Google Ads
Login | Sign Up

West Side Story Overview:

West Side Story (1961) was a Crime - Drama Film directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise and produced by Robert Wise, Walter Mirisch and Saul Chaplin.

SYNOPSIS

This is a jumping, heart-throbbing leap forward for film musicals, full of melodies you know by heart, frenetic dancing, and a time-tested romance. Based loosely on Romeo and Juliet, Laurents's stage production follows two New York street gangs and the ill-starred romance between Wood and Beymer that crosses the line between them. Moreno sparkles and Wood's luminous beauty would have any young gangster singing her name. Robbins clashed with Wise (who also brought stage smash The Sound of Music to the screen) and choreographed only four numbers (including "I Feel Pretty" and "America") but they're athletic, balletic stunners. The immortal songs (by Bernstein and Sondheim) also include "Maria," "The Jet Song," "Officer Krupke," and "Tonight."

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

West Side Story was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1997.

Academy Awards 1961 --- Ceremony Number 34 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best Supporting ActorGeorge ChakirisWon
Best Supporting ActressRita MorenoWon
Best Art DirectionArt Direction: Boris Leven; Set Decoration: Victor A. GangelinWon
Best CinematographyDaniel L. FappWon
Best DirectorRobert Wise, Jerome RobbinsWon
Best Film EditingThomas StanfordWon
Best Music - ScoringSaul Chaplin, Johnny Green, Sid Ramin, Irwin KostalWon
Best PictureRobert Wise, ProducerWon
Best WritingErnest LehmanNominated
See More Oscar Winners

West Side Story BlogHub Articles:

West Side Story (2021)

By Alyson on Feb 10, 2022 From The Best Picture Project

Like many, I had my doubts when I heard that Steven Spielberg was directing a remake of West Side Story. First of all, the man has never taken on a musical. Second, West Side Story is already a masterpiece. How could he, even the great Spielberg, improve such a wonderful film? Long story short, he d... Read full article

Musical Monday: West Side Story (2021)

on Dec 13, 2021 From Comet Over Hollywood

It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals. This week’s musical:West Side Story (2021) –... Read full article

Musical Monday: West Side Story (1961)

on May 3, 2021 From Comet Over Hollywood

... Read full article

Classic Conversations: Two Award-Winning Costume Designers Re-Imagine ‘Rebecca’ and ‘West Side Story’

By Danny Miller on Nov 14, 2019 From Classic Movie Hub Blog

As classic movie lovers, we can be a very sensitive group when it comes to messing with our favorites. Even movies that seem to get a new version for each successive generation get severely criticized by those of us who are devotees of the originals. While Lady Gaga received a lot of acclaim... Read full article

Field Trip: “West Side Story” at AMC River East 21 on the big screen June 24

By Stephen Reginald on Jun 11, 2018 From Classic Movie Man

Field Trip: “West Side Story” at AMC River East 21 on the big screen June 24 West Side Story on the big screen Date: June 24 Where: AMC River East 21, 322 East Illinois, Chicago, IL Time: 2:00 p.m. This electrifying musical, with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics from Stephe... Read full article

See More West Side Story Articles

West Side Story Quotes:

[singing]
Bernardo: I'd like to go back to San Juan.
Anita: I know a boat you can get on!
Riff: Four-and-a-half years I live wit' a buddy an' his family. I think I'm diggin' a guy's character... Boy, I'm a victim of disappointment in you.
Tony: End ya sufferin', little man. Why dontcha just pack up ya gear an' move out?
Riff: 'Cause ya ma's hot fa me...
[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.
The Girls: [singing] I like to be in America, OK by me in America, everything free in America...
Bernardo: [singing] For a small fee in America!
Action: [pretending to be a psychiatrist] Juvenile delinquency is purely a social disease.
Riff: Hey! I got a social disease!
See More Quotes from West Side Story
West Side Story Facts
In 2010, Stephen Sondheim (who wrote the lyrics) told "Fresh Air" interviewer Terry Gross that while he was writing the stage musical, he originally wanted the show to be the first one in Broadway history to use the words "fuck" and "shit" in its song lyrics. He wanted the end of the song "Gee, Officer Krupke" to be "Gee, Officer Krupke/Fuck you!" (instead of what it became, which is "Gee, Officer Krupke/Krup you!"), and he wanted the lyrics in "The Jets Song" to be "When you're a Jet/If the shit hits the fan" instead of "When you're a Jet/If the spit hits the fan". However, the show's writers were informed that if the Original Cast Album contained those profanities, it would have been illegal to ship the record across state lines. So Sondheim made the substitutions for those words that appear in both the stage show and the movie.
Russ Tamblyn (Riff) was dubbed for "The Jet Song" by Tucker Smith, who played Ice, his lieutenant in the movie.
The original stage version of Maria's song "I Feel Pretty" included the lyrics "I feel pretty and witty and bright / And I pity / Any girl who isn't me tonight." In the film this night scene was changed to the daytime, and presumably for this reason, the rhyming words "bright" and "tonight" were changed to "gay" and "today."
In the scene on the roof before the musical number "America", when the girls are mocking Bernardo's speech, one of the girls say ,"We came with our hearts open", one of the Sharks says, "You came with your pants open!" This line had to be changed to "You came with your mouth open," for the movie because of censorship standards.
Eliot Feld (Baby John) collapsed and ended up hospitalized with pneumonia during the demanding filming of "Cool".
See More Facts about West Side Story >>