Search - West Side Story [Widescreen] on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Violence, Adult Situations, Questionable for Children Movie Release: 1961 DVD Release: 02/06/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English, French SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 32 mins Studio: MGM Members Wishing: 15 Genres: Musical, Musical Drama, Musical Romance, Juvenile Delinquency Film See Also: West Side Story [Special Edition Collector's Set], West Side Story [Fullscreen], West Side Story [Decades Collection] [Fullscreen]

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, 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 in some of the most startling and balletic dance sequences ever recorded on film. West Side Story won an almost-record ten Oscars, including Best Picture, supporting awards to Chakiris and Rita Moreno as Bernardo's girlfriend, Anita, and Best Director to Robbins and Wise. Richard Beymer's singing was dubbed by Jimmy Bryant, Natalie Wood's by Marni Nixon (who also dubbed Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady), and Rita Moreno's by Betty Wand. The film's New York tenement locations were later razed to make room for Lincoln Center. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Natalie Wood - Maria
Richard Beymer - Tony
Russ Tamblyn - Riff
Rita Moreno - Anita
George Chakiris - Bernardo

Robert Wise's beloved adaptation of West Side Story comes to DVD with a great 2.20:1 widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio. The English soundtrack is rendered in a muscular Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. French and English subtitles are accessible. Extra features include the theatrical trailer and an eight-page booklet containing production information and trivia. Although some may complain about the paucity of supplemental material on this release, having the widescreen image, which preserves all of Jerome Robbins' brilliant choreography, will be more than enough to satisfy the average fan of musicals. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide