Audiences flocked to see this handsome screen-adaptation of the popular Broadway musical show about juvenile delinquents in New York City, battling each other for prominence on Manhattan's West Side. So many different, top-rank talents were involved in this production that it's really no surprise the end result seems awfully heavy, weighed down by unnecessary self-importance and a creaky "Romeo and Juliet"-styled plot that was a wheeze even in 1961. Two teenagers from disparate sides fall in love, but Natalie Wood is entirely inappropriate as a barrios Cinderella (she's encumbered by the heavy pancake make-up, the plastic conviction laid upon her character and the drowsy overdubbing/lip-syncing process on the musical numbers). The thin premise is belittled further by the presentation, so big and "new" and "bold" that it forgets to have a personal connection (between the characters on-screen and the audience). Still, it won 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (the overrated Robert Wise), Best Supporting Actor (the inert George Chakiris), Best Supporting Actress (Rita Moreno, who shows real spirit), and Best Cinematography (courtesy Daniel Fapp, and deservedly so, for his opening shots are still being copied). ** from ****
Review of West Side Story
