Why Everybody Hates María // WEST SIDE STORY Disney+ Rant
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ม.ค. 2022
- Why does everybody HATE María from West Side Story? Let's discuss ingenues, remakes, and the dangers of ~teenage hormones~ // Try Sundance Now free for 30 days by going to www.sundancenow.com and use promo code KATSTEELE 🌻🌻 OPEN ME 🌻🌻
Today, we’re going to be discussing why EVERYBODY HATES MARÍA and a little bit of a nerdy rant on #WestSideStory ! This is yet another installment in “in-defense of ingenues” series where I seek out to redeem some of my personal favorite characters, that for some reason, everybody just unanimously is annoyed by. So of course, it only felt natural to bring this series back so I we could discuss and defend my girl, María from West Side Story.
West Side Story is of course, based on the 1957 broadway musical of the same name. It’s a-then modern take, on Romeo and Juliet set on the streets of New York. The original West Side Story film premiered in 1961, was nominated for 11 academy awards, and won 10 of them including best picture. Steven Spielberg’s remake hit theaters this past Holiday season, and is a heavy contender for awards season. It's a
West Side Story is of course, based on the 1957 broadway musical of the same name. It’s a musical reimagining of Romeo and Juliet set on the streets of New York. The original West Side Story film premiered in 1961, was nominated for 11 academy awards, and won 10 of them including best picture. Steven Spielberg’s remake hit theaters this past Holiday season, and is a heavy contender for awards season. Notably, it's his first musical adaption. The new film stars Rachel Zegler, Ariana Debose, David Alvarez, Rita Moreno, Mike Faist, and so many more.
QOTD: Are you team María? Why, or why not? Let me know in the comments down below
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This comment section made my heart soar. Wow. I love you Kat. And I love you all in the comments. Thank you for seeing our film and thank you for loving María just as much as Steven, Tony, and I do.
OMG I LOVE YOU RACHELLL
Hi you star. Thank you for making all of us Musical theater kids with dreams so undeniably proud. Wishing you nothing but the greatest things, you deserve nothing less. Can't wait to see where the universe continues to take you, Your rise has just begun
You were phenomenal!!
a wild rachel appears!!!
The original West Side Story was as presented The Jets Show, co-starring The Sharks and some odd couple singing love duets on occasion. Your singing alone turned that all around, it was the highlight of the film and put Maria & Tony's story in the front as it should have been.
I never used to like Maria until I saw Rachel Zegler’s portrayal of her. I felt like she actually had a brain but you could also see the naivety of her character. I actually liked her.
Ya I agree.
Nothing wrong with f---ing a guy who just killed your brother. Sure every girl would do that.
I guess I'm weird, I would not only never touch a guy who killed my brother, I'd want to see him sent to jail for life.
@@LisaMurphy Well, to be fair the original 1967 movie left it ambiguous weather or not she slept with Tony. The camera goes to them laying on top of the bed with most of their clothes on. Yes, Tony is shirtless but he has his pants on and the bed is made up. So it;s up to interpretation weather they slept together or just fell asleep. The remake...yeah.
Rachel’s Maria is hands down the best interpretation I’ve seen of her. She seems more aware of her surroundings and her place in the world and especially in New York. She knows what she wants but she doesn’t realize what she wants isn’t necessarily what’s best for her and god isn’t that such a perfect mark of being a teenager?
Alternate title: how to solve the problem of Maria
That’s EXACTLY what I thought when I read the title
I don't know if you were trying to reference the sound of music or not. But that's all I heard when I read it 😃😃😃
I saw the Sound of Music before seeing West Side Story
When you spoke about the white latina dilemma, it made me think about how Hollywood is so confusing, like, you can't be too dark skinned to be cast in a latina role and yet if you're too white you're not cast either. Basically you have to fit the tan skin, curvacious and dark thick hair to be seen as a real latina even though latinos come in all shapes, sizes and ethnicities (black, white, native even asian), it's wild.
It's because many don't seem to understand that there is a difference between "ethnicity" and "race".Out of all the races the white Latinas are the ones that have it the easiest in Hollywood, one must be blind or white to deny this. Don't need to go to far just look at Rachel zegler+ Ariande DeBose and the roles they're are getting 🙄 How white Latinas such as Ana de Armas are not getting type cast as afro-latinas and your "tan skin, curvaceous dark thick hair latina" that keep getting the maid roles or roles at a later age.
This is why I found the characters in Encanto amazing. There's such a wide range of skin tone and body shape.
Why do you think Rita Moreno had to suffer through brown-face when she did the 1961 West Side Story?
@@Ngamotu83 that's exactly it, even nowadays you barely see black latinos or white latinos in media, because people still think you have to look a certain way to be a "real latino"
I’m a mixed Latina, I look very white and I grew up with my parents , who’s an actors, who know they will never be casted as Latin characters because they look white. There’s some of people who think that’s not good representation, Colorism, and other stupid stuff. Because of this my mom say’s that you have to make your own work, because no one will. I think about that a lot.
