Introduction to West Side Story

West Side Story needs no introduction. The 1961 adaptation of the acclaimed Broadway play is considered by many to be the definitive Hollywood musical. It's not only revered in the musical genre, but is also considered to be among one of the greatest modern romantic tragedies. Upon release, West Side Story was highly praised as one of the greatest musicals of its time, and to this day, still holds the distinction of being the musical film with the most Academy Award wins at ten (including Best Picture).

The film begins with a still image of an outlined aerial view of New York City which segues into different tinctures. This image stays on the screen for a few minutes, accompanied by an overture, before fading into the main title screen. The opening establishing shot tracks the camera slowly over various parts of New York City. The shot is set to ethereal whistles, finger snaps, and metropolitan traffic sounds, all of which help create a tranquil transition into the films beginning scenes. The camera then zooms down between buildings, to the source of the constant snapping. This is when the Jets make their first introduction to us.

The first ten minutes of the film incorporates little dialogue, and instead skillfully relies on choreography and body language to create the setting. The scene builds tension by showing skirmishes between the Jets and the rival Sharks through brief dance sequences in the streets. The confrontations between the two groups escalate to a climactic all-out brawl between them before finally being broken up by police.

The first scene serves as an introduction into the world that is Manhattan in the late 1950's: prevalent juvenile street gangs, authoritarian police officers, and racial unrest. The story here is nothing new. The plot bears much resemblance to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, which it was adaptated from, but introduces it into a then-modern form which, nearly sixty years later, is still fitting.



Casting and Controversy

The casting is well-conceived and includes many big names of the time. Natalie Wood is both visually stunning and convincing as the object of unconditional love from Richard Beymer who is cast as Tony. Other standouts include George Chakiris as Bernardo, and Rita Moreno as Anita, although the entire cast does a phenomenal job on the many dance numbers in this film.

One important point to mention about the casting: some of the Puerto Ricans in this movie were actually portrayed by whites wearing makeup in lieu of actual Hispanics. Natalie Wood, who was white, was cast as the Hispanic Maria, a decision that sparked some controversy at the time. Also, the majority of the original cast from the Broadway show did not reprise their roles for the movie version. Most were deemed too old to believably portray the teenage characters and were replaced by younger, fresher Hollywood faces. This decision caused some outcry from fans of the theatre version.



Music and Choreography

Being a musical, the choreography is one of the key crucial elements in the movie, and it delivers in every sense. Jerome Robbins, who also conceived the play, was employed as the choreographer and does a fantastic job. The fight scenes are elegantly played out with special attention paid to every single kick and punch. One special scene, the performance of Cool, is an absolute masterpiece. This dance number, nearly four minutes long, is one of the most memorable in the film.

The music in the film is both memorable and deliberate, uniquely setting the mood for each scene. Although one minor complaint is that the placement of the songs in the movie is sometimes anti-climactic. Some poignant scenes are unexpectedly cut short when characters randomly seem to break out in song, which dampens the viewer’s emotional response. Despite these shortcomings, the music is still beautifully orchestrated and the lyrics from a young Stephen Sondheim are fresh and unexpected.



Directing

The movie shares two directors, both Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise. Due to internal conflicts involving the budget, Jerome Robbins was fired and thus unable to finish the movie. Robert Wise does a fine job on completing it, and it is an acceptable counterpart to Robbins'. There is no clear switch in directors as the movie's tone remains the same throughout.

The film employs creative methods of directing to tell the story. One innovative example happens in the ballroom scene, when the director(s) use a tunnel vision effect to illustrate Tony and Maria against a blurry crowd. It's an aesthetically mesmerizing scene, and it stands as one of the greatest romance scenes in modern cinema.

Another scene, which is set atop a fire escape and has the two star-crossed lovers professing their love for each other in song, is clearly reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet’s famous balcony scene. It was a visionary way of updating a familiar scene to more recent times.

Although there are theatre purists who scoff at the idea of transforming their favorite Broadway show into a movie, West Side Story transitions quite smoothly from the stage to the big screen. No longer constrained by the stage, the film was shot on location on West 61st Street in the heart of New York City. The exterior settings of the film have a convincing urban atmosphere and provide a vivid, metropolitan sense of isolation. Many of the exterior shots were inspired by the cityscapes of many modern American painters and deliver breathtaking backdrops for the action. The interior scenes are of equal merit. Since the interior sets were built six feet off the ground, most make use of low-angle shots which gives a vacuous appearance to the inside environments.



