West Side Story (1961)

Review #1407: West Side Story.

Cast: 
Natalie Wood (Maria), Richard Beymer (Tony), Russ Tamblyn (Riff), Rita Moreno (Anita), George Chakiris (Bernardo), Simon Oakland (Police Lieutenant Schrank), Ned Glass (Doc), William Bramley (Police Sergeant Krupke), Tucker Smith (Ice), Tony Mordente (Action), David Winters (A-rab), Eliot Feld (Baby John), Bert Michaels (Snowboy), David Bean (Tiger), Robert Banas (Joyboy), Anthony Teague (Big Deal), Harvey Evans (Mouthpiece), Tommy Abbott (Gee-Tar), Susan Oakes (Anybodys), Gina Trikonis (Graziella), Carole D'Andrea (Velma), and Jose De Vega (Chino), with Mami Nixon (singing voice for Maria), Jimmy Bryant (singing voice for Tony), Tucker Smith (singing voice for Riff for "Jet Song"), and Betty Wand (singing voice for Anita for "A Boy Like That") Directed by Robert Wise (#515 - Star Trek: The Motion Picture, #725 - The Day the Earth Stood Still, and #921 - The Haunting) and Jerome Robbins.

Review: 
"I think one of the major things a director has to do is to know his subject matter, the subject matter of his script, know the truth and the reality of it.”

Preperation can be key to a film's success, particularly one where there are many hands trying to guide it to being a success, whether involving producers, writers, stars, or most importantly the director. Robert Wise was one that could be depended on to deliver entertainment on a consistent basis over a career that spanned over half a century, which began in the shipping department at RKO in the 1930s. He had initially planned to enter journalism as a career, even writing columns for his high school newspaper and being part of the yearbook staff. However, the Great Depression curtailed his college ambitions, with his older brother David helping him get a job in Hollywood. He eventually shifted into editing by the mid 1930s. His most notable editing job was Citizen Kane (1941). His first assignment as director was with The Curse of the Cat People (1944), and he would do eight further films for RKO in the next five years, with The Set-Up (1949) being the last one for them along with being described as one of Wise's favorites to direct. Over the years he would do a variety of genres and find himself directing movies that still endure to this day from The Body Snatcher (1945) to The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), to The Sound of Music (1965) to The Andromeda Strain (1971), and Wise would win Academy Awards for Best Picture and Director on two occasions each in his career.

The film was adapted to the screen by Ernest Lehman from the Broadway musical of the same name that was conceived, directed, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins while the book for the musical was done by Arthur Laurents and the music was from Leonard Bernstein to go along with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. To add another name to all of this, the musical and film serves as a modern re-telling of the famed tragedy Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (albiet with the fact that both romantic leads do not in fact die at the end). It had been a success upon premiering on Broadway in 1957 and London the following year, with numerous revivals occurring over the years. A remake is even set to occur this year, apparently with the intent to follow the musical more faithfully, directed by Steven Spielberg. Wise, directing his first ever musical, would direct the drama sequences while Robbins would direct the dance and musical aspects. The production soon turned to be a tough one to direct, in part because Robbins wanted to do everything exactly as done in the musical; he was described as one with plenty of ideas and great choreography talent but also an "insane perfectionist" that inspired fear and verbal abuse upon dancers when they did not meet his high standards. He shot four of the numbers before being fired by the studio due to a ballooning budget, with his assistants being tasked to help Wise in directing the remaining musical sequences.

I think this is one of those movies that reaches iconic status without necessarily being a great work of cinema, where one will find something to like within its lengthy 152 minute run-time and then decide that one viewing is enough for a life-time. It has a handful of highlights when it comes to the dancing and singing, including its snapping fingers opening, which ends up contrasting with actors who prove only fairly up to the task of holding the drama parts together. Wood gives off warmth as one could expect, the innocent amongst all the others that is compelling to a fault. Beymer, who described himself as coming out ridiculous in the film along with not being a "stereotyped leading man type", comes out okay in at least driving some sort of chemistry to follow with Wood that makes for adequate tragedy. Moreno and Chakiris end up being the most interesting standouts in the whole experience. Moreno, the famed Puerto Rican actress of stage, television and screen excels with passion that can sing and dance just as well as anyone on screen (although she wasn't spared being dubbed over in a number like others were, a decision that is present in other musicals of the time). Chakiris (a dancer, singer and actor reprising his role from the West End production) makes a fair presence to see in conflict, filled with fiery capabilities that make him useful to see engage in drama or in dance. The others do okay, but honestly the non-singers seem more interesting to think about, such as Oakland and Glass in their weary attempts at keeping calm at bay, regardless of whatever gang seems more interesting to follow. Perhaps it isn't surprising that the film wound up with an Academy Award for Best Picture, since it was the second of five musicals to win the award over a ten year span from 1958 to 1968, with each one winning at least five Academy Awards. It received ten awards, winning for supporting acting, art direction, cinematography, costume design, editing, original score, and sound, and Robbins ended up winning an Honorary Academy Award for his choreography. Of course not every one found the film to their liking, with Laurents describing the film as one with "bogus accents, bogus dialect, bogus costumes." It is ultimately an achievement of showmanship when it comes to the dancing and style for which to see said dance (and singing) numbers that make it worthwhile enough to make for a useful experience that doesn't quite overstay its welcome. Wise and Robbins managed to piece together a display of song and dance with some meaningful timely tragedy that can still reach an audience and show some life without being conscribed to the ravages of over five decades.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.