Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsABFFPride MonthOutfest OutfrontsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

West Side Story

  • 1961
  • Approved
  • 2h 33m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
117K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,397
154
"West Side Story" (Saul Bass Poster) 1961
Special ED. DVD, Post
Play trailer0:31
28 Videos
99+ Photos
CrimeDramaMusical

Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy.Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy.Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy.

  • Directors
    • Jerome Robbins
    • Robert Wise
  • Writers
    • Ernest Lehman
    • Arthur Laurents
    • Jerome Robbins
  • Stars
    • Natalie Wood
    • George Chakiris
    • Richard Beymer
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.6/10
    117K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,397
    154
    • Directors
      • Jerome Robbins
      • Robert Wise
    • Writers
      • Ernest Lehman
      • Arthur Laurents
      • Jerome Robbins
    • Stars
      • Natalie Wood
      • George Chakiris
      • Richard Beymer
    • 499User reviews
    • 149Critic reviews
    • 86Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 10 Oscars
      • 29 wins & 10 nominations total

    Videos28

    West Side Story
    Trailer 0:31
    Watch West Side Story
    Shot for Shot | 'West Side Story'
    Clip 1:20
    Watch Shot for Shot | 'West Side Story'
    Essential Guide to Rita Moreno
    Clip 8:44
    Watch Essential Guide to Rita Moreno
    Hollywood's Shared History with Broadway
    Clip 6:12
    Watch Hollywood's Shared History with Broadway
    West Side Story: Dance-off
    Clip 3:01
    Watch West Side Story: Dance-off
    West Side Story: Dance At The Gym
    Clip 1:58
    Watch West Side Story: Dance At The Gym
    West Side Story: Tonight
    Clip 1:54
    Watch West Side Story: Tonight
    West Side Story: One Hand One Heart
    Clip 1:42
    Watch West Side Story: One Hand One Heart
    West Side Story: Mannequins
    Clip 1:41
    Watch West Side Story: Mannequins
    West Side Story: Storyboards (Bonus Clip)
    Clip 1:27
    Watch West Side Story: Storyboards (Bonus Clip)
    West Side Story: A Boy Like That
    Clip 1:23
    Watch West Side Story: A Boy Like That
    West Side Story: The Rumble
    Clip 1:59
    Watch West Side Story: The Rumble

    Photos348

    Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer in West Side Story (1961)
    George Chakiris and Simon Oakland in West Side Story (1961)
    Natalie Wood and George Chakiris in West Side Story (1961)
    George Chakiris, Jay Norman, and Eddie Verso in West Side Story (1961)
    Rita Moreno in West Side Story (1961)
    West Side Story (1961)
    David Winters and Tucker Smith in West Side Story (1961)
    George Chakiris, Jay Norman, and Eddie Verso in West Side Story (1961)
    George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn in West Side Story (1961)
    George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn in West Side Story (1961)
    West Side Story (1961)
    George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn in West Side Story (1961)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Natalie Wood
    Natalie Wood
    • Maria
    George Chakiris
    George Chakiris
    • Bernardo
    Richard Beymer
    Richard Beymer
    • Tony
    Russ Tamblyn
    Russ Tamblyn
    • Riff
    Rita Moreno
    Rita Moreno
    • Anita
    Simon Oakland
    Simon Oakland
    • Schrank
    Ned Glass
    Ned Glass
    • Doc
    William Bramley
    William Bramley
    • Krupke
    Tucker Smith
    Tucker Smith
    • Ice
    Tony Mordente
    Tony Mordente
    • Action
    David Winters
    David Winters
    • A-rab
    Eliot Feld
    Eliot Feld
    • Baby John
    Bert Michaels
    Bert Michaels
    • Snowboy
    David Bean
    • Tiger
    Robert Banas
    Robert Banas
    • Joyboy
    Anthony 'Scooter' Teague
    Anthony 'Scooter' Teague
    • Big Deal
    • (as Scooter Teague)
    Harvey Evans
    Harvey Evans
    • Mouthpiece
    • (as Harvey Hohnecker)
    Tommy Abbott
    • Gee-Tar
    • Directors
      • Jerome Robbins
      • Robert Wise
    • Writers
      • Ernest Lehman
      • Arthur Laurents
      • Jerome Robbins
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Rita Moreno Breaks Down 6 of Her Iconic Roles