Some commenters here mention the whole issue of Maria sticking with (and banging) Tony after the death of Bernardo, which I think is an example of how the transfer of the plot from _Romeo and Juliet_ to _West Side Story_ created unintended issues. Obviously Tony's revenge killing of Bernardo is the equivalent of Romeo's revenge killing of Tybalt, but Bernardo and Tybalt really are not comparable characters in how the audience sees them: Tybalt is the biggest asshole in the whole play, he's a cousin, and I don't think he and Juliet ever even have a scene together; Bernardo is her brother and is painted in very sympathetic strokes in the narrative. Nobody in the audience really cares when Tybalt is killed, but people are supposed to care when Bernardo dies, which makes it discordant for a lot of people that Maria gets past it so quickly.
Ah, you make a very good point about the uneasy contrast.
Imo they should have made it Tony accidently killed Bernardo (like an actual genuine accident, they do that in Vanara for the Tybalt parallel, I recommend that musical by the way, amazing post apocalyptic musical retelling of Romeo and Juliet), or he was framed or something, I more put it to bad writing rather than Maria being bad.
“And their teenage hormones cause death.” Had me dying 😂
Maria sleeping with Tony right after he murders her brother will never not feel weird, yet Zegler does so much frikin’ ACTING in that scene that you can almost understand what’s going on in her head.
Remember Tony didn’t want anything to do with the fight and he was open with Maria about why he couldn’t get involved. He was terrified that if he didn’t remove himself from all the violence that he would end up killing someone. He even says that he sees Maria as his one refuge from the violence.
You can see how by asking him to get involved anyway she would feel responsible, not only for her own brothers death, but also for sending Tony into a situation where his worst fear becomes reality. Her attempt to end the violence ruined the lives of everyone she loved. Bernardo is gone but maybe she can still save Tony? You can see in Zegler’s performance how all that guilt mixed with the pain and shock and grief becomes entangled with love/lust and transforms into sex. They are both in so much pain and they see that same pain reflected in each other and they do the only thing they can think of to alleviate that pain.
That’s the core tragedy of the romance. They are just two kids desperately trying to heal all this trauma, both personal and societal, through the power of their love. It was doomed from the start.
Perfectly worded.
@@MultiEquations Thanks! I love when someones performance is able to give you a glimpse inside their head.
Both Zegler and DeBose did an incredible job showing all the layers and layers of emotions involved in every decision. In a just world both would win Oscars!
You notice how in the 2021 version, it's the opposite--she urges him to stay out of the violence, but stopping the rumble is TONY'S idea.
@@jenniferschillig3768 well in that date they had she was like “I don’t want you anywhere near the fight” but after he also says “I promise you Maria, there will be no fight”
@@jenniferschillig3768 First she asked him to stop it, and then later she asks him to stay away, but at that point Tony had already decided that he was going to do something.
I’m not saying Tony wasn’t responsible for his own actions, but had she not asked at all he may not have gone. That’s plenty enough for guilt to creep in.
I agree. Musically I have always wondered why Maria doesn’t have a solo song about something other than her love for Tony. Even in the new film, Tony has more new backstory than she does. Kudos to Zegler, Kushner, and Spielberg for making her feel like a real person.
"Like [her dead brother's] blood is on his clothes that are now on the floor. That's pretty yikes."
True... true.
I love Rachel Zegler's Maria. Zegler has beautifully expressive eyes, and she uses those eyes to make that all-important emotional connection with the viewers. Her Maria is quietly observant and thoughtful. She embodies hope, which is why her breakdown at the end ("I hate now") is so eviscerating.
Quiet, gentle characters are often the most difficult to portray, and Zegler knocks it out of the park. Hopefully the Academy will remember.
She’ll definitely be nominated for best actress
@@idaf3028 this didn't age well 😀 not only was she not nominated, she wasn't even invited at first
@@oliviarebekka7493 technically it did age well if we're talking about the golden globes lol
Hate isn’t really the word… Maria has been a lack luster character for me until I saw the Steven Spielberg version, she added waaaay more depth to the character. It felt like the movie was about her!
Rachel Zegler said she was told there was a 3-5 year age difference between Bernardo and Maria. Bernardo being 21 makes more sense to me based on how he treats Chino and the fact that they're close enough in age that Maria can be on equal ground with him now
It bugged me a bit though. Why is a 21 year old at a school dance? Or is the dance not at a school?
@@seppyq3672 That's always been my question with the musical. It seems like it's a school dance, but it seems like more of a social hosted by the school, but only young people are there. Maybe it's a high school and local college dance? I don't know, I think the 1961 movie just made it confusing because they hired 30 year olds as teenagers. lol
@@Ringsfan1 The original script says it's "the converted gym of a settlement house." And it is, after all, summer, so school's not in session. It seems that it's a community dance that's being held at this gym.
