthday
Saturday, December 11, 2021 at 3:50PM by Nathaniel R
Today marks 90 years since the blessed birth of the legendary EGOT winner Rita Moreno. With Steven Spielberg's West Side Story remake upon us in theaters, the trailblazing Puerto Rican star is back in the spotlight. Not that light hasn't always followed her.... hell, emanated from her. Are we laying it on thick? Who cares, she deserves it!
As faithful readers know, the original West Side Story (1961) is my all time favourite so it was hard not to be skeptical / worried about the remake. Naturally then, the new rendition is taking me a bit of time to process but, in short, though some of the raves are hyperbolic, the movie is mostly a thrill. Of its many pleasures, the one that we most emphatically co-sign was uttered by Rita Moreno herself who said...
Whether or not you've seen the movie, you probably know that Rita has taken over the "Doc" character from the original, with the character reconceived as the widow of the shop owner, a Puerto Rican who married a white man when she was young, and thus occupies neutral territory in the turf battle between the Jets and the Sharks, with both groups accepting her. This new ripple, fully attributed to Mark Harris (screenwriter Tony Kushner's husband) is a brilliant stroke. It pays dividends thematically and even bigger rewards in the cultural space that belongs to Rita Moreno alone, as the bridge between the original and the remake; she's essential to both films and remains a national treasure. The film gifts her with a plaintiff version of the classic love song "Somewhere" which takes on fresh meaning in her now elderly beloved voice. You could argue that she's best in show again.
To celebrate her 90th birthday, enjoy a gallery of this lovely actress, starting with images from the original film, rehearsals, release, the Oscars, and anniversaries.
and as Valentina in the new film...
Other Projects
ONE DAY AT A TIME (2017-2020)
SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)
GARDEN OF EVIL (1954)
THE RITZ (1976)
CARNAL KNOWLEDGE (1971)
ELECTRIC COMPANY (1971-1977)
LATIN LOVERS (1953)
CRY OF BATTLE (1963)
THE KING AND I (1956)
OZ (1997-2003)
NINE TO FIVE (1982 -sitcom spinoff)
CATTLE TOWN (1952)
PHOTO-SHOOTS
We hope you're having a Rita-riffic weekend. And here's to Rita Moreno outliving every other Oscar winner!
Reader Comments (5)
I think the movie is a technical improvement over the original but didn't offer anything new. It's just as outdated. A huge missed opportunity to update or flesh out the story. Why not make the gangs black and latino? Or make the love between Maria and Tony believable and explore it more? Spielberg did nothing new. Rita is flawless in the original but in the remake she was meh, and her version of Somewhere is not good. The only standouts in terms of acting were Riff and Anita. Everyone sings beautifully, though. If you're not familiar with the original or the musical then I'd recommend it, otherwise I find it pointless.
IMDb lists over 200 various screen versions (features, shorts, TV episodes, TV movies, operas, ballets, gender flips etc) of Romeo and Juliet between 1900 and 2021, so I'm good with two versions of West Side Story, 50 years apart.
I think she'll receive her second Oscar nomination in February of next year for her lovely work as Valentina in WSS 60 (!!) years after her win.
@Nathaniel, co-sign everything about this. West Side has always been my #1 fave in really all media and the fact that the new version comes in, at the very least, as a relief to my fears about it is wonderful. And that so much of it, including the thoughtfully reconceived role of Doclentina and Rita’s tremendous performance, is delightful? A miracle. What a fascinating career and a LEGEND of the screen.
Rita Moreno is the one of my favourite American actress and dancer. She is also an good singer and I love their songs. And the reason of my comment is here to appreciate this lady. I always listening to their songs to manage Anxiety and Stress During my Exams.