Review of West Side Story (1961) by Kevin R — 03 May 2013

In America, nothing is impossible.

The Jets and Sharks are rival gangs in the streets of New York fighting over the same territory. One gang is made up of primarily Americans and the other gangs is made up of Puerto Ricans. The little sister of one gang falls in love with a member of the other gang. As the building feud grows between gangs, the relationship becomes more and more strained.

"My brother is a silly watchdog.".

"My sister is a precious jewel.".

Robert Wise, director of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, The Sound of Music, The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Andromeda Strain, The Haunting, and Helen of Troy, delivers West Side Story. The storyline for this picture is amazing and unfolds like Romeo and Juliet. The soundtrack is the best I've ever heard and the acting is magnificent. The cast includes Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Ned Glass, and Simon Oakland.

"You wanna make it in this lousy world? Play it cool.".

I have always adored West Side Story from my days in high school where I think I had to watch it twice. The soundtrack is so brilliant and the dance scenes fit the storyline perfectly. You can definitely see inspiration for some of Michael Jackson's music videos in this film. Overall, this is an amazing tale and epic film. This is definitely worth adding to your DVD collection.

"The sharks walk bad and think bad.".

Grade: A.