Rating: 
Summary: A great musical, a wonderful triumph!
Review: This is by far my favorite musical. This is truly a great film. No wonder it won best picture at the 1961 academy awards. It is about Tony(Richard Breymer) and Maria(Natalie Wood, trying to put on a Purto Rican accent) They meet at a dance, but their two familes( Tony is American, Maria is Purto Rican) dont approve of their relationship. Marias brother is killed, and so is Tonys friend. Then Tony gets killed, and Maria's brothers girlfriend Anita almost gets rapped. There are some great songs such as Tonight, Cool, I Feel Pretty, and America which only adds to the films greatness. Rita Moreno as Anita, is an excellent dancer.
In case you didnt know, almost all the main roles are dubbed for singing except for the guy who plays Bernardo. The voice overs are very well kept secret, so you think the characters are actually singing their own songs. The film is sort of a Romeo and Juliet in the city type thing. It is about love and predjudice. Truly a movie for those of a mature audience. I have found that when I was a youngster, I hated the film, but now I love it. The goof-offs and immature audience in my class hate the film, but those who are more applied seem to enjoy it. Anyways, Natalie Wood is great, along with the rest of the wondeful cast.
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: Magnificent adaptation of Romeo & Juliet!
Review: Robert Wise made his masterpiece with this film mixing the essential spirit of the shakesperian mood , recreating it in the modern times as a racial conflict.
Wise mixed the drama with a credible plot . The coreography is towering and the music ( Oh what kind of inspiration was in the mind of Leonard Bernstein , acquire buy also the soundtrack; Maria became a classic ), Rita Moreno won a deserved Academy Award and this became a personal triumph for Natalie Wood one of the most beautiful faces ever seen in the cinema story .
The sequence fights between the bunchs is perfect articulated , there is a fine balance between drama and music.
Enjoyable film and of course for all a generation of teenagers in that age , who actaully are grandparents , still remember with nosthalgie that unforgettable jewel picture .
Rating:
Summary: Classic musical that stands out
Review: Robert Wise's "West Side Story", based on the story of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is probably one of the best musicals made. It outclasses most musicals in its acting, music, songs, choreography and depiction of story. The music composition by Leonard Bernstein was outstanding and haunting. Stephen Sondheim did a spectacular job in the songs. Jerome Robbins' fantastic choreography makes this movie stand out from the other musicals. The choreography is wonderful, even the fight scenes are choreographed. Due to Puerto Ricans, the dances have the fast pace and the rhythm is very well captured. The dances cover all from the italian to the ballet styles and go well with the songs. While the story might be simple, the impossible love between two people of different races, the way it is depicted is very realistic. Richard Beymer and Natalie Wood portray their parts very well and the way they meet and are held apart is heartbreaking. Rita Moreno and George Chakiris have done a superb job in acting their parts of how one likes being in America and the other does not. George as Bernardo plays all of the emotions from comedy to anger to hatred well. Unlike most musicals which are non-realistic, this is very realistic. The songs range in all styles from the simple to the operatic, like in "Maria". Songs have intelligent lyrics in some like "I like to be in America", to haunting melody in "You and Me". This movie has romance, comedy, racial hatred and tragedy which ends in sadness. So many movies have copied its style, its songs but have failed miserably. Putting together such a cast and a support crew is not a simple task. Right from the first point when the movie shows the Jets to the Sharks, there is 20 minutes of music, but the facial expressions say it all. The rivalry of the gangs is well done along with the way they plan the fight and how things get out of control. The cops add to the trouble. This movie is a timeless classic. The DVD itself is well produced, the transfer of the music and video is good. The extras could be better though. I have a soundtrack of this movie by Bernstein that has very good notes written by him from his diary, in fact, this was better than a lot of the extras in the DVD. Despite this, the DVD is worth collecting, one can never get tired of watching this movie, unless one hates tragedies.
Rating:
Summary: A 'Special Edition' for a very Special Movie!
