West Side story is a beautiful movie/musical, which, even more than 4 decades later, is still very current, in that, although it's fiction, deals with many things that take place in REAL life, even today: racial/ethnic tensions and urban gang warfare, as well as people crossing racial/ethni/religion/color lines and falling in love, dating, and marrying, sometimes amid much conflict, and other times not.
I first heard the music to WSS back in the summer before I entered the sixth grade, back in 1962, when I attended day camp out west. A girl in our group had just received a copy of the LP soundtrack of the original Broadway Stage production of WSS, which she brought to camp and played it for the rest of the group. I fell in love with the music instantly. I first saw the film version of West Side Story around Christmastime of 1968, as a senior in high school in a big movie theatre, shortly before it went on TV, and fell in love with this great classic instantly. Four years later, when it came on TV, I was in an evening jewelry-making class, and somebodoy in the class had brought in a small TV because WSS was on that night. We all gathered around to watch it, and had fun. That summer, I went on a six-week trip to Europe, and somebody in the group I was with had brought along a cassette tape of the WEst Side Story movie soundtrack, which was played almost every single night. My love for this great film was immediately reawakened and reinforced. Shortly after I got home from Europe, I said to my dad over dinner "Gee, I wish the movie West Side Story would come back." "You never forgot it, huh?" my father asked. "No." I replied.
That fall, around Thanksgiving time, it came back on TV, so I skipped my evening class and stayed home and watched it. I've been hooked on this great classic since.
In early October of 2001, I had the great, good fortune, courtesy of some friends of mine down in NYC to see a special 40th-year anniversary screening of West Side Story at NYC's Radio City Music Hall. Since WSS is my alltime favorite movie, I drove down to the Big Apple specially to see it. What a Saturday night out that was! Radio City Music Hall was packed with an exuberant, friendly crowd(close to 6, 0000 people total), and there was much finger-snapping and applause from the audience. The screening featured a newly reprinted, cleaned up, and remastered version of this old, original classic. Restored to its former color and glory and shown on the great, big wide screen, the film West Side Story seemed to take on a magical, almost-three-dimensional quality to it. The scenery seemed more expansive--one could see all of it, the fabulous Bernstein musical score more intense and exuberant, and the richly-colored costumes and photography even brighter and furthur accentuated. The various characters, from the romancing Tony and Maria, to Krupke, Doc, and Lt. Schrank, to the warring Jets and Sharks, seemed to move much more freely and fluidly, and in a wider, more open space. George Chakiris and Rita Moreno were wonderful as the fiery Bernardo, and his equally fiery girlfriend, Anita--great dancers, too. Russ Tamblyn was wonderful as the exuberant, funny and acrobatic Riff (I loved those flips he did into the air during the Dance at the Gym scene), David Winters equally great as the somewhat ferretish but loyal buddy to Baby-John, who was played beautifully by Eliot Feld, and Tony Mordente was also fabulous as the hot-tempered instigator, Action. Tucker Smith was great as the calm, cool and collected and handsom-looking Ice, while Velma, Graziella and Anybodys were fabulous in their own ways, also. Simon Oakland was great as the cantankerous, bigoted Lt. Schrank, as was Ned Glass as Doc, and Bill Bramley as Ofcr. Krupke. Natalie Wood was OK as Maria, but Richard Beymer, unfortunately, played a rather weak, lacklustre Tony. Fortunately, however, Beymer's weak performance was more than offset by the wonderful performance of the other actors/actresses who were in this great film classic. Jerome Robbins fabulously choreographed dancing also enriched this great movie/musical, as did everything else.
Due to my intense love for the film West Side Story, I'm hard pressed to find one single favorite scene/song, or one favorite character, since I love them all. However, there were some who stood out as particularly strong pillars: Tucker Smith as the handsome, calm, cool and collected Ice, Russ Tamblyn as the acrobatic, exuberant Riff, Tony Mordente as the hot-tempered instigator Action, Simon Oakland as the cantankerous, rough-hewn and bigoted Lt. Schrank, George Chakiris as the fiery, sardonic Bernardo, the Shark leader, and Rita Moreno as Bernardo's equally fiery girlfriend, Anita. David Winters did fabulously as A-rab, and Eliot Feld equally great as the constantly fearful, not-yet-mature Baby-John. As far as the scenes are concerned, some particularly strong scenes/songs in the film West Side Story are: America, Dance at the Gym, Cool, the Jet song/Prologue, the pre-rumble Quintet, and, even the Rumble itself. Having said all of the above, I firmly believe that the fact that most of the actors/actresses in WSS had also played in the original Broadway Stage productions of WSS, plus Jerome Robbins insistance on greatness, as well as the great Bernstein musical score, costumes and photography all helped make this great film classic what it is.
As a devout fan of this film, I have attended virtually every screening of WSS here in the Boston area (the ONE exception being in March 2001, when a screening of WSS conflicted directly with my Dad's memorial, so I did not attend that particular screening) in addition to the big screening of it down in NYC, plus I've also seen at least three very good stage productions of WSS. Whether anyone is a devout fan of WSS like me who attends every screening of WSS she can, has seen it only on TV, video or DVD, or has never seen this film at all, *I* say, the next time that the film WEst Side Story comes to your area to a REAL movie theatre on a great, big wide screen, I say, jump at the opportunity. It's an enriching experience that you'll never, ever forget, and a wonderful alternative to much of what's been coming out today in the way of movies.
WEst Side Story is exciting on stage, and, although the movie version is enjoyable on TV, DVD or video, this great classic really belongs on the great big, wide screen, in a REAL movie theatre, with the lights down low. THAT's the ideal way to see this great classic.
Excuse my rambling, everybody--had to write my thoughts. Thanks for listening.
