- Title: West Side Story (1961)
- IMDb: link
The first big-screen adaptation of West Side Story stars Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer as the star-crossed lovers in the musical adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Winning 10 Academy Awards (still a record for a musical), the film was released to universal acclaim (even if Wood’s casting at the supposedly Puerto Rican Maria is still a bit cringeworthy in terms of classic Hollywood whitewashing).
Bursting with the stage play’s terrific music and dance numbers, the story centers around the rising tensions between two gangs in New York City and an unlikely romance that develops between Tony (Beymer) and Maria (Wood) that due to events out of their control will end in tragedy. We also get Academy Award winners George Chakiris and Rita Moreno as Maria’s older brother and Maria’s best friend.
The film still holds up and I’d say it’s down to personal choice whether you prefer this version from director Robert Wise or Steven Spielberg‘s version released 60 years later (which is such a good remake it too has a problematic casing in one of its main roles). The film has been released on home video many times over the years. The new limited edition 4K media book includes a 48-page booklet, Blu-ray and 4K discs, various trailers, and featurettes on the film, it’s music and dance, and its legacy.
