Vous voulez voir cette page en français ? Cliquez ici.

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
West Side Story
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images

West Side Story

Natalie Wood (Actor), George Chakiris (Actor), Jerome Robbins (Director), Robert Wise (Director) | Rated: NR (Not Rated) | Format: DVD
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (178 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


Product Details

Product Description

From Amazon.co.uk

The winner of 10 Academy Awards, this 1961 musical by choreographer Jerome Robbins and director Robert Wise (The Sound of Music) remains irresistible. Based on a smash Broadway play updating Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to the 1950s era of juvenile delinquency, West Side Story stars Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer as the star-crossed lovers from different neighbourhoods--and ethnicities. The film's real selling points, however, are the highly charged and inventive song-and-dance numbers, the passionate ballads, the moody sets, colourful support from Rita Moreno, and the sheer accomplishment of Hollywood talent and technology producing a film so stirring. Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim wrote the score. --Tom Keogh

Additional Features

West Side Story, considered by many the greatest movie musical ever, is beautifully packaged in its collector's edition set. The film itself has a new transfer and 5.1 sound mix (though the picture and 5.1 sound of the original DVD release were also excellent), and adds 90 seconds of intermission music, which is an instrumental version of "I Feel Pretty" before the film resumes with that song. The opening menu allows viewers to select whether they want to hear the intermission music (it's not separately tracked). The second disc offers numerous features, such as storyboards, international advertising, and, of chief interest, a 56-minute 2003 documentary that interviews key contributors such as director-coproducer Robert Wise, playwright Arthur Laurents, and lyricist Stephen Sondheim (who says that even when the show was on stage he wanted "Gee, Officer Krupke" and "Cool" switched to the order they appear in the film). Most interesting are the discussions about the extensive dubbing. It's common knowledge that Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer were dubbed (you can hear her original "I Feel Pretty," which is adequate, and her part in the "Tonight" quintet, which is not), but Russ Tamblyn says that associate producer Saul Chaplin insisted on dubbing everyone, and Rita Moreno expresses her dissatisfaction with the character of her dubbed voice. The package is rounded out by a lovely and thick (if somewhat small-sized) booklet that reproduces the original screenplay and lobby brochure, supplemented by a new letter from screenwriter Ernest Lehman and other goodies. --David Horiuchi
See all Product Description

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
 
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

178 Reviews
5 star:
 (141)
4 star:
 (12)
3 star:
 (11)
2 star:
 (5)
1 star:
 (9)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (178 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most helpful customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars WEST SIDE STORY THE HIGH WATER MARK IN CINEMA, May 23 2005
By 
A. Munnik "firewatcher" (Brazeau Tower, Alberta) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: West Side Story (DVD)
It's too bad that younger generations of viewers of WEST SIDE STORY, when viewing the scenes of superb ensemble choreography will at once think of certain fashionable brands of chinos. In our society, where nothing is sacred, it's a shame that our most elevated moments of artistic achievement end up being shanghaid for commercial exploitation.
That aside, WEST SIDE STORY has it all. A love story with a timeless and universal appeal. A pulsating energy from beginning to end. A fantastic libretto and Leonard Bernstein's outstanding score, with performances to match. Brilliant cinematography that captures the flavour of NYC circa 1960 with its decaying neighbourhoods and smoldering juvenile gang tension. It really is a climax to such worthy precursors as "The Blackboard Jungle" of 1955.
WEST SIDE STORY also features some fine acting performances, although curiously not from the leads. The Supporting Oscars bestowed on Rita Moreno and George Chakiris were well deserved as it was they who supplied the Latino passion in spades. Natalie Wood looks gorgeous as usual but uses her eyes rather than her body to express her emotions, which is not very Puerto Rican at all. Richard Beymer is rather wooden and there is a lack of chemistry between him and Natalie. Not surprising, considering that Ms Wood was not pleased with his selection to play opposite her and subsequently gave him the cold shoulder throughout the production.
What really energates WEST SIDE STORY is the brilliant choreography of Jerome Robbins. From the long opening gang ballet scene to it's tragic but inevitable ending, this film never lags. Much more than a Musical, this masterpiece satisfies all the senses and it remains unsurpassed in its achievement.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


3.0 out of 5 stars Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise's West Side Story, May 15 2002
This review is from: West Side Story (VHS Tape)
This overrated classic musical lifts Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" storyline, and muddles it with a cold romance and gangs that were dated even at the film's world premiere.

Riff (Russ Tamblyn) is the leader of the Jets, who are constantly having run-ins with Bernardo's (George Chakiris) Puerto Rican gang, the Sharks. Planes and fish don't mix, and things come to a head when the gangs are at a dance when Bernardo's sister Maria (Natalie Wood) meets the Jets' cofounder and Riff's best friend, Tony (Richard Beymer).

Tony is trying to clean up his act, backing away from all the street dancing, but he is immediately smitten with Maria. A jet and a shark cannot be lovers, and since no one in the film has read "Romeo and Juliet," no one knows what will happen...P>Eventually, the film does ape Shakespeare, partially. ...

The positives are what made the film a classic. The songs are excellent, using Stephen Sondheim's lyrics to carry the emotions of the characters. The dancing and ballet choreography are superb. It may seem silly to have street gangs dance-fighting, but the pure athleticism on the part of the dancers is fantastic. Rarely have dance numbers been so physical, and so grand.

On the downside, the main romance takes place waay too quickly. This is quicker than a whirlwind romance, this is a tornado wrapped in a cyclone being blown by a wind machine. The mere speed of the relationship (a day) takes any sympathy for Tony and Maria away from the viewer...P>Leonard Bernstein's music is good in the songs, but not as incidental background noise. He thinks he is scoring a bombastic Broadway song even in quiet moments... The pacing is a little slow, as this marked the beginning of the two and a half hour widescreen musical genre that spawned such bloated cinematic drivel as "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and "Doctor Doolittle."

"West Side Story" is not a perfect classic, and not a dud. It is squarely in the middle of the spectrum. If anything troubles the viewer, it is wondering how this film beat out "Judgement at Nuremburg" for the Best Picture Oscar.

This is unrated, and contains physical violence, mild gun violence, very mild profanity, some drug references, and mild adult situations.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Less Than Perfect Sound, May 23 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: West Side Story (DVD)
This magnificent film is truly ageless. I won't bother discussing the plot as so many others have. I simply wish to call your attention to the sound quality of the otherwise perfect
DVD. In a word, the sound "stinks." Far more attention should have been paid to such a crucial element of this film. It's muddy and poorly mixed, especially during the musical numbers. Or perhaps it's just a sloppy digital transfer. Happily, the picture quality is excellent. So, why was so little attention paid to sound? It's a mystery.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
› Go to Amazon.com to see all 378 reviews  4.5 out of 5 stars 
 
 		 Most recent customer reviews











Only search this product's reviews


Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject
















i.e., each DVD must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?