@@seppyq3672 in the movie it said it was a school sponsored function that was supposed to bring the Puerto Ricans and the New Yorkers together but that obviously didn’t work
@@Ringsfan1it was normal for schools and community centers to just have dances in the 1960s and before. so, it was probably just a dance hall.
rachel zegler genuinely had me rooting for maría during a boy like that, which is something that i’ve never done before. she’s literally amazing.
i personally feel like maría’s choice to be with tony (in the 2021 version specifically) after what he did to bernardo supports the concept of her wanting to become a “true american.” she speaks a lot on how she wants to make a life in new york and her brother obviously did not agree with that very much, so i see her decision as her choosing the life she actually wants without bernardo being able to hold her back anymore.. being able to be a Woman and make her own choices-no longer being treated like a kid and finally determining her future for herself (sorry to chino). if you think about the last 2 dresses she is shown wearing in the movie, following her little “marriage” to tony, they follow the jets’ color palette as opposed the sharks’ warm tones.. it’s like she’s rejecting that side of herself.
things like this are the reason i strongly believe that west side story (2021) does the best job at telling the full scope of the story and actually giving the characters solid motives and arcs as compared to Any other iteration i’ve experienced.
I've only seen the two movie versions of WSS and they are two good enough for me. I can in someways never look at West Side Story from the same perspective again. And i never thought about what you said about Maria before.
My wife is half Latina, half Irish. Most people are just confused about what race she is and they don't know how to stereotype her.
Because being latino is not a race
@@sailorjaviera Race is a social construct. I get why people say that latino is not a race, because in Latin America, there are SO MANY different races. And most Latin Americans, including my wife, almost never use that term. After I typed it, I felt weird about it myself because I almost always do what she does and use the location or origin, Puerto Rican, to identify her ancestey rather than a more general term like Latino or Hispanic.
But it is hard to say that people on Latin American dissent living in the United States are not racialized in a manner that leads to stereotyping and discrimination. "Race" is way too crude to capture the complexity of human ancestry, but it is perceived that way by many.
@@Sam_on_TH-cam I mean, that makes more sense... you said yourself, she is half latina, half IRISH. I feel that people from the USA really needs this race stuff, in Europe we would just say the countries or areas where you come from. That makes us have a bit of context about the culture the person comes from :D Race for me feels more like a purely genetic concept that does not necesary tell a lot about how a person is. But maybe I'm wrong :D
I wish people didn't stereotype at all. Stop perceiving bullshit that YOU think that's me, instead of actually knowing who I am.
@@martaotita I think it's crazy how people who are seen as white in latin america are seen as part of a whole different race in the us when the only thing that differentiates them from latinos is where in the world they were born...
I like Maria, especially since West Side Story was the first musical I saw live! Fun fact: I actually had no idea that people hated Maria until I watched this video.
I still genuinely believe that if she didn’t force Tony to go and stop the rumble and left it skin to skin fighting Riff and Bernardo would still be alive
Me too
But....in original production, per the TONIGHT QUINTET the gangs are gathering weapons ready....prior to Tony attending so Maria has nothing to do with it
@Dasha E ugh yes
I could be wrong but I thought in new movie she tells him to stop the rumble and then when he tells her he can't, she tells him not to go, but he decides to go anyway because he still wants to stop the violence and talk to her brother. I could be misremembering though
I was somewhat in this camp until the remake! Instead, they have Tony insist he can control the situation because they’re “his guys”. It’s so much better in my opinion! I also want to play Maria, as a fellow Latina soprano 🥰
I took my 21 year old daughter to see this version of WSS being a life long fan of the musical. I love both Maria’s 1961 version and 2022. But my daughters reaction to WSS was that she would never take her own daughter to see this film and stated she did not like Maria. She didn’t see Maria as a strong protagonist and thought Maria was passive. I remember Natalie wood in the 1961 version tells Tony that he must stop the rumble and any kind of fighting wouldn’t be good for them. She was the one who saw the danger and tried to make whatever attempts she could at stopping it. In my opinion, it wasn’t their love and attraction that caused Riif, Bernardo, and Tony to be killed. It was the intolerance and hatred that proved to be the stronger forces.
Personally, I detest Maria because she made love to the murder of her brother right after she found out Tony killed Bernardo. Yeah she's in love, but at the same time she didn't even try to mourn his death or help Anita through the lost of the love of her life.
Btw I'm a first generation Latina myself 🇲🇽
right?? my friends who didn't know the story of wss at all were so mad that she did that. its unrealistic and treats her as flighty and careless which totally doesn't sit right at all. if she was a male character there would be no way that she would do that
Personally, in that instance, I blame Tony more for sleeping with her after killing her brother. I blame Maria for having the audacity to go up to Anita and say, “but I LOVE him.”
@@midnight_rose2337 when she met him a day ago lol
@@midnight_rose2337 Forget Tony and Anita, if word got to the police that the Bernardo's sister had consensual sex with his killer with full knowledge of what he had done and minutes after the crime had been committed, Maria could be suspected as an accomplice.
@Lis I detest María, too. Not for being in love with her brother’s murderer, not even the lovemaking part, but for disregarding Bernardo’s brotherly love for her and, later on, his death, then Anita’s grief. Nobody in their right mind would want her for a bestfriend, let alone a sibling and in-law. Those who disagree are all too quick to pull a “misogyny” card. People don’t despise María for being female. They loathe her for being extremely selfish. The others are selfish as well but they aren’t as insensitive towards their friends.
QOTD: Honestly I didn't really like María from the other variations, but seeing rachel play her really changed my perspective.
