Rita Moreno breathes life into new West Side Story
Photo ©Moira Jean Sullivan, Castro Theater, December 12, 2021 San Francisco Steven Spielberg decided to make an updated version of West Side Story several years ago and due to the pandemic, the film was not released until December 10th. There are no real differences as far as quality of the films considering the 50-year time difference from 1961 to 2021, and I shared this first impression with Rita Moreno who sat next to me towards the end of the screening at the Castro Theater on Dec 12. Both films are excellent but there are differences as far as the representation of people of color, specifically the Puerto Ricans and the transgender character Anybody’s played by Iris Menas--- who does not want to be a girl but a boy. Moreno explained how this part of the film is subject to censor in China. Rita Moreno attended the screening in full regalia in an outstanding outfit of crimson and yellow and she was jubilant, a charismatic actress who celebrated her 90-year birthday and we wer...