When you say that there is nothing like a particular film, that’s usually a hyperbole. However, when you say that there is nothing like West Side Story, which Fox and MGM released on Blu-ray Tuesday, it’s the truth. From the on-location, 17-minute gang fight ballet opening to the countless number of songs that have become hits outside the film to the extremely stylized design. Take any scene from West Side Story and there is no way to mistake for any other film.
For those uninitiated to the brilliance of the story, it is always billed as a modern day Romeo & Juliet. Marie (Natalie Wood), the sister of the Puerto Rican Sharks gang’s leader, is in love with Tony (Richard Beymer), the leader of the Jets. Of course, members of both sides try to keep them apart. Riff (Russ Tamblyn), who took over as the leader of the Jests after Tony decided that he’d had enough, is disappointed in Tony and is trying to get him back. Meanwhile, Bernardo (George Chakiris), the head of the Sharks, is hoping to establish his gang as just as good - if not better - than the Jets to attack stereotypes.
Arthur Laurents, who wrote the original book, and Steven Sondheim, writer of the music and lyrics, throw in many subplots and themes, like child delinquency, that is surprising simply because they made the transition from stage to screen. Typically, Broadway musicals were much more liberal than film when it came to touching taboo subjects in the ‘40s and ‘50s and when they were translated to the screen, typically by MGM’s Arthur Freed unit, they were cleaned up to please a wider audience. Just think of On The Town (1949), which featured close to none of Leonard Bernstein’s original music and lyrics had to be changed. Thankfully, Mirisch Pictures and director Robert Wise decided to tackle West Side Story, ensuring that as much of the show created by Jerome Robbins would make the transition as possible. Still, there are some parts that didn’t make it, songs were shuffled and Wise thankfully decided to axe an intermission to keep tension going. A great move, since it still feels like the quickest two-and-a-half hour film I’ve ever seen.
If there is one problem with West Side Story, it has to be that the acting might not be up to par with other great epic musicals like My Fair Lady (1964) for example, that are filled to the brim with classic Hollywood actors. Natalie Wood is the only one here who continues to be known for more than just this film. Sure, Russ Tamblyn broke out with a supporting role in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), but he’s certainly not an A-lister. There’s also Rita Moreno and George Chakiris, who give fantastic performances, earning every ounce of gold used to make those Best Supporting Oscars they were awarded, though. Maybe it’s just a distaste for Richard Beymer, but I just wish Wood had someone as great as she is to play off of.
Fox and MGM’s Blu-ray presents the film in a sparkling transfer that looks beautiful overall, although there is an odd transition in the overture, which Fox apparently knows about, according to Blu-ray.com. The supplements also aren’t that great, totaling less than two-and-a-half hours which amounts to little more than a gab-fest about how great the movie is. The hour-long West Side Memories is a neat documentary about the production, but it only left me wanting more. It would have been cool to hear all the original Natalie Wood vocal recordings that didn’t make the cut or seeing more promotional material other than trailers.
Still, West Side Story is a classic. There’s nothing better than the opening, “America” still sends lightning bolts out of the screen and “Tonight” still brings tears to the eyes. West Side Story might be 50 years old, but Robbins, Wise, Laurents, Bernstein, Sondheim and everyone else involved created something eternally fresh.