Steven Spielberg does not subtitle Spanish in “West Side Story” out of “respect”

Steven Spielberg He explained that he personally made the decision to include dialogue in Spanish, without subtitles, in the new “West Side Story” out of “respect” for the reality of the Latino community in the United States.

“I did not subtitle the dialogues in Spanish for a matter of respect and to recognize a context in which both languages ​​are spoken”, detailed the filmmaker at a press conference held after the “premiere” of the film held in New York.

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The new film adaptation of “West Side Story” opens next week in the United States and, although its script is developed in English, it contains some dialogues in Spanish that do not appear subtitled on screen, to the surprise of the public who saw the film in advance. .

“I want English-speaking and Spanish-speaking spectators to congregate in the room and that during the projection the laughter of groups that understand certain things in Spanish can be heard”, Spielberg justified.

The scriptwriter of the new film, Tony Kushner, added that when he got ready to write the text, he understood that “there were certain themes and feelings that a Spanish speaker would express in Spanish and not in English.”

Something in which the actress Rita Moreno, one of the few Latin actresses who was part of the cast of the 1961 film, agreed and who, after winning an Oscar for her portrayal of Anita, returns to the new version with a created role specifically for her.

“It is much more political”, Moreno said about the Spielberg adaptation. The 1961 film won a total of ten Oscars, including Best Picture, just behind the historic 11 statuettes for “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” “Titanic” and “Ben- Hur ”.

Thus, the expectation in Hollywood for the return of one of the great Broadway musicals to the big screen is capital.

Her trailer was presented during the broadcast of the last Oscars and, based on her impeccable technical workmanship, she is already running as one of the candidates to be taken into account for the Academy Awards in 2022.

This time, unlike the first feature film, the cast includes many actors of Latino or Puerto Rican descent who play the Hispanic characters, especially the members of the Puerto Rican band “Sharks.”

Rachel Zegler takes the role of María, Ariana DeBose plays Anita, David Álvarez plays Bernardo and Josh Andrés Rivera plays Chino.

Ansel Elgort, Corey Stoll, Mike Faist, Iris Menas and Bryan d’Arcy James are also part of the cast.

The premiere of the film comes days after the death of Stephen Sondheim, author of the lyrics to “West Side Story.” Spielberg recalled that he and Sondheim met in 2015 during the presentation of the Medal of Freedom at the White House.

“I could barely get the words out,” Spielberg said of the moment he conveyed his intention to direct the documentary.