Review: Its hard to review a film like "West Side Story, that has been cannonized as a film classic. All I can do is try to relate the joy, energy and wonder I feel everytime I view this movie. This is one of those rare instances in film history, where commerce/box office success intersects with great art to create an entertainment legacy, that is truely special. We all pretty much know the story. It is a modern, musical retelling of Shakesphere's Romeo and Juliet.Instead of aristocratic families, we have poor NYC youth gangs(Jets & the Sharks), who battle for territory and respect.Two young lovers (Tony & Maria) from the opposite sides try to end the violence, but ultimately their love cannot overcome hate and biogtry.Where do you start with what makes this movie great? Do you begin with the talented youthful cast? Richard Beymer and Natalie Wood both are wonderful as the young lovers, who make the ultimate sacrifice. Likewise Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno and George Chakiris give amazing performances as young people, who are caught up in a world that dosn't seem to understand their need to explode in violence. The entire cast is just fantastic and never gives us a false note of acting. Then there is the music. The Leonard Bernstein/ Stephen Sondheim songs such as"Tonight", "Maria", "America", "Somewhere" and the rest of the score have become enshrined in our cultural consciousness. Everytime I watch this movie I unknowingly start singing along to those wonderful tunes, that just seem to stick in your brain and make your toes tap. Finally there is the brilliant Choreogaphy of Co-Director, Jerome Robbins. The only word that comes to mind is 'GENUIS', when I see the dancing at the gym or during the songs "America" and "Cool".How did he get the actors to move like that? The story, music and dancing all comes together under the artistry of Robbins and his Co-Director Robert Wise, who both share the responsiblity for the creation of this filmmaking masterpiece."West Side Story" has now been lovingly remastered in a 'Special Edition', two DVD set.If you are a fan of this movie, then you will be in heaven with the tons of extras included. Most prominent is a great one hour documentary called "West Side Memories", which includes both home movies, original vocal soundtracks, and interviews from actors and production people. Also included along with the DVDs is a 150 page book, that has the script, publicity materials and reviews from the original film release. If you are a fan of "West Side Story" or classic movies in general, then I highly recommend this 'Special Edition'!
Rating:
Summary: " Somehow......somewhere......someday "
Review: 'West Side Story' is one of the greatest musicals to come out in the past 50 years. The story is clearly taken from ' Romeo and Juliet' and put into mordan setting ( basically 1960's ). The Sharks ( Puerto-ricans ) and the Jets ( Whites ) are two rival gangs in 1960 New York. When Tony ( a gang member of The Jets) falls in love with Maria ( sister of lead gang member of The Sharks ), all trouble falls through, and leads to a saddening ending.
The picture quality is good, but the starting scene at the gym is a little fuzzy. But the sound quality on this DVD, is wonderful and sometimes you feel like as though you are there. The songs and dancing sequence are always wonderful like usual, including the in-famous 'I feel pretty,' ' America', ' Somewhere ' etc. Great movie for children of all age and adults.
Rating:
Summary: timeless hit
Review: what can i say about this film that has not been said in the 200 plus reviews here. its simply the best. and to anyone who feels its too old school i can only say that if you look closely at this film, you will find in it to some degree, every michal jackson video ever made.. so beat it!
Rating:
Summary: I love it! ^-^
Review: I am not a big fan of musicals to be honest. I find most musicals absolutely annoyingly sweet. One of the few musicals that I like is "West Side Story". I first saw this classic was in my high school english AP class.
The storyline is pretty basic. It is basically a modern version of "Romeo and Juliet". Two people from two different families who hate each other, falls in love despite the odds. The only difference is: a) the two families are gangs and b) it is a musical. Also the issue of racism is tackled in the film because one of the gangs (the Sharks) is Puerto Rican and part of the warfare between the Sharks and the Jets is due to the Jets' dislike for Puerto Ricans. In "Romeo and Juliet", the Montagues and Capulets simply hate each other for no other reason that they hate each other, and in the end, both gangs realizes what their hatred for each other has cost them.
I love "West Side Story" so much is because of Leonard and Bernstein's music and the choreography. The songs are infectious and the choreography so lively. I also enjoyed performances by a young Natalie Wood, Rita Moreno, Richard Beymer, George Chaklis, and Russ Tamblin. I never get tired of watching "West Side Story". For me it is a timeless classic.
Rating:
Summary: West Side Wonderful
Review: The dancing in this movie take my breath away. This is a fantastic movie and deserves all the praise it recieves. This dvd is a well packaged DVD, but the downside is no extra features. If you want more extra features than you should buy the special edition but this one IS still great.
Rating:
Summary: Probably the best musical of the 20th Century - IMO
Review: It is no surprise that this is one of the most treasured musicals after "The Sound of Music" and "The Wizard of Oz". I fell in love with the movie from the opening scene to the end. What amazed me was how technically great the movie was. The camera work was great. The choreography was some of the best I have seen. Moreover, even some of the cast members gave incredible performances (especially Rita Moreno who gave one of the best supporting performances of all time IMO). The great songs also captured me:
"America", "Tonight" reprise, "Somewhere", and "Maria".
It came as no surprise to me that the movie won 10 Oscars (That is one short of the record) including Best Picture.
The storyline was based on Romeo & Juliet, so it had a great work to build its foundation on. The way the work was transformed from Broadway to film was another advantage, preserving this masterpiece (I do not throw this word loosely) for future generations.
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