Also thank you so much for spelling María's name right. I'm not latina but seeing a name spelled wrong just because it's not english really bugs me, so thank you.
As Sound of Music once said, “How do you solve a problem like Maria?” And I feel like this new screenplay does it.
I've seen Sound of Music before West Side Story. But i could not agree more
I definetly feel the 2020 West Side story film breathed new life into Maria - Rachel Zegler is amazing!!
Maybe in the past I thought of Maria like a flower, but she's blossomed for me into someone not afraid to use her voice
Talking about "White Latina Privilege", I saw the 2009 Broadway revival of West Side Story with Argentine actress Josefina Scaglione as Maria. She is VERY "White Latina". That to me is not a problem. I grew up in Puerto Rico and am VERY "White looking" too. People in PR are a rainbow of skin colors. While she sang beautifully, my problem is that they spoke and sang A LOT in Spanish, and it seemed that NOBODY tried to teach this Aregintine to at least try a Puerto Rican accent!!!! It was like hearing someone play Curly in Oklahoma, but with a British accent. Every time I heard her speak Spanish, I was like, "I guess this Maria is from Argentina?" and my eyes still hurt from rolling them so much, YEARS LATER. It really ruined the experience for me. Thank G-d Karen Oliva was INCREDIBLE and made up for it! I always remember seeing In The Heights where Andrea Burns (who is Venezuelan) played Daniela who actually sang about growing up in Puerto Rico. Now, SHE had a PERFECT boricua accent!!!!! I was shocked when I found out she wasn't PR. In this movie, some of the actors were "iffy" to me. The ONLY one who convinced me as a Puerto Rican, other than OUR QUEEN Rita Moreno of course, was Josh Andrés Rivera as Chino. If he is not Puerto Rican, I will be VERY surprised! (I've actually tried to research him, but haven't seen anything about his heritage. Only general Latino.) To people who don't speak Spanish, you might not understand this or think it's a big deal, but we are different and our accents are VERY different. Anyway, didn't mean to make this so long... sorry! (Edit: JUST saw that Josh's parents are from PR. I KNEW IT!!! haha)
yeah, when casting the 2009 revival they were broadly casting latinos no matter where they were from or if they even spoke spanish, I'm brazilian and a very famous actress who played Maria in the brazilian production of WSS auditioned for the role on Broadway, she said even Lea Michele auditioned even though she's not latina which is...not it
@@caitlyncarvalho7637 I mean, not really. Being latino is not a race so there's no way to "look" or "pass" as latino, like, you could be from literally any race and be latino, it's about your culture, not your appearance
I also thought Maria was a bland character until I saw Rachel Zegler's performance. Her Maria has more depth, she argues with her brother, she makes fun of Tony, she says what she wants and does what she has to to achieve it. I really liked her in this new version of West Side Story.
This is so interesting!! Truthfully, my first time watching and paying attention to this story was when I saw the new version in theaters last month. I did not think of Maria as anything but having great autonomy, independence, and willpower. I think this speaks volumes to how well the new WSS was able to adapt her character because I didn’t find the flaws you discussed the original version of her having; I only saw a young woman with strong desires and well intended decisions
On sleeping with Tony right after Bernardo is being killed by him.This is based on Romeo and Juliet, don’t forget that. So exactly like that they simply fall in love at first sight.
María lost her brother, yes, they didn’t get along pretty well yes. She mention “he is always angry”
And most important, when you are really depress, really down, your libido goes up to the sky! As a way of hormone survival mode.
Well, to be fair the original 1967 movie left it ambiguous weather or not she slept with Tony. The camera goes to them laying on top of the bed with most of their clothes on. Yes, Tony is shirtless but he has his pants on and the bed is made up. So it;s up to interpretation weather they slept together or just fell asleep. The remake...yeah.
I relate so hard to you right now. I’m half Puerto Rican and I love Maria’s character so much, especially since I’m a soprano as well. I’ve always wanted to play her, but I feel like I wouldn’t give the character justice because I look so white. Coming from such a close minded white area has made me feel lost in my culture and who I am. It makes me feel better that I can relate to someone in the same way💖
@Ésteban Universidad let me know when your songs are up and I will happily be the first listener ^_^
I just wanted to say I admire how eloquently you put your love of Maria. You totally hit the nail on the head. I have a new way of looking at "I Feel Pretty".
I actually rather liked Maria’s speech at the end of the original movie it definitely felt very real and really packed up the message in a few lines of a little heavy handed and the emotion in that scene is so real
this is the first time I see people hate on Maria omg maybe I am living under a rock
So am I
Alternate Title: 🎶How do you solve a problem like Maria?🎶
My middle name is María because of west side story so she always hold a place in my heart
I moved from Spain to England at age 8 and every adult that I met for the first time kept singing the chorus to "María" and I had no clue why, I had no idea musicals were even a thing. I moved back to spain at age 12 and then at 16, I watched the West Side Story musical in music class and I was just thrilled. I was HOOKED, it was the movie that sold me on studying musical theatre. At first I didn't like María that much (movie version) but then I watched the spanish tour of the show and I LOVED her. The actress' performance of the last monologue was so good. I've been dying to play Anita or María (I know I'm not latina, but spanish). I really loved how the movie turned out. I had really high standards from being in love with the original and there are things from the original that I still prefer like the choreography for America.
