What West Side Story's Spanish Scenes Say In English
Several scenes in West Side Story (2021) include use of Spanish, leaving some viewers to wonder what the characters are saying in those moments. Spanish is used sporadically throughout scenes involving the prominent Puerto Rican characters of the movie. English is still the primary language used in the film, and the story can still be easily understood without knowledge of Spanish, but English-speaking audiences will likely be curious about what is being said.
One of the new film’s major selling points was its casting of Latin/Latina actresses as the Puerto Rican characters. The cast of the 1961 film version of West Side Story also included Latin actors, including Rita Moreno as Anita. But the most prominent Puerto Rican character, Maria, was played by Natalie Wood, a white woman. Allowing the characters to speak their native language in the 2021 version adds to the authenticity of the casting.
Related: Every Song In West Side Story 2021 & What Order They're In
West Side Story (2021) is now available for streaming; for those who are curious about what the Puerto Rican characters are saying, here are translations of the scenes in which Spanish is prominently used in the movie. The following translations will be of longer Spanish portions of dialogue of the movie and less common terminology of the language; some singular uses of common Spanish words such as “niña” or “si” are left out. Dialogue spoken in Spanish and then repeated in English in the movie is omitted. The dialogue is translated in chronological order from the movie script, so this article can be used as a tool while watching West Side Story (2021).
The lack of subtitles in the West Side Story (2021) is not a mistake; it was a conscious decision made by Steven
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