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A masterpiece of the musical form, West Side Story sizzles with the propulsive rhythms and flash-point energy of New York City's streets in the late 1950s, thanks to the music of Leonard Bernstein, lyrics of Stephen Sondheim, choreography of Jerome Robbins, and direction of Robbins and Robert Wise. An adaptation of "Romeo and Juliet" set in New York's Hell's Kitchen, West Side Story revolves around the ill-fated love affair between Tony (Richard Beymer) and Maria (Natalie Wood). Since Maria's older brother is Bernardo, leader of a Puerto Rican gang called the Sharks, and Tony heads a rival gang, the white ethnic Jets, their romance ignites a smoldering turf war into a full-scale rumble. The tenement fire escapes and chain-link fences of West Side Story are powerful accents to Bernstein's sophisticated score and Robbins's electric choreography. Winner of ten Academy Awards -- including Best Picture, Supporting Actor (George Chakiris's Bernardo) and Supporting Actress (for Rita Moreno, as Bernardo's girlfriend Anita) -- the film burns with intensity, using film techniques to present theatrical set pieces with a jazzy flair that has never been equaled. Monica McIntyre

All Movie Guide

Romeo and Juliet is updated to the tenements of New York City in this Oscar-winning musical landmark. Adapted by Ernest Lehman from the Broadway production, the movie opens with an overhead shot of Manhattan, an effect that director Robert Wise would repeat over the Alps in The Sound of Music four years later. We are introduced to two rival street gangs: The Jets, second-generation American teens, and the Sharks, Puerto Rican immigrants. When the war between the Jets and Sharks reaches a fever pitch, Jets leader Riff (Russ Tamblyn) decides to challenge the Sharks to one last "winner take all" rumble. He decides to meet Sharks leader Bernardo (George Chakiris) for a war council at a gymnasium dance; to bolster his argument, Riff wants his old pal Tony (Richard Beymer), the cofounder of the Jets, to come along. But Tony has set his sights on vistas beyond the neighborhood and has fallen in love with Bernardo's sister Maria (Natalie Wood), a love that, as in Romeo and Juliet, will eventually end in tragedy. In contrast to the usual slash-and-burn policy of Hollywood musical adaptations, all the songs written by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim for the original Broadway production of West Side Story were retained for the film version, although some alterations were made to appease the Hollywood censors (especially in the lyrics of "Gee, Officer Krupke"), and the original order of two songs was reversed for stronger dramatic impact. The movie more than retains the original choreography of Jerome Robbins, which is recreated is some of the most startling and balletic dance sequences ever recorded on film. West Side Story won an almost-record 10 Oscars, including Best Picture, supporting awards to Chakiris and Rita Moreno as Bernardo's girlfriend Anita, and Best Director to Robbins and Wise. Natalie Wood's singing was dubbed by Marni Nixon, who also dubbed Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady; the film's New York tenement locations were later razed to make room for Lincoln Center. Hal Erickson

Product Details

• UPC: 027616884343
• Source: MGM (VIDEO & DVD)
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English
• Time: 2:32:00
• Sales Rank: 781

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• MGM Classic Musicals Collection
• United Artists Super Deluxe Gift Set (90 films)
• The Fox-MGM Hollywood Musicals Collection

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