West Side Story (film)

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West Side Story
Directed by Jerome Robbins
Robert Wise
Produced by Robert Wise
Written by Jerome Robbins
Arthur Laurents (play)
Ernest Lehman
Starring Natalie Wood
Richard Beymer
Russ Tamblyn
Rita Moreno
George Chakiris
Music by Leonard Bernstein (Music)
Stephen Sondheim (Lyrics)
Distributed by United Artists
Release date(s) October 18, 1961 (USA premiere)
Running time 152 min.
Language English
Spanish
Budget $6,000,000 US (est.)
IMDb profile

West Side Story is a 1961 film directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. It is an adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name, loosely adapted from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It stars Natalie Wood, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, Russ Tamblyn and Richard Beymer, and was photographed by Daniel L. Fapp in Super Panavision 70.

The film was released on October 18 through United Artists. It received praise from critics and the public and became the second highest grossing film of the year, domestically. The film won eleven Academy Awards in its twelve nominated categories (one was a Special Achievement Award for Dance Direction), including Best Picture, thus surpassing Gigi's record 9-for-9 sweep 3 years earlier. The soundtrack album made more money than any other album before it.

The film ranked #41 on American Film Institute's list of greatest American movies, #2 on its list of best musicals and #3 on its list of the best romantic American movies. On the list of the greatest songs from American movies, "Tonight" ranked #59, "America" ranked #35, and "Somewhere" ranked #20. The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Contents

[edit] Credits

Book by Arthur Laurents
Music by Leonard Bernstein
Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Directed and Choreographed by Jerome Robbins

[edit] Academy Award wins and nominations for the movie

Wins

Nomination

[edit] Differences from the Stage Musical

Many lines from the original stage version were censored because they were sexually explicit or politically incorrect. For example:

  • In the movie Pepe tells Consuela she came to New York City with her "mouth open". But in the play he tells her, "You came with your legs open."
  • In the stage version, Anita sings, about her lover Bernardo: “He’ll walk in hot and tired. / So what? / No matter if he’s tired / as long as he’s hot.” In the film version, “So what?” was changed to “Poor dear” and “hot” was changed to “here.”
  • In the Broadway musical, "America" is sung by Anita and Rosalia, with help from the other Shark girls. Anita sings in favor of American life while Rosalia sings positively of Puerto Rico. But in the movie Bernardo replaces Rosalia's role, and he speaks negatively of America. Also, the lyrics of "America" were changed because the original lines were considered too derogatory to Puerto Rico and Latin American people in general.

Several of the songs were shifted around:

  • In the movie, Maria and her friends sing "I Feel Pretty" in the bridal shop - before there is any real trouble. But in the stage version the number is performed in Maria's bedroom, just before she discovers the outcome of the Rumble.
  • "Gee Officer Krupke" is sung just after "Tonight" in the film, before the Rumble is even discussed with the Sharks. In the play, it is sung as a sort of "comic relief" just after the Rumble.
  • In the film, "Cool" is moved from an earlier point in the play (in which nothing really urgent is happening) to a scene in which the Jets display their rage at the outcome of the Rumble.
  • In the Broadway musical, "Tonight" is sung just before "America", while in the film, it is sung just afterward, giving the impression that a little more time has passed between Tony and Maria's first meeting and their meeting on the fire escape.
  • In the movie, "Somewhere" is sung by Tony and Maria. But the original stage version had the number sung by an Anonymous Stranger, a young girl not associated with either gang who sang the song on a balcony. Also, the Broadway musical had the walls and lights of New York City fade away as the young Jets and Sharks danced together and existed without fear or hatred.

Some other differences:

  • In the film, Tony and Riff meet as Tony is stacking crates of soft drinks. But in the stage version, Tony is painting a new sign for Doc's store as they are talking.

[edit] Casting decisions

Elvis Presley was originally approached for the role of Tony. However, his manager, Colonel Parker, strongly believed the role to be wrong for Elvis and made him decline in favor of other movie musicals. When the movie became a hit and earned 10 Oscars, Elvis later regretted giving up the part.

Elvis was only one of many young stars considered for the role of Tony. Several Hollywood men auditioned for the part, including Warren Beatty, Tab Hunter, Anthony Perkins, Burt Reynolds, Troy Donahue, Bobby Darin, Richard Chamberlain, Gary Lockwood, and Keir Dullea.

Bobby Darin made a strong impression on the producers at his audition and was, at one point, in talks for the role. However, he turned it down due to his concert and recording commitments. Tab Hunter, then 30, and Burt Reynolds, nearly 26, were also considered, due to their Broadway and singing credits, but they were dismissed as being 'too old' to play a teenager. Keir Dullea was also good at his audition, but he was soon decided as unexperienced. Richard Chamberlain was also considered to be 'too old' at age 26 before filming, and he chose to renew his contract for Dr. Kildare that same year.

When Elvis did not agree to play Tony and when the other actors either dropped out or didn't make it, the producers settled down to their so-called 'final five;' Warren Beatty, Anthony Perkins, Gary Lockwood, Troy Donahue, and Richard Beymer. Although he was too old at 28 before filming began, Perkins' boyish looks and Broadway resume seemed to make him a contender for the role, and he was also looking to avoid getting typecast after the success of Psycho. Robert Wise originally chose Beatty for the role, figuring that youth was more important than experience, and it was down to Beatty, Donahue, and Beymer. Ultimately, Beymer, who was the most unlikely of the candidates, won the part of Tony.

The producers had not originally thought of Natalie Wood for the role of Maria. She was filming Splendor in the Grass with Warren Beatty and was romantically involved with him off screen. When Beatty went to screen test for the role of Tony, Wood read opposite him as Maria as a favor because she had been practicing with him. Ironically the producers fell in love with the idea of Wood as Maria but did not cast Beatty.

Jill St. John, Audrey Hepburn, and Suzanne Pleshette were among the many actress who lobbied for the role of Maria in the film adaptation. However, Audrey Hepburn later withdrew, because she was pregnant.

Richard Beymer as Tony and Natalie Wood as Maria both tried to do their own singing for the movie, but their voices were ultimately decided too unrefined and were overdubbed by Jimmy Bryant and Marni Nixon, respectively.

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[edit] External links


Academy Award for Best Picture: Winners (1961-1980)

1961: West Side Story | 1962: Lawrence of Arabia | 1963: Tom Jones | 1964: My Fair Lady | 1965: The Sound of Music | 1966: A Man for All Seasons | 1967: In the Heat of the Night | 1968: Oliver! | 1969: Midnight Cowboy | 1970: Patton | 1971: The French Connection | 1972: The Godfather | 1973: The Sting | 1974: The Godfather Part II | 1975: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | 1976: Rocky | 1977: Annie Hall | 1978: The Deer Hunter | 1979: Kramer vs. Kramer | 1980: Ordinary People
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