'3BlackChicks Review...'
WEST SIDE STORY (1961) Not Rated; running time 151 minutes Genre: Musical IMDB site: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0055614 Written by: Ernest Lehman (based on the play by Arthur Laurents and "Romeo and Juliet" by Shakespeare) Directed by: Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins Music by: Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim Choreography by: Jerome Robbins Cast: Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, Tucker Smith, Tony Mordente, David Winters, Eliot Feld, Susan Oakes, Simon Oakland, Jose De Vega, Tony Mordente, Ned Glass DVD standard features (region 1): widescreen; theatrical trailer; dual layer; Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack; 8-page booklet; scene access. Languages & Subtitles: English, French
Review Copyright Rose Cooper, 2001 Review URL: http://www.3blackchicks.com/bamswestside.html
It's no secret that I love musicals. But that love has been tempered by the fact that musicals, by their very nature, were basically idealized flights of fancy; worlds in which Beautiful People would break out in song and dance at the drop of a hat. Not that there was anything wrong with that, necessarily; in fact, I think my love for musicals developed because I needed to escape to the fantasy life they portrayed.
That is, until I watched WEST SIDE STORY, and saw, for the first time, a musical that addressed the realities of life in the ghetto. Uh, to the extent that dancing and singing 'bangers can be said to be real.
The Story (WARNING: **spoilers contained below**): The place: New York. The time: the 1950s. Whites hung out on one side of the 'hood, Puerto Ricans, on the other; and never the twain should meet. But someone forgot to tell that to Tony (Richard Beymer) and Maria (Natalie Wood).
Tony, a good White boy, and Maria, a good Puerto Rican girl, defy tradition by falling in love, much to the chagrin of their families, their friends - and their respective homies in the rival White Jets and Puerto Rican Sharks gangs. The Jets, led by Riff (Russ Tamblyn), and the Sharks, led by Maria's brother Bernardo (George Chakiris), try to talk "sense" to Tony and Maria, to no avail. All hell breaks loose when Bernardo's girlfriend Anita (Rita Moreno, as good as it gets) tries to deliver a message from Maria to Tony via the hard-headed and hard-hearted Sharks; and dire consequences follow.
The Upshot: Forget that the late Natalie Wood was no more Puerto Rican than I am, that she wouldn't know a Puerto Rican accent if it bit her on the butt, and that Wood, Rita Moreno, and Richard Beymer actually had singing doubles (Marni Nixon, Betty Wand, and Jimmy Bryant, respectively). Forget that of all the males cast for WSS, Richard Beymer seemed the most out-of-place [who might've been better as Tony, at the time? Dunno...maybe John Derek, the cutie from THE TEN COMMANDMENTS?]; if anyone had the potential to drag WEST SIDE STORY down a notch or two, Beymer would've certainly been its weakest link. And forget that one doesn't usually perceive singing and dancing gangbangers as a menace [not in these days of drive-by shooting, anyway. I prefer the cop rock-types myself...but I digress].
Forget about all that, because it simply does not matter. The strength of the movie WEST SIDE STORY lies in its earnestness and in the way it conveyed the immediacy of its tale without compromising on its obvious roots as a stage play. In spite of their shortcomings, I believed in Wood's Maria, and in Beymer's Tony. And because of the powerful performances of the supporting cast (chief among them the firey Moreno, George Chakiris and Russ Tamblin as fated gangleaders, Simon Oakland as the soul-dead Lieutenant Schrank, and my favorite Chick of 'em all, Susan Oakes as the ruffneck Anybodys), WEST SIDE STORY will always be much more than Just Another Musical for me.
Not to discount the musical portion of the program; not in the least. Even without its Message, WSS could still stand on its musical merits alone. Composers Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim whipped up a masterful score; choreographer Jerome Robbins created memorable dance sequences (who could ever forget "America"? or "Cool"? or...); and though Ernest Lehman's script seems a bit dated by today's standards, director Robert Wise beautifully put it all together in a film that truly deserves to be hailed by a term that's so often abused these days: a classic.
And did I mention it had singing and dancing 'bangers?
The Numbers: To make a long review even longer...
"Overture" and "Jet Ballet" WEST SIDE STORY kicks off with five minutes of little on-screen to entertain the viewer except an unidentifiable (at first) illustration that changes colors; so just close your eyes and enjoy the swelling score until the illustration segues to an overhead view of Manhattan and leads to..."Jet Ballet", which begins with WSS's trademark signaling whistle, and what appears at first to be a bunch of Misunderstood Yooth havin' fun - at first. I can't think of better way to get the feel for the rest of the movie, than these first few minutes.
"Jet Song" and "Something's Coming" It's clear: Tony's trying to climb out of the barrel - and the Jets are the crabs.
"The Dance At The Gym" and "Promenade/Mambo" Everytime I watch the Jiggaboo/Wannabe dance scene in Spike Lee's SCHOOL DAZE, I see Lee's influence in WSS's "Mambo" (though WSS of course has SD beat by a country mile). And besides the amazing dancing, the Gym scene is notable for a grin-invoking bit with John Astin as Glad Hand.
"Maria" I prefer the "Tony and Maria are hit with a bolt of lightning" instrumental/dancing version of "Maria" to the version that Tony sings.
"America" By far my favorite number in a movie full of great song/dance numbers. An interesting contrast of old country/new country viewpoints, there is so much depth included here, both stylistically (Rita Moreno and George Chakiris burned the roof off) and in substance (the lyric "Life is alright in America/If you're all White in America!"...man oh man).
"Officer Krupke" The Problem With Juvenile Delinquents, in a nutshell. All they'd need to add for 90s/00s sensibilities are references to video games and violent movies.
"One Hand, One Heart" If I had been thinking, I would've looked for a recording of this song when I got married.
"The Rumble/Tonight" Great intermix of sweetness (Tony & Maria), sexiness (Anita) and tragedy (the gangs).
"Somewhere" Forget Streisand; this song has never been done better than in WSS. Here, it conveys a poignant mix of despair and desire.
"Cool" Ice (Tucker Smith) was sho'nuff named right; he and Action (Tony Mordente) make this number zoom.
Don't tell anybody, but the time the (very cleverly done) closing credits roll around, I'm always a soggy mess.
DVD Thingies: Nothing outstanding here, as far as DVD-specific features go. I am happy, though, for the updated soundtrack (for which I turned the knob up to 11) and for the 8-page booklet; these alone make purchasing this DVD a steal at any cost.
Bammer's Bottom Line: I could note, I reckon, that WEST SIDE STORY tore up the Academy Awards in 1961, with 10 total Oscars including Best Picture, Best Supporting actor (George Chakiris), and Best Supporting actress (Rita Moreno). But it hardly matters. Y'all already know that WSS was tha bomb, right? If ya don't know, now ya know.
WEST SIDE STORY: (rating: greenlight): They just don't make classics like this anymore. More's the pity.
Rose "Bams" Cooper Webchick and Editor, 3BlackChicks Review Entertainment Reviews With Flava! Copyright Rose Cooper, 2001 EMAIL: bams@3blackchicks.com http://www.3blackchicks.com/
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