I've always loved Maria, even in ye olde days . I thought she was far less naive than Tony and at the end she is a child who wants to escape the fighting.
the weird thing is in Romeo and Juliet, I'm drawn to the two main leads but in West Side Story, I'm drawn to everyone but the leads.
SAME!!!!!!!!!!!! Anita is the best character.
@@PrincessMeggala0913 she is THE character.
@@PrincessMeggala0913 Anita is the BEST
From my vantage point, West Side Story belongs to the women in the cast.
I always sort of forget that Maria exists. I know it sounds bad but there’s Anita who you’ll never forget about thanks to both Ariana DeBose and Rita Moreno. Bernardo stabs Riff and also gets stabbed by Tony. Riff is so memorable in the fact that he’s so messed up. Tony is memorable because there’s the conflict about Ansel Elgort playing him and also, he has loads of musical numbers. But Maria’s just... feels pretty. She’s also in the way of Riff and Tony’s love story which you can’t say wasn’t there.
Tony really said see ya later barone
Never let this joke die
Maria can relax. "And Just Like That" was such a trainwreck that people hate Carrie as our new Medea -- who, in revenge, murders her two sons and somebody else's daughter. So Maria's a dim memory to us now.
How can you not love Maria?? She just wants to be happy and move away from gang violence. Yes, she slept with Tony after he killed Bernardo, but she did that for the same reason she pulls a gun on Chino at the end but doesn't shoot. She's full of conflicting emotions but never chooses vengeance.
And this entire play is about young people being fools. She isn't perfect but she's in good company.
Love this
I loved Rachel Zegler’s interpretation!! Still get annoyed with Maria’s selfishness in Boy Like That but oh well😅
Love how Speilberg and Kushner transformed Maria from being a boring ingenue to being a complex, strong, young women who just wants love.
This is a great video!!!! I just want to say that to me, María, much like both Romeo and Juliet , is lacking in personality. I don’t love or hate her, she’s just, underdeveloped as a character. Tony, in my mind, has a bit more to him, and I just wish we got to know as much about María as we do about him. The things that we do know are interesting and impressive- I just feel that her character is lacking in depth.
Maria has always been really compelling to me but I think she’s easy to play in a basic way which makes it hard to find those redeeming qualities about her.
As for your casting experience q, I have never been purposefully attacked by that kind of thing but I do find directors who try and avoid pointing out my body type like I’ll be offended if they put me in a role where I would be “the curvy girl.” For example, I’m doing Bring it On and I was pretty much the only authentic choice for Bridget, but the director didn’t even consider me for it. So yeah, maybe I’m reading too much into it but it feels like avoiding the facts don’t help making things inclusive
what people hate maría?? i just watched west side story for the first time last week and María and Anita are literally my favorites lol
If we’re talking about characters that we are very protective of mine is Tracy Turnblat. I am a girl who is part of the plus size community. I am protective because she is one of the only characters we get who is plus size and accepting of it/not a joke because of her size!
I'm Puerto Rican, but very much white-passing, and I was at a theater competition and I heard a group of white kids complaining about judges who had made comments about how their production of West Side Story was 100% white. They kept saying it didn't matter that they had no Latino actors and that the judges were being unfair because "in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter that they are Puerto Rican. Who cares." They kept looking for other white kids (including me) to validate their opinions. I was really pissed but was too shy to say anything, so I just walked away.
Maria and Bernardo are TWINS? I always thought he was at least 5 years older but this only makes bos death so much more sad..
This is so strange I never knew Maria was a hated character I love this character
Neither have I
I'd like to see more of this series. Since we have a new Cyrano de Bergerac movie coming out, could you discuss Roxanne? Or Lucie from A Tale of Two Cities (there's a musical of that too).
I LOVE the musical but omg Maria is so unsympathetic. She barely seems to care about what happens to her brother and then what she does with Tony after finding out...yeah I was done with her at that point. There's no human way to forgive it especially because it was obvious how much he cared about Maria as her brother
Hi Kat! I just want to say how much I love your videos. I've always loved musical theater, but being homeschooled, I never found friends that shared my passion for it. So I am really happy that I found your theater cult. It is nice to see people who love musical theater as much as I do. Also, I am currently 22 and my dream of being in musical theater has kinda died over the years. I've never had any opportunities in highschool or college to be in any musicals or plays. But, your videos kinda give me hope that a career in musical theater isn't impossible for me.
