West Side Story

West Side Story (1961) is about a feud between two street gangs in New York. The Jets are white, the Sharks are Puerto Rican, and a young person from each side falls in love. The source is Romeo and Juliet, but the actual subject is immigration and the block. What gets discussed most is the direction. Jerome Robbins was staging the musical sequences, but after 45 days of shooting the picture was 24 days behind schedule. With the budget overrun, Robert Wise dismissed him. Wise nevertheless made sure Robbins received a co directing credit, and the two stayed in contact and discussed the edit, with Wise taking many of his suggestions. The result was the first film to split the Best Director Oscar between two people. Robbins also received an honorary Academy Award. Most of the singing is not the actors. Marni Nixon dubbed Natalie Wood, whose own voice is heard only in the reprise of Somewhere when her character dies. Rita Moreno was dubbed by Betty Wand on one song because it sat too low for her, while she sings another herself. Jimmy Bryant sang for Richard Beymer. The film won ten Oscars, the most of any musical, and was the highest grossing film of 1961. It runs 153 minutes. Good for: classical musicals, choreography, and Bernstein and Sondheim. Less good for: most of the Puerto Rican characters are played by actors who were not Puerto Rican, in darkened makeup, and that is indefensible now. Rita Moreno spoke about that makeup openly years later. It is long and the first act is slow.