Review of West Side Story (1961) by Jameson W — 07 Mar 2011

So perfect. A classic! Easily one of the best musicals, if not the best. A brilliant film.

One of the very first things that stands out about this film is colorful setting and scenery. The cinematography is fantastic in this film and it really sets it apart from so many other musicals.

The music and choreography is perfect as well. Normally, dudes running around with weird whistling music would result in me turning off the tv, but here, it is so perfect and so appealing. Also, this film has so many memorable songs such as "Maria," America," "Tonight," and "Somewhere." I have not seen the musical as most people haven't either, but these songs were somewhat familiar. It shows how much of an influence this film has had on film and music. I knew the melodies, yet I had never seen any version of the musical. In many other famous musicals such as "An American in Paris," I didn't even remotely know any of the songs. The musical score was absolutely perfect and stunning. I loved it!

The cast members all give fantastic performances. Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno, Geroge Chakiris...they all give powerful and convincing performances. This film easily could have fallen into cheese heaven, but it was brilliantly executed by the actors. The emotion was so intense! I love emotion and conflict, so this film delivers.

I'm not a huge fan of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, but this modern adaptation is perfect. I absolutely love the story! The best adaptation I have ever seen.

West Side Story is a perfect, classic film. Winner of 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director, it is truly a magnificent film. From the music, dancing, acting, cinematography, emotion, conflict, love, hate....it truly has it all! I absolutely love this film!