In Hawaii in 1941, a private is cruelly punished for not boxing on his unit's team, while his captain's wife and second-in-command are falling in love.
The world's greatest ever playwright, William Shakespeare, is young, out of ideas and short of cash, but meets his ideal woman and is inspired to write one of his most famous plays.
Director:
John Madden
Stars:
Gwyneth Paltrow,
Joseph Fiennes,
Geoffrey Rush
Weary of the conventions of Parisian society, a rich playboy and a youthful courtesan-in-training enjoy a platonic friendship, but it may not stay platonic for long.
Directors:
Vincente Minnelli,
Charles Walters
Stars:
Leslie Caron,
Maurice Chevalier,
Louis Jourdan
West Side Story is the award-winning adaptation of the classic romantic tragedy "Romeo and Juliet". The feuding families become two warring New York City gangs--the white Jets led by Riff and the Latino Sharks, led by Bernardo. Their hatred escalates to a point where neither can coexist with any form of understanding. But when Riff's best friend (and former Jet) Tony and Bernardo's younger sister Maria meet at a dance, no one can do anything to stop their love. Maria and Tony begin meeting in secret, planning to run away. Then the Sharks and Jets plan a rumble under the highway--whoever wins gains control of the streets. Maria sends Tony to stop it, hoping it can end the violence. It goes terribly wrong, and before the lovers know what's happened, tragedy strikes and doesn't stop until the climactic and heartbreaking ending.Written by
Anonymous
The stage lyrics for the song "Gee, Officer Krupke" are "My father is a bastard, my ma's an s.o.b. My grandpa's always plastered..." The lyrics had to be changed for the movie to: "My daddy beats my mommy, my mommy clobbers me, my grandpa is a commie..." Also, the stage lyric was, "Dear kindly social worker, they say go earn a buck, like be a soda jerker, which means like be a schmuck." For the film, the lines were changed to "Dear kindly social worker, they say go get a job, like be a soda jerker, which means I'd be a slob." See more »
Goofs
The Jets sing "The Jets are gonna have their day tonight. The Jets are gonna have their way tonight". One of the voices sings "way" instead of "day" in the first line, so the result sounds like "dway". See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
[the Jets dance across the streets of New York, eventually coming to a playground where they toss around a basketball. The ball is intercepted by Bernardo, leader of the Sharks]
Riff:
[snaps fingers at Bernardo]
Come on.
[Bernardo drops the ball, Riff picks it up]
Riff:
Beat it.
See more »
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. See more »
Alternate Versions
In 2011, as part of the 50th Anniversary Blu-Ray release, a new score, closer to the original theatrical version, was orchestrated by the Leonard Bernstein Estate. It was performed live by the Los Angeles and New York Philharmonics at screenings with the original score excised. (The original vocals were retained.) The New York performance was at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, built atop the movie's filming locations. See more »
There is certainly tough competition when trying to decide the best musical of all time but I believe West Side Story is the clear winner. The acting is first rate and the locations gritty and realistic so you get the feel of what it is like to be a poor immigrant in New York. Natalie Wood and Rita Moreno are outstanding as the beautiful innocent Maria and the alluring more worldly wise Anita. Above all, Bernstein's music is breathtaking and unique, sweeping from gangster slang through lively Hispanic dances to luminous love songs. Unlike many musicals, it always feels real and grounded which makes the tragic ending all the more moving.
12 of 13 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
| Report this
There is certainly tough competition when trying to decide the best musical of all time but I believe West Side Story is the clear winner. The acting is first rate and the locations gritty and realistic so you get the feel of what it is like to be a poor immigrant in New York. Natalie Wood and Rita Moreno are outstanding as the beautiful innocent Maria and the alluring more worldly wise Anita. Above all, Bernstein's music is breathtaking and unique, sweeping from gangster slang through lively Hispanic dances to luminous love songs. Unlike many musicals, it always feels real and grounded which makes the tragic ending all the more moving.