    Rita Moreno Breaks Down 6 of Her Iconic Roles

    Rita Moreno breaks down 6 of her most iconic roles, discusses the struggles she's faced in Hollywood, and shares what it felt like to return to West Side Story 60 years later. She also dives into her revealing documentary Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It.
    Watch now
    Editorial Image
    8:44

    More like this

    West Side Story
    7.2
    West Side Story
    An American in Paris
    7.2
    An American in Paris
    From Here to Eternity
    7.6
    From Here to Eternity
    Patton
    7.9
    Patton
    Kramer vs. Kramer
    7.8
    Kramer vs. Kramer
    Driving Miss Daisy
    7.3
    Driving Miss Daisy
    Chicago
    7.2
    Chicago
    Chariots of Fire
    7.1
    Chariots of Fire
    Terms of Endearment
    7.4
    Terms of Endearment
    Midnight Cowboy
    7.8
    Midnight Cowboy
    In the Heat of the Night
    7.9
    In the Heat of the Night
    Ordinary People
    7.7
    Ordinary People

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The actors in the rival gangs were instructed to play pranks on each other off the set to keep tensions high.
    • Goofs
      Near the end, when Maria yells "Don't you touch him!", two different voices can be heard at the same time in the first half of the phrase (in fact, this is singer Marni Nixon overdubbing for Natalie Wood).
    • Quotes

      Maria: All of you! You all killed him! And my brother, and Riff. Not with bullets, or guns, with hate. Well now I can kill, too, because now I have hate!

    • Crazy credits
      There are no opening credits; a stylized, tinted aerial still of Manhattan is shown as the overture plays. The background changes color as the themes change throughout the overture. As the overture ends, the tinting is blue, the title appears, and the shot segues to aerial photography of Manhattan streets and landmarks.
    • Alternate versions
      The 1984, 88 VHS releases in addition to the 1991 reissue had the 1982 United Artists logo plaster.
    • Connections
      Alternate-language version of West Side Story (2021)
    • Soundtracks
      Overture
      (1957) (uncredited)

      Composed by Leonard Bernstein

    User reviews499

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    A 70-millimeter delight.
    I remember when this film ran on NBC television about 25 years ago. After being beefed up with commercials, it had to be shown in 2 parts over two nights. I only saw it in the theater once when I was about 12, and had forgotten many visuals which were cut off on the television screen. So let me just say that the smartest thing MGM-UA could do is present a widescreen, 70mm DVD. It has a gorgeous restored picture (important for visual effects like the dissolve of Natalie Wood spinning around in the bridal shop which blurs and multiplies and finally erupts into multiple dancers who converge at the gym, or the first time Tony and Maria see each other against the blur of the dance competition on opposite sides of the screen) and pristine sound- probably the most gorgeous score ever composed by Leonard Bernstein. There are, of course, stage purists who scoff at the movie (and its many ghost singers), but I always thought the film's adaptation was superior to the stage show because it gave the story a more breathless, one-act pace. Some songs are reshuffled and re-staged from the original libretto, and the background score is given something of a theatrical makeover. And the dancing, of course, is peerless-- whether it's the "Cool" dance with the Jets in a low-ceiling garage, the "America" battle of the sexes with the Sharks, or even the delicate rooftop dance performed in Act 2 by Natalie Wood- bewitching in a white dress and re-living the moment she first fell in love herself. None of these wonders can prepare you for the mind-numbing, emotional, climax.

    A tour-de-force film show, clocking in at 152 minutes.
    helpful•36
    17
    • movibuf1962
    • Feb 15, 2005

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ7

    • Were the songs in West Side Story eligible for an Oscar nomination? It seems odd that it was nominated for Best Picture but as a musical it received no Best Song nominations.
    • What is 'West Side Story' about?
    • Is this movie based on a book?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 23, 1961 (Japan)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • Câu Chuyện Phía Tây
    • Filming locations
      • 110th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA(playground)
    • Production companies
      • The Mirisch Corporation
      • Seven Arts Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $6,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $44,055,492
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $207,145
      • Jun 24, 2018
    • Gross worldwide
      • $44,132,334
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 33 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.20 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    "West Side Story" (Saul Bass Poster) 1961
    Top Gap
    What is the streaming release date of West Side Story (1961) in India?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.