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Summary: Noone should attempt to recreate it for a highschool musical
Review: This classic tale of a boy and a girl seperated by racial prejudices will move hearts, especially those born romantics. With great correography, catchy music, and generally good acting, this movie is moving and heart-rending. NOBODY should EVER EVER try to recreate this masterpiece for a commonplace highschool musical. Our school tried .. and though we had talented actors and musicians, we didn't do half as well as the movie, and ended up ruining the story for the entire cast. Directors really make a difference. Ours .. did. Now, noone can even hear the word "Westside," without a grimace. We managed to pull it off, and even reduced many to tears, but even so. No, instead, watch the movie. Don't critique too much, or pick it apart to look for mistakes either. Instead, just watch and enjoy it for its content, and the message it delivers to all of us.
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Summary: sprawling, large, and bad
Review: epic musical fails to entertain by having a 15 minute title sequence, awful music, and a poor story-line. i would not waste my time watching a minute of this mess again. save the choreography for more important things. this movie is utterly boring and not worth my while at all
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Summary: The Best Transfer i've seen of this film
Review: West Side Story has never looked better!
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Summary: The glamour of the ghetto!
Review: West Side Story is the film that set hearts a flutter and mouths a talking in both a positive and negative way. When the movie was released people were amazed by the vivid colors and striking direction of the film the low camera angles on the dance scenes is just amazing allowing an open freedom to the choreography! The songs are catchy as hell and are easy to remember and are a staple of pop culture, remember those GAP ads last year for the Oscars? But the film to some has a negative side, the negative light shed on immigrants. What is the big deal, the film is about hate and to be hated the opposing sides have to have disugst for each others cultures. But back to the film Natile Wood is on fire here. With this film she shows more range and vitality than any actress that year. And the film was awarded the most Oscars for any movie musical ever! It is fitting that one of the most stunnigly beautiful films ever made is about something that everyone should fear hate. Rita moreno tears down the house in her scenes. The film is just easy to fall into on every level. It is just Romeo and Juliet set to some of the best songs and some of the most amazing direction for a musical ever.
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Summary: My favorite movie of all time!
Review: I first saw this movie when I was five years old and I fell in love! Natalie Wood deserved an Oscar for her role as Maria...I couldn't tell that she wasn't Hispanic (and I'm Hispanic myself!) or that she wasn't doing her own singing. She is so believable and so sincere as Maria. Russ Tamblyn (Riff), Richard Beymer (Tony), George Chakris (Bernardo), and Rita Moreno (Anita) were superb! The dancing matched the action and the music perfectly (Kudos to Jerome Robbins) and the music was wonderfully arranged (again...Kudos to Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim). Go out and watch this movie! You won't regret it!
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Summary: West Side Story Unfolded....
Review: To comment on the one who took to task the studio for only putting out West Side Story with subtitles of English and French, and not Spanish. Be it known, that 97% of us in the United States speak english. Those that do not, could not afford the DVD anyway! And so what if Natalie Wood did not do her own singing, neither did Deborah Kerr in 'The King and I'. They were both 'sung' by Marni Nixon, and excellent singer who appears as herself in The Sound of Music as one of the nuns. The true appeal of West Side Story, is the story.... I suggest one should look at the film as an entertainment value, not as a politically correct venue..... Both the DVD and VCR are an excellent value, worthy of the time spent to view. Enjoy it, and keep in mind what was intended, entertainment.
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Summary: West Side Boring
Review: I'm sorry, but I'll have to rain a little on this parade. Perhaps "Story" was the hottest thing on Broadway in the late 1950s but its evolution into a Hollywood musical and its 40-year mellowing have not, in my opinion, kept it a classic--far from it. I like a lot of the music and choreography, though in tandem they become too much of a one-trick pony. Come on, what do you think: "DA-dum, DA-dum, DA-dum/DA-dum" pretty much expresses the synergy, doesn't it? There are some great tunes here; I personally prefer "Something's Coming" to "Maria," probably because "Maria" is so self-righteously spiritual. That's probably the root of my dislike of this musical. It is so calculatingly GOOD FOR YOU. It is social-workerish, but in an Eisenhower kind of way that hasn't worn well. Consider that every time "Maria" sings, we have a singer dubbing for Natalie Wood (a Russo-American) pretending to be a Latina, and whenever her male counterpart sings we have another singer dubbing for another American (R. Beymer) pretending to be Latino. Now, I'm not the most Politically Correct guy in the world. I thought it was insane when California banned smoking at its bars a couple of years ago since that was basically the only public space where it was still permitted. It makes my gorge rise to call myself "Euro-American"; I'd rather be called "white trash." However, I do recognize condescension to an ethnic group when I see it and what may have been cutting-edge in 1957 or even 1961 is trite today. I suppose that's why my favorite tune in the show is "Office Krupke" because its message hasn't changed: 15-year-old kids have figured out that the system runs for the adults' benefit, not theirs. I'm not saying every musical has to be relentlessly joyful, candy colored, or without social or political conventions. But any movie should entertain, and to me, this one is deficient.
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Summary: Wrong subtitles in a musical masterpiece
Review: Why on earth would the genius minds at MGM release a DVD of West Side Story about Puerto Rican Americans and only offer subtitles in English and French? Do they really think the tiny French speaking population in the US is a more important customer base than the huge Spanish speaking population? Most DVDs released in the US are subtitled only in English and French. Someone probably knows why. But films that would especially appeal to a Latin audience should also include Spanish subtitles.
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Summary: An unmatched musical
Review: West Side Story Score: 86/100 In 1961, West Side Story, this endearing classic, garnered a total of ten academy awards, which is one of the most plausible amounts ever. The film is now terribly ignored by audiences, but for me, West Side Story set a standard that remains, most likely, unsurpassed in movie musicals. It's that good. West Side Story is a musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet set in New York City, where rival street gangs - the American Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks - battle for territory and respect. Is the love affair between former Jets leader Tony (Richard Beymer), and Maria (Natalie Wood), sister to Sharks' leader Bernardo, doomed to failure? Well, you're doomed until you find out, so grab this movie as soon as you. West Side Story is a truly electrifying piece of cinema, it sets ageless tragedy on the slums of New York in the 1950's and does it maturely and with stunning style. The violence and some unnecessary language may slightly falter it, but Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's unforgettable score, which includes such famous songs as Maria, America and Tonight, and Jerome Robbins' exuberant chereography makes up for whatever may put the film down. Performances are no problem for these now-crinkly actors; Natalie Wood captures Maria with such heartbreaking richness that makes her performance ignored beauty, while Richard Beymer is excellently controlled in his performance as the confused but honest Tony. Oscar-winners Rita Moreno and George Chakiris both make sure this film is satisfying in supporting performances as well. West Side Story is a lovely film that remains a feast for the eye, the ear and, ultimately, the heart.
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Summary: Without a doubt...
Review: The best dvd purchase I've made so far. Wonderful story, wonderful songs, wonderful cast! I first saw this movie when I was 12 yrs. old. I stil enjoy watching it 19 yrs. later. If you're looking for fun, excitement,love and tragedy - BUY THIS MOVIE!! Also worth checking out "Songs of the West Side Story" on compact disc. All 4 One, Selena, Brian Setzer, Wynonna Judd, Aretha Franklin, Sheila E., and Patti LaBelle are just a few who contributed their talents. Paul Rodriguez along with Salt N Peppa, Def Jef, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and The Jerky Boys performing Officer Krupke makes this album well worth the purchase price!
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