Rating: 
Summary: Monumental film!
Review: It doesn't get any better than this! The most brilliant musical ever filmed! Of course, anyone keeping track of my reviews already knows that Natalie can do no wrong so onto this DVD version...It's Wonderful! It is so pristine and beautifuly packaged. It takes center stage in my DVD collection! Anyone that loves musicals simply MUST own this DVD!
OK, I can't let it go without reviewing Natalie's work...
It does not matter that her musical numbers are dubbed...most are in the film...She is stunning, beyond beauty and so vulnerable as Maria she will break your heart! Live on "WEST SIDE STORY"...LIVE ON!!!
Rating:
Summary: a DVD worthy of the movie
Review: As someone who's watched West Side Story countless times, I wondered if the new special edition DVD would be worth the price .... I decided to rent it first before deciding whether or not to buy. My verdict: I HAVE to own this DVD!The film is so visually appealing. As explained in the special features, color - particularly the use of red - was an important factor in creating the look of the movie. The color has transferred beautifully to the DVD. My only qualm, and it's minor at that, is the sound in a few of the songs. I noticed it in the VHS and original DVD version so it's not a problem with this DVD, but the octave in some of the songs is so high that the sound seems to blur during a few notes, usually when Maria is singing. It doesn't take away from the movie at all; I was just hoping they would have been able to fix it. The special features, especially the documentary featuring cast and crew, are such a treat. The interviews with the cast and crew show a different side of everything that went into making the movie. For example, I never knew that Natalie Wood (Maria) and Richard Beymer (Tony) didn't get along in real life. It was also great to finally hear Natalie Wood's original vocals. The highlight of the feature was the cast itself - to see Beymer (Tony) and Russ Tamblyn (Riff) who I haven't really seen since West Side Story, and the incomparable Rita Moreno (Maria). Get this DVD tonight!
Rating:
Summary: WEST SIDE STORY Impresses
Review: Wow. What a great DVD. The one hour documentary featuring interviews with some of the cast, Robert Wise, Harold Prince, Sondheim, and some key crew members is completely engrossing. Home movie footage showing the filming of the movie is included. Examples of the techniques that the movie makers used to film a musical are fascinating. I was amazed that the knife scene, for example, is COMPLETELY counted out and the actor/dancers' movements were choreographed down to the second (breath, two, three, four; stab, two three; look, two, three, four). Incredible! Rita Morena is particularly informative regarding the dubbing of her song "A Boy Like That". The Robbins/Wise codirecting of the film is explained. And some of Natalie Wood's original vocals are included. The documentary is invaluable for fans of the film. As for the film itself, it looks and sounds incredible on my widescreen HDTV. The anamorphic transfer is very good. The DVD is packaged very well. The book which accompanies the set is very cool, with a great introduction by screenwriter Ernest Lehman (who is one of my movie heros). I'm very impressed with this special edition of WEST SIDE STORY. The film is a classic, and deserves such treatment.
Rating: 
Summary: ONE OF THE MOST OUTSTANDING MOVIE MUSICALS EVER!
Review: When "West Side Story" hit the Broadway stage it must have shocked theater critics. A balletic musical about street gangs and murder, with such an emotional swell built in, that even the most hardened cynics must have left the show dewey-eyed and humming the Leonard Berstein score. The film created nothing less than an international craze and garnered an unprecidented 10 Oscars - the most of any musical.
PLOT: In a nut shell, this is Romeo and Juliet in the ghetto. Natilie Wood (dubbed by Marni Nixon) is Maria; poor, Puertorican and in love with Richard Beymer (Tony). But her brother, Bernardo (George Chakaris) and his girlfriend, Anita (Rita Moreno) don't approve. If you know your Shakespeare, you know how this one ends. The difference here are the songs, so electric and outstanding that they easily steal the show. Try listening to "America" or "I Feel Pretty" without tapping your toes or "One Hand, One Heart" without getting goose-bumps. It's impossible. MGM gives us some nice packaging and some extras but let's state the obvious first: this transfer is identical to the one previously issued on DVD. Having said that, the transfer is quite good, with a rich bold color scheme and fair solid blacks. But there are cases where edge enhancement is present and quite obtrusive. There's also a lot of pixelization in the backgrounds.
Certain scenes appear slightly out of focus, while others are so sharp that even with your televsion sharpness turned to zero, the image is rather hard to look at on the screen.
The soundtrack is very strident. Songs are presented at an explosive listening level that really rocks the house. But other bits of dialogue are soft or muffled. Some of the songs have a grating high pitch to them that really strains the ear. A moderate listening level is recommended to fully appreciate this audio.
Now for the extras - for starters we get a very handsome book that contains the entire script as well as personal reflections from the producers and cast and newspaper clippings of the initial reviews. The print quality of the book is okay, but the photo image quality herein is simply unacceptable, with smeared images of original stills and others that have faded colors.
Since this is a two-disc set, the movie is on disc one, with the option to listen and view with or without the intermission music - a very nice touch. Disc 2 contains a documentary "West Side Memories" that is somewhat disappointing in that not all the cast members have their say.
Missing from the proceedings are George Chakaris (Bernardo) who is still alive and should have been included. Yes, Natalie Wood is no longer with us but I find it hard to believe that she never gave any sound bytes to the press ever, with regard to her participation on the film. Marni Nixon, who dubbed for Natalie is also not present to lend her expertise and talk about the art of dubbing, which she did plenty of during Hollywood's golden age. There's also no Ernest Lehman - odd, considering how active he's been on other special edition DVD's.