Oh my goodness, I cannot tell you how happy I was to see my favourite series on your channel come back. PLEASE continue with your defence of ingénues Kat! Puddles of cuddles 🎀💕
I’m so glad I’m early to this! All the love ❤️
I've only ever seen the 2021 version (I came for Ansel Elgort, ok. I'm not proud, but I am honest). I did think that Maria seemed a little... underdeveloped as a character; however, it wasn't stop-the-movie-imma-cry underdeveloped. And, at the part when her brother is killed and she sleeps with Tony, I thought it was an odd choice, but I liked it. I thought it showed the complexity of her intense love for Tony as well as her intense mourning over the loss of her brother. When he was sitting in the window when she came in, her first response was anger and sadness, but, when he tried to leave to turn himself in, she told him to not leave her alone. She didn't want any more people she loved to be taken away. It could be perceived as selfish, but, bc Tony's motivation in killing her brother was actually trying to cause peace (think that one over a few times. Wow.) I thought that it showed the overwhelming emotional turmoil that came about because of the gang wars. Additionally, at the beginning of being pulled into the fight, Tony stood there and allowed himself to be beaten up (presumably because of his love for Maria- not really for Bernardo). Bernardo was the one that continued to "pick a fight," so, Tony had to choose between letting his guys and himself get beaten or taking out Goliath. I thought his choice was rather honourable because it was less about what he wanted (i.e. the possibility and probability of losing Maria's love) and more about his dedication to his family (i.e. the Jets).
yay early! Kat sis your makeup looks so FRESH ✨ love it
Rachel Zeglers Maria is the quintessential Maria. Rachel Zegler made me love Maria and Rachel Zegler was the standout in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story
the only reason maria sleeps with tony is because that’s what happens in romeo and juliet. but unlike in wss juliet is tybalt’s cousin not sister and while she has respect for him as an elder male in her family she doesn’t seem too close to him. i don’t know why the wss creators chose to keep this in when they had no issue with changing around something as big as the ending.
Ah, good point.
Imo state hey should have maybe made it Tony accidently killed Bernardo (which, spoiler alert, happens in Vanara which is a post apocalyptic musical retelling of Romeo and Juliet, it's amazing I recommend) or he was framed somehow.
I'm part Latina too, and a singer too, and I've always had a bit of a complex feeling about Maria. She's kind of vanilla. There's a reason everyone talks about Anita and forgets Maria - Anita is simply a more complex and interesting character.
I found this portrayal of the after the fight scene spectacular on all counts. Tony’s sense of responsibility in turning himself in contradicts the sense of rash impulsivity portrayed by everyone else in the movie. It really is what made his character stand out in this version, and they kind of sprinkled it throughout the story so that it wasn’t a shocking character change either. You can literally see Maria’s anger switch to passionate love in that moment. Much like you mentioned, she loves the fact that he doesn’t glorify the violence surrounding them, and can see the hope of a better world. To me, both Tony and Maria always seemed too passive as characters to actually follow through with their attempt to run away together, by the end of this scene, it seemed not only believable that they would make this choice, but I truly believed that they could succeed. It was remarkable to watch.
I love Maria. And fyi, my girl watched it in the theater asked me, "Have these actors been in movies recently?" She literally believed we were watching an old movie for just a brief moment.
3:33 I actually have this way for Cinderella and Tiana.
Cinderella personal life.
Tiana culturally and in ethnicity.
As a creole woman who grew up in a very yt desert city. It was difficult finding ways to identify with my cultural identity outside if my family.
I loved Disney growing up but there was no one I could truly see myself in.
The only time I saw myself represented culturally was Happily Ever After's creole rapunzel, who I adore.
When Princess and the frog came out a part of my childhood was satisfied. Finally there was a Disney princess from New Orleans with a creole cultural background who could be the Disney representation I didn't have.
When people over look this movie or has the audacity to say it's boring or skipable;I'm pissed. They'll never know how much Tiana means to little black girls and creole girls wanting to see they can be a princess.
Kat, You're shown us that you have a fine intellect to match your beauty; good analysis of the SS version. And it's so cool that RZ has posted!
As for that terrible 'mistake' we all cringe at, we might fault Shakespeare for that familiar line: "what light thru yonder window breaks?"
I absolutely adore this version, have seen it twice and will see again. All the tweaks of SS's talent have created a true, enduring classic.
the new west side story definitely gave characters like maria and tony more depth
I think the most common misreading of West Side Story, R&J, and every remake of R&J is that it’s Romeo and Juliet’s (or Tony and Maria’s) fault that people died. The whole point of this form of tragedy is that the characters’ environment makes their actions take on a different meaning than they would in a different situation. Were the two teens in love? Probably not, but that doesn’t really matter. Their environment is the problem. Kids should be allowed to do dumb stuff without literally DYING! Sure, their actions can have repercussions, but at least in my opinion, the tragedy of the story is that they aren’t allowed to be young and dumb without the whole world crashing down around them.
I partially agree with you. But from my vantage point, neither side is in the right or in the wrong in the end
New fan!!!! Loooove your channel now! I’m Latina 2nd Gen, and I resonate so much with your experience!!!! Much love 💕✨
Wow, people are pretty harsh towards Maria. I would say, yes, she's a liitle on the bland side, character wise. However, she makes some pretty bold choices, when you think about it. Basically, her whole outlook is the opposite compared to her peers. She chooses to believe in a brighter future and that love itself is the most powerful force in world. Perhaps she's naive, but she's also brave and lovely. I have yet to see the new version of the musical, and I can't to watch it!
