West Side Story (1961)

Directors:

Jerome Robbins
Robert Wise

Writers:

Ernest Lehman (screenplay)
Arthur Laurents (book)
(more)

Release Date:

23 December 1961 (Japan)

Genre:

Musical | Romance | Drama

Tagline:

"BEST PICTURE!" Winner of 10 Academy Awards! - 1961 (post-Oscar)

Plot:

Musical about two youngsters from rival NYC gangs who fall in love.

Plot Keywords:

Love | New York City | Rival | Tragedy | Dance

Awards:

Won 10 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Natalie Wood	...	Maria
Richard Beymer	...	Tony
Russ Tamblyn	...	Riff
Rita Moreno	...	Anita
George Chakiris	...	Bernardo
Simon Oakland	...	Lt. Schrank
Ned Glass	...	Doc
William Bramley	...	Officer Krupke
Tucker Smith	...	Ice
Tony Mordente	...	Action
David Winters	...	A-rab
Eliot Feld	...	Baby John
Bert Michaels	...	Snowboy
David Bean	...	Tiger
Robert Banas	...	Joyboy
Anthony 'Scooter' Teague	...	Big Deal (as Scooter Teague)
Harvey Evans	...	Mouthpiece (as Harvey Hohnecker)
Tommy Abbott	...	Gee-Tar
Susan Oakes	...	Anybodys
Gina Trikonis	...	Graziella
Carole D'Andrea	...	Velma
Jose De Vega	...	Chino
Jay Norman	...	Pepe
Gus Trikonis	...	Indio
Eddie Verso	...	Juano
Jaime Rogers	...	Loco
Larry Roquemore	...	Rocco
Robert E. Thompson	...	Luis (as Robert Thompson)
Nick Navarro	...	Toro (as Nick Covacevich)
Rudy Del Campo	...	Del Campo
Andre Tayir	...	Chile
Yvonne Wilder	...	Consuelo (as Yvonne Othon)
Suzie Kaye	...	Rosalia
Joanne Miya	...	Francisca
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Astin	...	Glad Hand (uncredited)
Jimmy Bryant	...	Tony (singing voice) (uncredited)
Christopher Culkin	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Elaine Joyce	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Priscilla Lopez	...	Child extra (uncredited)
Marni Nixon	...	Maria (singing voice) (uncredited)
Lou Ruggiero	...	Police Officer #3 (uncredited)
Penny Santon	...	Madam Lucia (uncredited)
Lee Theodore	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Betty Wand	...	Anita (songs 'A Boy Like That' and 'I Have a Love') (singing voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Jerome Robbins
Robert Wise

Writing credits
Ernest Lehman		(screenplay)
Arthur Laurents		(book)
Jerome Robbins		conception &
William Shakespeare		uncredited (play "Romeo and Juliet")

Produced by
Saul Chaplin	....	associate producer
Robert Wise	....	producer
Walter Mirisch	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Leonard Bernstein

Cinematography by
Daniel L. Fapp		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Thomas Stanford

Production Design by
Boris Leven

Set Decoration by
Victor A. Gangelin		(as Victor Gangelin)

Costume Design by
Irene Sharaff

Makeup Department
Emile LaVigne	....	makeup artist (as Emile La Vigne)
Alice Monte	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Allen K. Wood	....	production manager
Hubert Fröhlich	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert E. Relyea	....	assistant director
Jerome M. Siegel	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Sam Gordon	....	property master
Maurice Zuberano	....	production artist (as M. Zuberano)
Leon Harris	....	production illustrator (uncredited)
William Maldonado	....	construction coordinator (uncredited)

Sound Department
Fred Lau	....	sound
Gilbert D. Marchant	....	sound editor
Murray Spivack	....	sound
Vinton Vernon	....	sound
Richard Gramaglia	....	sound mixer (uncredited)
Fred Hynes	....	sound recording supervisor (uncredited)
Gordon Sawyer	....	sound supervisor (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Saul Bass	....	visual consultant
Linwood G. Dunn	....	photographic effects (as Linwood Dunn)

Stunts
Eli Bo Jack Blackfeather	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Linwood G. Dunn	....	title photographer (uncredited)
John Finger	....	camera operator: title sequence (uncredited)
Ernst Haas	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Louis Kulsey	....	dolly grip: title sequence (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bert Henrikson	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Marshall M. Borden	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Richard Carruth	....	music editor
Saul Chaplin	....	music supervisor
Johnny Green	....	conductor
Johnny Green	....	music supervisor
Irwin Kostal	....	music supervisor
Irwin Kostal	....	orchestrator
Sid Ramin	....	music supervisor
Sid Ramin	....	orchestrator
Stephen Sondheim	....	lyricist
Robert Tucker	....	vocal coach (as Bobby Tucker)
Betty Walberg	....	music assistant
Pete Candoli	....	musician (uncredited)
Jack Dumont	....	musician (uncredited)
Walter A. Gest	....	production music playback operator (uncredited)
Shelly Manne	....	musician (uncredited)
Red Mitchell	....	musician (uncredited)
Albert T. Viola	....	musician (uncredited)

