Movie Review: 'West Side Story'
“West Side Story,” produced by The Mirisch Corporation and
Seven Arts Productions for United Artists, is a 1961 film adaptation of a 1957
Broadway musical conceived by Jerome Robbins and with a book by Arthur Laurents.
Set in the West Side of New York in the late Fifties, the show is a modern
retelling of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”
As in the Bard’s 16th Century tragedy, “West Side
Story” focuses on a pair of “star-cross’d lovers” caught in the middle of a
blood feud. Since the play takes place in post-World War II New York City, the
two rivaling factions are two teen gangs: The Jets make up the “American” gang:
the Sharks are Puerto Ricans. Tony, Laurents’ stand-in for Romeo, is a former
Jet trying to go straight. “West Side Story’s” Juliet is Maria, the younger
sister of Bernardo, the Sharks’ leader.
Featuring music composed by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics written by Stephen
Sondheim, “West Side Story” was a big hit during its initial Broadway run. It
won two Tony Awards (Best Choreographer – Robbins; Best Scenic Designer –
Oliver Smith). Several of the musical’s songs (“Tonight,” “Somewhere,” and
“Maria” were popular hits when the show ran on Broadway and have become pop
standards.
The success of the original stage version of “West Side
Story” and its various revivals inspired Hollywood to adapt it into a movie.
Acclaimed director Robert Wise, who later directed “The Sound of Music’ and
“Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” was hired to make the movie version. Wise had
directed various gritty dramas set in New York, but he had not done a musical
before, so Robbins was brought in as co-director in charge of the complex
choreography.
Finally, to bring Laurents’ play to the silver screen, Ernest
Lehman adapted the show into a screenplay. Lehman’s script was nominated for
Best Adapted Screenplay; it was the only one of 11 Academy Award nominations
that did not result in a statuette for “West Side Story.” The film won 10
Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Score.
The Film
The Wise-Robbins version of “West Side Story” is set in New
York City’s Lincoln Square area during the late 1950s. Two rival gangs, the
“white” Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks, are mired in a long-standing feud for
control of this West Side turf. The Jets are led by Riff (Russ Tamblyn), while
the Sharks follow Bernardo (George Chakiris). Their long-standing rivalry is
summarized in the “Prologue” dance sequence; directors Wise and Robbins, along
with screenwriter Lehman, show various brawls and other acts of hostilities
between the two gangs.
The film’s “Romeo and Juliet” plot centers on the unlikely
romance between Riff’s best friend Tony (Richard Beymer) and Maria (Natalie
Wood), Bernardo’s younger sister. Tony co-founded the Jets with Riff several
years ago, but he left the gang and now works at a drugstore owned by Doc (Ned
Glass).
Although the local NYPD precinct’s Lt. Shrank (Simon
Oakland) warns Riff to make nice with the Puerto Ricans or else, the Jets’
leader has other ideas. He plans to challenge the Sharks to a rumble (fight)
that will determine which gang will control Lincoln Square. The place for this
challenge: a city-organized dance at the local gym.
But the Jets are without their best fighter: Tony. Riff
needs his best friend to be the gang’s champion, since Tony is the one guy
capable of beating Bernardo. Riff begs Tony to be a pal and step up for his Jet
brothers, but all Tony can promise is to be at the dance.
Bernardo, too, is eager for a fight, but he is also worried
about his baby sister, Maria. Recently arrived from Puerto Rico and new to the
ways of the U.S., Maria works at Madam Lucia’s (Penny Santon) bridal shop.
As in Shakespeare’s most famous romantic tragedy, love
blooms between Tony and Maria when they meet at the dance, only to be
overshadowed by the hate-fueled rivalry between the two gangs. Tony and Maria
have only a few moments of peace, quiet, and happiness before their love is
marred by the schemes of Riff and Bernardo.
“West Side Story” could have been just a predictable
knock-off of “Romeo and Juliet” as a non-musical drama. But the brilliant score
by composer Leonard Bernstein and the lyrics by a young Stephen Sondheim
transformed Arthur Laurents’ book into one of Broadway’s greatest musicals.
Here, viewers can hear slightly different versions of Bernstein and Sondheim’s
“The Jet Song,” “Something’s Coming,” “America,” “Tonight,” “Somewhere,” “Gee
Officer Krupke,” and “A Boy Like That,” just to name a few.
The DVD
Metro Goldwyn Mayer/United Artists (MGM/UA) has issued “West
Side Story” on DVD in several editions, but the best edition in this format is
2003’s Special Edition box set. This two-disc set includes the feature film
(Disc 1), which features a remastered soundtrack done in Dolby Digital 5.1 audio.
The movie also has an option that allows viewers to watch “West Side Story”
with or without an intermission.
The second disc comes with a plethora of extras. These
include the one-hour documentary “West Side Memories.” This behind-the-scenes
look at the movie features interviews with director Robert Wise, lyricist
Stephen Sondheim, and many surviving cast and crew members. “West Side
Memories” also showcases some of actress Natalie Wood’s vocal recordings for
Maria’s musical numbers. Contrary to rumors that Wood was a bad singer and that
she had to be replaced by the vocal performer Marni Nixon, the actress had a
lovely singing voice. Marni Nixon’s voice was added in postproduction because
she was one of the producer’s favorite singers, not because Natalie Wood could
not carry a tune.
The box set also includes a collectible scrapbook which
includes a copy of the film’s working script, a replica of the original 1961
lobby brochure, reproduced production memos, and contemporary reviews of “West
Side Story.” This scrapbook is nicely
done and will give fans of “West Side Story” an entertaining and enlightening
look at the making of the legendary Academy Award-winning musical.
DVD Technical
Specifications
- Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1),
French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
- Subtitles: English,
Spanish, French
- Dubbed: French,
Spanish
- Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada)
- Aspect
Ratio: 2.20:1
- Number
of discs: 2
- Rated: NR (Not Rated)
- Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
- DVD
Release Date: April 1,
2003
- Run
Time: 152 minutes
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