West Side Story

UPC: 027616898807

Studio: MGM

MPAA Rating: NR   Contains:[Violence, Adult Situations, Questionable for Children]

Summary: Romeo and Juliet is updated to the tenements of New York City in this Oscar-winning musical landmark. Adapted by Ernest Lehman from the Broadway production, the movie opens with an overhead shot of Manhattan, an effect that director Robert Wise would repeat over the Alps in The Sound of Music four years later. We are introduced to two rival street gangs: the Jets, second-generation American teens, and the Sharks, Puerto Rican immigrants. When the war between the Jets and Sharks reaches a fever pitch, Jets leader Riff (Russ Tamblyn) decides to challenge the Sharks to one last "winner take all" rumble. He decides to meet Sharks leader Bernardo (George Chakiris) for a war council at a gymnasium dance; to bolster his argument, Riff wants his old pal Tony (Richard Beymer), the cofounder of the Jets, to come along. But Tony has set his sights on vistas beyond the neighborhood and has fallen in love with Bernardo's sister, Maria (Natalie Wood), a love that, as in Romeo and Juliet, will eventually end in tragedy. In contrast to the usual slash-and-burn policy of Hollywood musical adaptations, all the songs written by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim for the original Broadway production of West Side Story were retained for the film version, although some alterations were made to appease the Hollywood censors, and the original order of two songs was reversed for stronger dramatic impact. The movie more than retains the original choreography of Jerome Robbins, which is recreated in some of the most startling and balletic dance sequences ever recorded on film. West Side Story won an almost-record ten Oscars, including Best Picture, supporting awards to Chakiris and Rita Moreno as Bernardo's girlfriend, Anita, and Best Director to Robbins and Wise. Richard Beymer's singing was dubbed by Jimmy Bryant, Natalie Wood's by Marni Nixon (who also dubbed Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady), and Rita Moreno's by Betty Wand. The film's New York tenement locations were later razed to make room for Lincoln Center. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Category: Musical

Awards: Best Film - Any Source – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Film - Any Source – British Academy of Film and Television Arts U.S. National Film Registry – Library of Congress 100 Greatest American Movies – American Film Institute Best Picture - Musical – null Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or – null Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – null Best Supporting Actress – null Best Director – null Best Director – null Best Adapted Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Color Art Direction – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Color Art Direction – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Color Cinematography – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Color Costume Design – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Director – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Director – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Editing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Musical Score – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Musical Score – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Musical Score – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Musical Score – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Supporting Actress – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – National Board of Review Best Picture – New York Film Critics Circle Best Supporting Actor – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Director – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Moti – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Picture - Musical – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Director – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Director – Directors Guild of America Best Director – Directors Guild of America

Features: ccOriginal theatrical trailer
English: 5.1 Surround
French: Mono
Spanish: Mono
English, French & Spanish language subtitles

West Side Story

Format: DVD

Release Date: 10/07/2003

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Pre-1954 Standard

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DD1 Dolby Digital Mono

Runtime: 152 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French,Spanish

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
1. Overture/Main Title
2. Prologue
3. Snowing the Coppers
4. How to Hold Turf/Jet Song
5. Something's Coming
6. Not Giving an Inch
7. Dance at the Gym
8. Love Across the Lines
9. Riff's Challenge
10. Maria
11. America
12. "I Don't Wait"
13. Tonight
14. Gee, Officer Krupke!
15. The War Council
16. Sweet Land of Liberty
17. I Feel Pretty
18. What Anita Can't See
19. One Hand, One Heart
20. Tonight (Ensemble)
21. The Rumble
22. Breaking the News
23. Somewhere
24. "I'm Scared"
25. Cool
26. Gotta Find Tony
27. A Boy Like That/I Have a Love
28. Detaining Maria
29. Anita's Message
30. No Cure From Doc
31. Finale
32. End Credits

Richard Gilliam

West Side Story is remarkable for its seamless transference from stage musical to screen classic, with the complete Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim song score intact, as well as the choreography of Jerome Robbins. The story, derived from Romeo and Juliet, works on a symbolic rather than realistic level; there is no pretense that this is a true representation of what New York City gangs were like circa 1960. Veteran director Robert Wise is probably the person most responsible for the film's success, and for retaining the best qualities of the stage production, though co-director Robbins, who feuded with Wise throughout the production, would likely disagree. After several weeks of delayed production due to Robbins' insistence on extra rehearsals, Wise tired of the Broadway legend and had him removed from the set. West Side Story swept the Oscars, taking ten awards, including awards for Best Picture and its decidedly non-cordial co-directors. The Academy gave a special choreography award to Robbins, who thanked a great many people in his acceptance speech, noticeably failing to mention Wise. ~ Richard Gilliam, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Nich Covvacevich  Actor 
Rudy Del Campo  Actor 
Jaime Rogers  Actor 
John Zaccaro  Actor 
Harvey Hobnecker  Actor 
Jimmy Bryant  Actor 
Marni Nixon  Actor 
Leonard Bernstein  Composer (Music Score) 
Ernest Lehman  Screenwriter 
Robert Wise  Director 
Robert Wise  Producer 
Natalie Wood  Actor 
Richard Beymer  Actor 
Russ Tamblyn  Actor 
Rita Moreno  Actor 
George Chakiris  Actor 
Simon Oakland  Actor 
William Bramley  Actor 
Ned Glass  Actor 
John Astin  Actor 
Penny Santon  Actor 
Jose de Vega  Actor 
Jay Norman  Actor 
Gus Trikonis  Actor 
Robert Thompson  Actor 
Larry Roquemore  Actor 
Eddie Verso  Actor 
Andre Tayir  Actor 
Tucker Smith  Actor 
Tony Mordente  Actor 
Eliot Feld  Actor 
David Winters  Actor 
Bert Michaels  Actor 
Robert Banas  Actor 
Anthony Teague  Actor 
Thomas Abbott  Actor 
David Bean  Actor 
Sue Oakes  Actor 
Gina Trikonis  Actor 
Carole D'Andrea  Actor 
Yvonne Othon  Actor 
Suzie Kaye  Actor 
Joanna Miya  Actor 

Country: USA