Movie Review: West Side Story

The title of this 1961, critically acclaimed release, is West Side Story. The setting for this film is the Upper West Side of New York City in the late 1950s. This particular film was produced by Robert Wise, and directed by Wise and Jerome Robbins. In the film, Maria was played by Natalie Wood (sung by Marni Nixon); Tony was played by Richard Beymer (sung by Jim Bryant); the part of Riff was performed by Russ Tamblyn; Anita was represented by Rita Moreno (sung by Jim Bryant); and Bernardo was portrayed by George Chakiris. The plot of this silver screen classic follows that of “Romeo and Juliet” almost exactly. The only different though, is that there is no tragic double-suicide in the end. West Side Story received 11 Academy Award nominations, 10 of which were won. The awards won were for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor and Actress, Best Color Cinematography, Best Color Art Direction/Set Decoration, Best Sound, Best Scoring of a Musical Picture, Best Film Editing, and Best Color Costume Design. The award not won was Best Adapted Screenplay.
Several key factors have truly added to the success of this film. The first appealing factor of the film which I wish to acknowledge is camera angles. The camera always seemed to be focused very well on what was happening right then and there. Also, whenever Tony and Maria would kiss, or when they imitated their wedding, the camera would be down-low, looking up at them. In the background, there were always stained glass windows, symbolizing a church, and the two actually being married. Next was the choreography; it was the finest I have ever seen. Jerome Robbins, the choreographer, made a superlative showing in this film, of how “real” choreography should be done. Throughout the film, the dancing and suave movements of the characters added feeling and emotion, for it expressed feelings and thoughts in such a way that it was easy for the viewer to comprehend. A third element of the film that deserved great praise was the soundtrack. There were a total of 12 songs sung by characters in the film, all of which were great, for they fit in very suitably wherever they may have been placed. Not only did the singing take on great meaning, but the background music was very appropriate as well. Where there may have been a slow acting scene, there was slow, elegant background music; where there was a fast-paced scene, bursting with action, the background music sped up a considerable amount. This, in a way, set the stage for what was going to happen, and gave the viewer a sense of assurance. It is obvious that choreography, camera angles, and the soundtrack, all had a profound impact on the way the viewer perceived the movie, which was found by myself as being extraordinarily exciting. Such a combination of factors made the film an unforgettable magnum opus that shall linger in my mind for years to come as one of the best musicals ever. I confer this film 4 stars.