Runtime and Intermission Details

The film was originally supposed to be a two-act, but the idea was cut due to the belief that a break in the movie would destroy the built up tension in the plot. With a runtime of 152 minutes, the movie can seem a bit long in some places, although the story remains thoroughly engaging throughout.  In the original 70mm roadshow release of West Side Story, the intermission was still intact. Prior to the general release in 35mm, Robert Wise decided to cut the intermission. Due to the wishes of Wise, the intermission was withheld from of all releases of the film until the Special Edition DVD version released in 2003, which now gives the viewer the option to play the film with or without the intermission. I personally prefer to watch the film with the intermission, and think it could have benefitted by having it introduced earlier in home versions of West Side Story



Themes

Much like its predecessor, Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story touches on many social and moral dilemmas that are still as important today as they were back then. Most are easily picked up on, but others are not so easy to spot, quietly intertwined between the flashy dance scenes. One that rarely gets pointed out is the underlying meaning in the Jets song about officer Krupte. 

"Gee, Officer Krupke, we're very upset;
We never had the love that ev'ry child oughta get.
We ain't no delinquents,
We're misunderstood.
Deep down inside us there is good!

Officer Krupke, you're really a slob.
This boy don't need a doctor, just a good honest job.
Society's played him a terrible trick,
And sociologic'ly he's sick!"

The song addresses problems like identity and alienation, both of which are highly potent issues prevalent in youth. These themes are also expressed more resonantly in a quote from Action after a confrontation in Doc's store.

  • Doc: Why, when I was your age...
  • Action: When *you* was my age? When my old man was my age, when my brother was my age... You was never my age, none of ya! And the sooner you creeps get hip to that, the sooner you'll dig us!

One major difference between Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story is that the latter deals heavily with themes of racism and prejudice because the two star-crossed lovers in the movie are of different ethnicities. Unlike other movies that portray rival gangs, neither gang is portrayed negatively or in a bad light. There is no apparent "good" or "bad" group; they're both shown in an empathetic and completely human manner. The reason for the gangs despisal of each other is also never addressed. This is symbolic of the film's anti-prejudice and anti-violence themes.

"All of you! You all killed him! And my brother, and Riff. Not with bullets or guns, [but] with hate" - Maria 

At the anagnorisis at the end of the film, the characters realize that there's no real reason to be fighting, that their initial prejudices were incorrect, and that senseless deaths resulted because of it. And just as in Romeo and Juliet, both groups are joined together at the end because of a tragedy.



Ending and Credits

The film ends with a profound wide-shot of the characters musing over Tony’s corpse lying on the concrete. The scene slowly dissolves into an ending title and then reemerges into the credit sequences. The film credits are tactfully superimposed as graffiti on various urban objects. The credit sequences are a pleasure to watch as the camera slowly pans over dilapidated urban scenes before finally halting on a line of writing scribbled on a brick wall or street sign. The entire scene is set to a symphonic version of “I Feel Pretty” which adds a gentle timbre and marks the satisfying end to a compelling film.



Conclusion

West Side Story is not without its flaws. It has its goofs, feels rather long for a musical, and is, at times, anti-climactic. But its flaws are easily overlooked. In the end, West Side Story is a stunning film experience. It's a classic. It's a masterpiece. It's a must-see, not only for fans of musicals, but for fans of films in general.





Sources:

IMDB (The Internet Movie Database)
<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055614/>

Becker, Lynn. "Time Regained - West Side Story in 70mm." Repeat. 27 December 2008
<http://www.lynnbecker.com/repeat/westside/westsidestory.htm>

Chace Audio by Deluxe Newsletter. "Original 6-track Mix Recovered and Restored for West Side Story." Chace Audio. February 2010 <http://www.in70mm.com/pictureville/2009/wolfram/west_side_story/index.htm>

Amazon (amazon.com, Inc.)
<http://www.amazon.com/West-Side-Story-Special-Collectors/dp/B00008972S>

Janero, Richard. The Art of Being Human - 9th ed. p. 281-282

Lyrics for "Gee, Officer Kruptke" from West Side Story - The Official Site
<http://www.westsidestory.com/lyrics_krupke.php>