How did you not work in a “how do you solve a problem like Maria?” Reference or joke? The fruit was so low hanging it was basically on the ground! Always love your videos thanks for making 10 mins of my day better!
You realize Maria is similar to Juliet bc West Side Story is a Romeo and Juliet adaptation right?
I like Maria, I just hate the "doomed lovers" trope with the burning passion of a thousand suns. Rachel did an amazing job, and my dad who's a WSS SUPER NERD really enjoyed the remake and Rachel's portrayal when we watched it together. We both were like "ehhhhhhh" with Ansel's portrayal of Tony, and I had a simp attack over Ariana DeBose the whole time
I enjoyed the girls in the cast more so then the boys. And I feel you about doomed lovers. As a kid, I got off on the wrong foot with it thanks to Pocahontas and Lion King 2. So I have a complicated history with it. But I just enjoy a beautiful love story.
not a musical theatre character, but i recently played perdita in the winter's tale, and she definitely fits the ingenue, princess, young-and-in-love type, but she's in such an interesting situation that was so fun to play and react to and now I WILL FIGHT ANYONE WHO SAYS SHE'S BORING SHE HAS SO MUCH POTENTIAL (also she is in literally the singular healthy relationship in the entire show)
OMG! I'm so glad you talk about their ages in this version of WWS! This story is supposed to be based on Romeo and Julet but Romeo and Juliet WERE teenagers whereas everybody in Steven Spielberg's WWS they're older. From the Jets and Sharks to Tony and Maria and everybody in between, they are all older than teenagers! This is why I love how Spielberg flushed out the characters more. They have more depth to them - and that's EVERY character including Chino!! This is, by far, the best remake I've ever seen and one other actor we CANNOT forget - Mike Faist, who played Riff!! OMG!!! Does he have an Oscar in his future or WHAT?!
We actually talked about West Side Story in my English 1302 class today 😂 we were going over motif and the professor wanted to allude to how west side story is a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet.
I remember watching the 1961 WSS and studying Romeo and Juliet in my freshman year.
I love this series!
Rachel Zegler reminds me of Candace Owens, her facial structure, her eyes and how they're wide-spaced.
I've always loved María, I think she's an incredibly strong person.
I think people are forgetting, yes Tony killed Bernardo, but Bernardo also killed Riff who was essentially Tony's brother so either way she would have had to look past a murder, and I think she understands why he did it (at least in the new version) while still grieving her brother...
THANK you!!
They BOTH got killed, Riff AND Bernardo!
Tony ONLY killed Bernardo out of pure revenge after Bernardo killed Riff, his Best Friend since Childhood and as close to an actual Brother, as he had ever had!
Tony gets ALL the Blame and in the NEW version, he TRULY did everything he could to STOP the Rumble, but blind hatred, ignorance, even fear and years of pure anger fueled the rival gangs fires and caused DEVASTATING and unnecessary, tragic deaths ALL the way around!
Tony REALLY tried to stop things from escalating, to get away and have a better life with Maria, but all the painful and hateful circumstances and toxic environment around them led to a TERRIBLY tragic end!!
Seeing the 2021 version of the movie was my first time seeing any version of WSS and I left the theater disliking maria! I like rachel's portrayal of her 100% ( I've since watched the original movie), but I can't understand the logic of maria. I have a theory that bernardo cares for Maria more than she cares for him, but his overbearing "protectiveness" of her basically leads to the tragic ending. I understand him not wanting her to date tony due to the historical context.but things got out of hand, no one had to die
One other point regarding Maria from the musical and 1961 film (but not the 2021 film): Tony manages to convince the gangs to downgrade the rumble to a one-on-one fistfight. And it might have stayed that way, with a bit of fisticuffs and no deaths... if Maria hadn't insisted that that that wasn't good enough and that Tony must go and stop the whole thing altogether. She was too naive to see how that could (and did) backfire horribly. 2021 Maria is more sensible in this regard, telling Tony he should stay away from the rumble.
I don’t hate Maria I love her‼️
As for Romeo & Juliet I blame the adults than I blame the couple because of their hatred towards each other. Same case gos for adults in West Side Story who chose hate.
I completely get it! I am half Latina but I have paler skin than the stereotypical Latina. My whole life I’ve dealt with that struggle and it’s amazing to see you relate.
To your point about being white first generation Latina, I’m white first generation Middle Eastern and relate a bit to what you were talking about. I’m super proud text I’ve of Aladdin & Jasmine (from Disney’s Aladdin) even though I would never be cast in that show bc let’s face it I look more like Snow White than I do like Jasmine. Even though it’s one of the very very few musical works that even acknowledges the part of the world my family is from. There’s next to zero roles written specifically for Middle Eastern women and if I’m ever considered, I’m not “Middle Eastern looking enough” and I’ve had many people (including some casting ppl) also make very tactless remarks about my appearance in regards to being super pale & my culture in general or the old “you don’t LOOK Middle Eastern. Middle Eastern people look like/are like [x y and z] and you’re not that”. I want to connect to my culture in the roles I play but I feel like any consideration is erased by my appearance as a white woman. While I recognize the immense privilege I have as a result, it’s still an uncomfortable feeling. I feel you on that and wanted to send some love your way ❤️
Excellent video as always! I just want to say also that 'grief sex' is a very real thing, and that it can be a very natural reaction to a major loss. (Everyone handles loss differently...) It can also be dangerous and unhealthy. At least María "exercised" it with Tony, someone who cared about her and wasn't trying to take advantage of her.
the age thing threw me off so much lol sooooo,,,,,,,, does that make maria and bernardo twins in this adaptation??????
