Rating: 
Summary: West Side Story
Review: West Side Story is not just a love story, but an exact duplicate of the famed "Romeo and Juliet!" Natalie Wood is astounding,and the music is beyond compare! And to other states, it shows how
violence can and will lead always to death. And I think for us kids it shows that killing is not good!
MILL KENT
Rating:
Summary: You might even cry with emotion
Review: West Side Story is an old but all time movie which got 10 well deserved Oscars. The music, by Leonard Bernstein, is great. It is sometimes vibrating and vital, others romantic, but always powerful. The musical themes have different dozes of jazz, popular and ballads ingredients and the classical music background of Bernstein is also present (just listen to the overture and you will see). The choreography is quite distinctive, full of energy and it's daring and agresive. West Side Story is more a modern opera rather than a film with some songs and dances. I know that there are some people that did not like the film (hard to believe) but most did. This is perhaps not a movie for just any audience, it is mainly for music lovers who also like modern/jazz dance (if you like classical music, operas and musicals and enjoy jazz and/or if you find pleasure in listening to Grofe, Aaron Copland and Gershwin, then I am sure you will like this film, but if you only enjoy hearing Ricky Martin, Roxette, ABBA, and so on, forget it, you are maybe better off trying something else). I have seen the movie several times (I never get tired) or just listened to the music which I also have in CD (even more, I have every version of the music which I know of that has been released). As this film is mainly a musical, if I were you, I would make my choice (to buy or not to buy) based on your musical taste (and nobody can judge that better than yourself).
Rating: 
Summary: defective disk
Review: The DVD plays well until the "I feel pretty" song and then the entire thing goes haywire. I know my DVD player is OK. And I checked the disk (there are none) and even washed it off.The disk is defective. Has anyone else had this experience?
Rating: 
Summary: The Worst Movie I Have Ever Seen
Review: 'West Side Story', the movie, which I believe is based on a story based on the Shakespeare Play 'Romeo and Juliet', was extremely poor. Part of this might be that as a girl of the twenty-first century I am not accustomed to sixties style. Nonetheless, I found this movie foolish. It is the story of Tony and Maria, two poor teenagers in New York, whose love crosses cultural boundaries. Maria is a Hispanic, Puerto Rican immigrant, guarded fiercely by her gang-member brothers, while Tony is involved in a gang for white boys. The two, although pressured by their peers to ignore their feelings for one another, are determined to be together and share their love. Ultimately, their intricate plots and scheming to run away together lead to tragedy. First of all, I did not admire the characters. There were the gangsters who were completely unrealistic. Absolutely none of them looked like gangsters--they just appeared absurd, with their slicked-back, three-inch high, hairdos and skin-tight, effeminate pants. Then, there was the superficial Maria, whose biggest concern was convincing Anita to lower the neckline of her dress for the dance "just one more inch". This made her seem rather provocative and lecherous, rather than a beautiful heroine. There was also a ridiculous number of dance scenes, in which everything--even the dramatic fight scenes in which the gangsters confront each other--was choreographed into ballet. Of course, they only antagonized this in the film, by having Maria and Tony meet at a dance, which is kind of tacky. Now, I appreciate musicals and dance greatly, but felt that this was just overdone and utterly murdered the drama. I found many of the musical numbers, particularly the "America Song" to be very poor and laughable in a way they were not meant to be. Next, there was the ending which completely contrasted and ruined the elegance of the Shakespearean style. Lastly, it was just entirely too long--I left in the middle of it and came back, having missed nothing. I was very disappointed by this film, 'West Side Story' truly was the worst movie I have ever seen.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful songs and choreography, classic love story
Review: "West Side Story" is the brilliant adaption of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" set in 1960s New York City, sans gangs, fights, and tremendous rivalry. The story itself is great and the acting superb, but what really makes this movie worthwhile are the snappy songs and phenomenally choreographed dance numbers. No one could resist tapping their feet along to the upbeat, exciting "Mambo," the hilarious and catchy "America," or the terrifically entertaining "Cool" (and who could forget "Gee, Officer Krupke"?). The only thing that gets a bit tedious are the love songs--I get a little tired of seeing Tony (Richard Beymer) and Maria (Natalie Wood) confess their undying love with sappy songs (though "Tonight" is a gem). The performances are absolutely outstanding--Richard Beymer's Tony was great, Natalie Wood's Maria was extraordinary, particularly near the end, and George Chakiris's Bernardo was cool, calm, and collected (but also despicable at times). The real standout, however, was Rita Moreno's Anita, energetic and jazzy throughout the whole film. See this movie--if not for the acting or storyline, then for the songs and dances. The best musical I have ever seen, no questions asked. Now...MAMBO! ;)
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST Musical You Could Ever Hope to See
Review: West Side Story is the best muscial you could ever see and all of the characters were perfectly chosen. Natalie Wood was an awesome Maria and her lover, Tony, was beautifully played by Richard Beymer. Unfortunatly, my respect for Tony was diminished when at the end of the movie Bernardo (George Chakiris) was killed by Tony. Seeing that Bernardo was my favorite character, this was not a hard decision to make. I suppose his anger was stirred when Riff died. Anita (Rita Moreno) was also a wonderfully chosen character with many great scenes. The music is phenomenal with all of the different styles of music from slow to fast and peppy. "I Feel Pretty", "America", "Maria", and all of the backround music really complete this musical. You can't find a musical like this every day!!
Rating:
Summary: electrifying
Review: A triumph on every level, this electrifying musical sets the ageless tragedy of Romeo and Juliet against the backdrop of gang warfare in the slums of New York in the 1950's. Directed by Robert Wise, the story of Maria (Natalie Wood) and Tony (Richard Beymer) still packs a punch, as much as it did in 1961. When Maria falls for rival-gang member Tony, it's more than these two warring gangs can handle. And as mounting tensions rise, a battle-to-the-death ensues, causing innocent blood to be heart-breakingly shed. Also featuring Rita Moreno, George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn, this classic Broadway musical translates effortlessly to the screen.
Rating:
Summary: Deserves a sixth star
Review: West Side Story is my all time favorite movie. I can't remember when I first saw it but I've seen it countless time since. The story is timeless, and I could listen to Bernstein's score repeatedly without tiring of it. I never saw it in theaters and I do wish there was some kind of revival, such as the one Gone With The Wind enjoyed. I cannot imagined how impressive the film wuld look on the big screen, so impressive it is on my 21 inch tv.This is the only movie I watched in which I cried in the end.It's that touching. It may not appeal to the younger set but if you want to relive the emotional gripping story of West Side Story, buy it. NOW.
Rating:
Summary: Timeless and beautiful!
Review: How anyone who loves musicals and choreography and music, in general, can criticize this masterpiece is truly beyond me. West Side Story has to rank as one of the most beautiful musical scores ever written! I saw this film when I was 9 years old and still love and remember it to this day. Natalie Wood is adorable, and those dance sequences are unforgettable. This film truly deserved its 10 oscar nominations, and it is one of the few films I would see again several times in my lifetime.
Rating:
Summary: I don't know what's so special about this movie
Review: I don't get this movie. It is sooooooooo boring and the songs are so bad. All the characters don't talk and I didn't know what they were trying to say(the beggining 20 minutes). Their dancing moves didn't match and they can't sing crap!
|