This documentary is self-congratulatory and pretty much plays it safe. The premiere and the film's enduring popularity are glossed over.
On disc 2 we get the isolated intermission music presented a second time - for what reason, I'm not sure - presumably to fill disc space. There's also a montage of stills set to music and no less than five theatrical trailers - all of them looking pretty dull and worn out. Lastly, we get a shameless add from MGM, promoting its other DVD releases. That's pretty much it. A real waste of a second disc if you ask me. Yes, the documentary is fairly comprehensive, but it could have fit on side two of a flipper disc. Yes, the book is a nice companion piece but it's not printed with high quality in mind. The handsome packaging on the exterior hints to more hidden treasures than are actually found inside.
BOTTOM LINE: A genuine work of art. The transfer is nice, just not pristine. The extras are okay, but don't really live up to the excitement one has before taking the plastic wrapper off.
Rating:
Summary: Only in America
Review: This new release of "West Side Story" on DVD is a masterstroke of entertainment.: a perfect blend of music, choreography, and talent, such that the screen hasn't seen since the making of this film. Now I must admit that I haven't been a huge fan of this film prior. It seems that the two other times that I tried watching this, I actually fell asleep. I knew that I wanted to like this movie, and now, after watching the DVD release of this movie, I understand why. The transfer of the film to DVD is flawless. The movie looks sumptous and rich, the sound incredible, and the music soars. Every performance in the film, from Russ Tamblyn to Natalie Wood to Rita Moreno, and so on and so on, is powerful and compelling. The huge dancing numbers are visually mesmerizing, you get lost in the middle of them constantly. In fact, the directing of Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins is inspiring. I hate it when you have a large dance number, and it suffers by having to view closeup after closeup without ever being able to see the entire number. Robbins and Wise pull back and allow the dancing to speak for itself. I only wish other directors would realize you don't need a thousand cuts in a dance number to make it exciting. When purchasing DVDs, I tend to look beyond the simple inclusion of the movie when rating a set. This DVD is loaded, and I mean LOADED with goodies. Not only do you get the movie, but it comes with an interesting documentary, trailers, behind the scene photos, and even includes a "scrapbook" of the script complete with pictures and other information. This DVD has set the standard for all other DVD releases in the future. So come on, enjoy the Sharks, Jets, their fighting, dancing, all set in the arms of an amazing love story. No wonder AFI chose this as one of the 100 best films of all time. This new DVD collection is one of the best of all time as well.
Rating:
Summary: AWESOME DVD
Review: The packaging is a keepsake-the documentary wonderful...this DVD is a must for those who own Sound of music SE...even though not as much info. as the criterion Laser Disc, this is just tremendous!!!
Rating:
Summary: *aMAziNg*
Review: all i can say is...how could you NOT love it? i think that this is a timeless tale that anyone can love. i am 15 years old, and can relate to the same messages that this sent forth 42 years ago. the music, costume, and choreography will never cease to amaze me. it never fails to make me both laugh and cry, as well as sing along, and even dance when i think that no one is looking. a MUST-own!
Rating:
Summary: There's a place for us
Review: "There's a place for us, A time and place for us. Hold my hand and we're halfway there."
Music: Leonard Bernstein Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim And there is a movie for us. "West Side Story" is a classic on too many levels to describe here. Everything from the music to the choreography to the actors to...
One big plus is even if the story line is a classic they did not try to duplicate 'Romeo & Juliet" with modern clothing. The movie still maintains the feel and action of the play. Just on the chance that you missed this movie the first time around, it is the story of two people (Tony and Maria) from adverse backgrounds who fall in love. They must cope with their new feelings. And to complicit things they have trouble from their families and society. Will thy overcome these things or will fait and circumstance thwart their efforts and tragedy arise?
I could write a book on what makes this movie great but it is best that you watch and judge for yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Natalie Wood Sings!
Review: What is so extraordinary about this new DVD of WEST SIDE STORY is that for the very first time, we get to hear some of Natalie Wood's own vocal tracks, long considered missing. The producer's gave Natalie a chance to do some of her own singing (with Marni Nixon stepping in originally only to help out on the high soprano parts) and Natalie did a fine job, considering she was not known really as a vocalist. However, after Natalie's scenes were all finishedthey called Marni Nixon in again and requested that she dub in ALL the singing. This was much to Natalie'schagrin, as she tried and worked very hard with a vocal coach to do a good job. Now, after forty (!) years, weall can have a chance to at least hear what her own vocals were like. The following film for Natalie was GYPSYand fans may be interested to know that in her role as GYPSY ROSE LEE Natalie did indeed do all her own vocals.WEST SIDE STORY on DVD is always a musical treat and this AnniversaryDeluxe Package is a Collector's delight.
Rating:
Summary: Still the most moving cinema experience I've ever had
Review: I saw this movie with my parents back in the 1970's. I liked it and wanted to be "just like Maria." I was ready to dye my hair brown and wear a pretty white dress every day for the rest of my life. Now that I'm older, I still love this movie, but for different reasons. The love story rips through my heart, the jets/sharks fight scene under the highway brings on an attack of anxiety, and the death scene can leave me emotionally exhausted for 2 days afterward. This is a wonderfully made movie. Perfectly cast and beautifully presented. I don't care who did the actual singing, it is flawless! And I had no idea that it was dubbed until just last year. If you didn't know that little tidbit of information, you wouldn't be able to tell it on your own. The singing voices match up perfectly with the actor's speaking voices. Don't watch this movie if you are looking for a realistic documentary, complete with graphic violence and language. Watch it if you care about the deeper message of love, understanding, and acceptance.
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