Other crew
Tommy Abbott	....	dance assistant
Margaret Banks	....	dance assistant
Saul Bass	....	title designer
Robert E. Griffith	....	stage producer
Howard Jeffrey	....	dance assistant
Tony Mordente	....	dance assistant
Harold Prince	....	stage producer (as Harold S. Prince)
Jerome Robbins	....	choreographer
Stanley Scheuer	....	script supervisor (as Stanley K. Scheuer)
Roger L. Stevens	....	produced by arrangement with
Hal Bell	....	assistant choreographer (uncredited)
John Flynn	....	script supervisor (uncredited)
Gerald Freedman	....	assistant: Mr. Robbins (uncredited)
Peter Gennaro	....	co-choreographer (uncredited)
Eliot Hyman	....	production executive (uncredited)
Howard Jeffrey	....	assistant choreographer: Mr. Robbins (uncredited)
George Lake	....	assistant stage manager: stage production (uncredited)
Harold Mirisch	....	production executive (uncredited)
Marvin Mirisch	....	production executive (uncredited)
Howard Newman	....	press representative (uncredited)
Arthur Rubin	....	assistant stage manager: stage production (uncredited)
Wallace Siebert	....	assistant: Mr. Gennaro (uncredited)
Ray Stark	....	production executive (uncredited)
Lee Theodore	....	assistant choreographer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Mirisch Corporation, The (as Mirisch Pictures)
• Seven Arts Productions (in association with)

Distributors

• United Artists (1961) (USA) (theatrical)
• Rank Filmes de Portugal (1962) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• United Artists Films (1962) (Finland) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1962) (France) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1972) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere) (pan/scan)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2000) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-release)
• Cine Qua Non Films
• Criterion Collection, The (USA) (laserdisc)
• FS Film Oy (2003) (Finland) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1987) (Finland) (TV)
• Nelonen (1997) (Finland) (TV)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2000) (Finland) (DVD)
• Scanvideo (????) (Finland) (VHS)
• Warner Bros. (2000) (Argentina) (all media) (re-release)
• Warner Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Film Effects of Hollywood (photographic effects)

Other Companies

• Stalmaster-Lister Co.  casting

Runtime:

152 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System) (70 mm prints) | Mono (35 mm optical prints)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #19949) | West Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Netherlands:MG6 | Brazil:Livre | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 (re-rating) (1970) | Sweden:15 (original rating) | Ireland:PG | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Peru:PT | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1986)

Filming Locations:

10th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Mirisch Corporation, The

Trivia:

The second highest grossing film of 1961, coming in just behind One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961).

Goofs:

Continuity: Riff changes position in his chair between shots when the Jets and Sharks are sitting down for the War Council.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[the Jets dance across the streets of New York, eventually coming to a playground where they toss around a basketball. The ball is intercepted by Bernardo, leader of the Sharks]
Riff: [snaps fingers at Bernardo] Come on.
[Bernardo drops the ball, Riff picks it up]
Riff: Beat it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Ugly Betty: East Side Story (#1.23)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

One Hand, One Heart

It could hardly have failed

Note the opening credits. I use the term "credits" loosely, because there aren't any. There's just a reddish orangish title card which changes colour ever so slowly while they play the overture. Now THAT takes courage. Obviously Wise was certain that Bernstein's music provides so much interest on its own that it would have been redundant to do anything but play it. And he was right. Bernstein simply wrote better music than any other Broadway composer of his day - much better music - and whether or not "West Side Story" contains his very best music, it's his very best musical. It would take a special effort to make a bad movie out of it.

In fact Wise handles things very well. We get the same silent sweep over New York that he later gave us over Austria in "The Sound of Music" - the sweep that says, "I'm going to show you New York" (or Austria, as the case may be). The filming and the colours are stark and intentionally artificial: it does feel as if we are being shown a city. Performances are all fine.

Of course, most of what makes this film great was already present in the musical. But what's wrong with that? Surely Wise shouldn't HAVE to spin straw into gold. A wise man - sorry - just accepts it with good grace when he is handed gold to begin with.