The screen achieves one of the great entertainments in the history of motion pictures.
In Manhattan’s Upper West Side, rival gangs of Polish-Americans and newly arrived Puerto Ricans clash for control of the neighborhood, even as two young members from opposite sides fall dangerously in love.
- Bleak ending
- Sexual violence
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Character
Earnest, grave, classical in form and meticulous.
- earnestironic
- gravecomic
- classical in formformally daring
- rawmeticulous
- cooloverwhelming
Who loves it, who doesn't
34 profiled raters. Loved most by The Comfort Seekers; disliked most by The Provocateurs.
Where do you stand?
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“Is Natalie Wood miscast as Maria?”
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“Is this Jerome Robbins's best work?”
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“Does it glamorize what it means to condemn?”
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A yes-or-no question, answered from what people wrote here, on TMDB and on Wikipedia. Never made up.
Reviews
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- Filipe Manuel Netoon TMDB · Apr 20245/10
**An old musical with some hints of ethnic prejudice, and it didn't seem as good as I thought it would be.** This is one of those films that, honestly, I find difficult to understand. It is a production that brought to the cinema an interesting Broadway musical, which is still shown in several places today, and which tells a story similar to Romeo and Juliet in the context of youth gang wars in New York in the mid-20th century. The idea is seductive, and developing it from Shakespeare's source material is a point of quality. But sixty years have passed, and it is worth rethinking some things. The film was directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise, and makes great use of the action and music of the theatrical version, having achieved resounding box office and critical success, in addition to a plethora of awards, including ten Oscars (Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Art Direction in a Color Film, Best Editing, Best Cinematography in a Color Film, Best Costume Design in a Color Film, Best Film, Best Soundtrack for a Musical Film, Best Sound). Since then, it has placed on the list of the greatest and most memorable musicals ever made. It is understandable, th
Read the whole review on TMDB - r96skon TMDB · Mar 20225/10
Not one for me. I did not enjoy 1961's <em>'West Side Story'</em>, unfortunately. I felt almost everything about it to be kinda crappy if I'm honest. For one I didn't feel any chemistry with the cast, with no standout performer in sight; and that's on top of the iffy casting itself. None of the music - aside from that one tiny bit of "Tonight" - hits and the story comes across as forced. The musical numbers are also extremely staged, the whole thing feels like a stage performance rather than a film; in fact, I genuinely assumed that the actors were just Broadway performers - à la <em>'<a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/jersey-boys/" rel="nofollow">Jersey Boys</a>'</em>. New York City also doesn't feel real or, away from the main characters, lived in. Admittedly musicals aren't my go-to, though I'm more than capable of enjoying them. This, however, just didn't work for me at all. I wouldn't class it as anything awful, it's just simply quite poor - in my eyes, of course. Many, including the Oscars apparently, disagree! With all that said, I'm still interested in checking out the 2021 remake at some point to see what Steven Spielberg did (or didn't do) with it.
Read the whole review on TMDB - John Chardon TMDB · May 20208/10
Why do you kids live like there's a war on? West Side Story is directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise. It stars Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, Simon Oakland and Ned Glass. Music is by Leonard Bernstein (lyrics by Stephen Sondheim) and cinematography by Daniel L. Fapp. In the less affluent areas of the upper West Side of Manhattan, New York, a gang of Polish-American teenagers called "The Jets" are in conflict with a rival gang of immigrated Puerto Ricans called "The Sharks". They each thirst to own the neighborhood streets, but with tensions reaching peak point, two kids, one from each rival gang, fall in love... A Multi Oscar winner, West Side Story is a musical update of Romeo & Juliet. Set in the 50s in a steamy gangland New York, pic unfurls in a blaze of booming colour and scintillating choreography (Robbins). It has very much become a film that musical lovers can rejoice in, for even though it has problems, when it soars it soars far and away. Problems come with the crossed gang lovers played by Wood and Beymer, the actors dubbing is poor, their dialogue delivery also itchy. It doesn't help that the film's quality noticeably dips
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Cast
- Natalie WoodMaria
- Richard BeymerTony
- Russ TamblynRiff
- Rita MorenoAnita
- George ChakirisBernardo
- Simon OaklandSchrank
- Ned GlassDoc
- William BramleyKrupke
- Tucker SmithIce
- Tony MordenteAction
Crew
- Jerome RobbinsDirector
- Robert WiseDirector
- Ernest LehmanScreenplay
- Daniel L. FappDirector of Photography
- Leonard BernsteinOriginal Music Composer
- Thomas StanfordEditor
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Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Tastebuds Other media included when they land close.
West Side Story 202185% alikeBoth earnest, grave, classical in form.
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In the Heat of the Night 196780% alikeBoth earnest, classical in form, grave.
Rififi 195579% alikeBoth earnest, grave, classical in form.
Casino 199578% alikeBoth classical in form, earnest, grave.
Breaker Morant 198078% alikeBoth earnest, grave, classical in form.
From Here to Eternity 195378% alikeBoth earnest, classical in form, grave.
Valiant Hearts: The Great War 201479% alikeGame · Both earnest, grave.
The Plot Against America 202079% alikeTelevision · Both grave.
Often watched with
Recommendations from TMDB. Opening one adds it to Tastebuds