Could you do a “Why Everyone Hates Mabel” from Pirates of Penzance. I would love your two cents on her.
my sister has a vendetta against her because she has only heard “I feel pretty” and thinks she’s the most conceited girl of all time 😂
Rachel Zegler is superb as Maria. My favorite hispanic opera character is Carmen. Has anyone ever played Maria as a stronger but more sinister Carmen-like character trying to keep a soldier and bull fighter from killing each other? One of my other favorite operatic soprano heroines is the fragile and sickly yet pretty Mimi in La Boheme. Has anyone ever tried to make Maria more like Mimi? At the end of the 2021 West Side Story what would have been the reaction if Chino's bullet would have also killed or wounded Maria which would have made the ending more like the original Romeo and Juliet? That type of ending would have been more dramatic and tragic if Maria had been a sickly character on death's doorstep anyway.
I definitely felt all the points you mentioned in the new Adaptation (though that being said I had only ever listened to the musical before) but all those defenses are undercurrents in the others and could be found if you dig for them BUT this adaptation has brought them to the surface maybe under a small amount of gravel for some but glaringly obviously to those who want to love Maria
I actually haven't seen any version of Maria pass Rachel's version. When I first learned of the movie I got so excited that I refused to touch anything wss to avoid spoilers or something. So when watching the movie Maria seemed like a pretty good character, do I blame her for sleeping with Tony after he kills her brother? No. Do I think Tony is a douchebag for sleeping with her after murdering her brother? Yes. Yes I do.
Well hello there bestie :)
He killed him by accident out of grief and anger, he didn't mean to and he wanted to turn himself in, Maria said no. That doesn;t excuse the sleeping together, though, I know.
Well, to be fair the original 1967 movie left it ambiguous weather or not she slept with Tony. The camera goes to them laying on top of the bed with most of their clothes on. Yes, Tony is shirtless but he has his pants on and the bed is made up. So it;s up to interpretation weather they slept together or just fell asleep. The remake...yeah.
'Tonight' is one of my favorites love duets ever, but when I remember they are promising each other eternal love less than 24 hours kills the spark for me. I'm not a fan of insta-love, love the idea of forbidden love and bands but two characters thinking they found love in less than 1 hour is a huge NO for me, in musicals, in movies, in books, EVERYWHERE. I love WSS more for the Jets, the Sharks and Queen Anita
I love Tonight both inside and out of context
To be completely honest, I watched the 1961 movie and didn’t really care for Maria because she felt extremely disconnected from the other half of the narrative. Like, she was important, yes. But we didn’t know too much about her and I didn’t feel attached. But with the new one, I feel like she’s much more connected and we know more about her.
Question for you Kat: do you think, after seeing the Kushner version, that they will look to comission the SS estate or other copyrighters the right to adapt the theatrical script to be like the screen play as it seems more relevant and expands upon the original characters and themes? (I have not seen the new film but as you were talking I had this thought and am curious what your thoughts are. Would also love to hear other theatre fans think. Do you think they will subsequently look to adapt the theatrical script due to the film?
Ingenue Protection Squad is BACK BABYYYYYYYY!!!! 🔥⭐🤩 (Also, Cosette is a HUGE dream role and she's also an underdog. Therefore, I feel for Maria, TEAM MARIA!!!)
Hey kath i'm in a play also what song would you recommend for Sherk as Pinocchio
Have rehearsals for this show tonight
Find out Kat does a West Side video
Today's gonna be a good day
Hey so could you do a video on auditioning with monologues? I’ve got an audition for AMDA and I need two contrasting monologues and I just want to make sure my monologue selections are good to showcase my range.
I hope I get to see Kat as Maria one day!!!!
Absolutely. Maria and the other characters had real motivations and backstories. Romeo and Juliet didnt really have backstories but I think that the author wanted to emphasize how completely cray cray it is to have family blood feuds and honor killings right next to the fruit stand. My English teacher also said that things like this are what happens when you let young people marry for love instead of money, stability, etc. There was a time in the movie when she really did a double take to Tony when he wanted her to run away with him. That was not expected. Good channel. When are we going to get together and beat up on that Nazi loving guitarist Leisl from Sound of Music
Leisl's boyfriend wasn't a Nazi at the start of the movie. when she first fell for him. He became one over time.
@@colleen4ever I still feel bad for them years later
I need to go watch this now. I've been selective of when I go to the Cinema because of Covid and college has otherwise kept me busy (Theater Major, Design Emphasis at quite a rigorous program). I definitely need to see it when it goes online now. It may already be. I've not been great at keeping up with films.
March 2 on Disney Plus!
I feel like this video should be called, 🎶How do you solve a problem like Maria?🎶 😆😆