West Side Story [PG]

The streets of an American suburb are dominated by warring adolescent street gangs: the most dominant two being the Polish Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks. Constantly at each other’s throats, the two gangs finally agree to have a final showdown that will determine who rules the streets. But amidst the battle planning, an ex-jet named Tony falls in love with young Maria, the sister of the Sharks leader and the two engage in a doomed romance, threatened by the different colours of their skin as well as their ties to the rivalling gangs. 

A smash hit musical on Broadway and sparking the trend of adapting Shakespearean stories for the streets, West Side Story is a roughneck 60s street adaptation of the immortal romantic tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. Making a huge splash when it first burst onto the screens in 1961, winning 10 Academy awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Photography, Best Music, Best Achievement Sound, and Best Achievement in Editing, the movie nonetheless doesn’t really stand the test of time. My mum and dad loved it when they first saw it back then, but buying it on DVD and then re-watching it all these years later, they claim that it really doesn’t stand up. As much as I love musicals, West Side Story, for me, cannot be taken seriously and the blending of the Broadway musical and screen cinema just did not stick. 

The streets of an American suburb are dominated by warring adolescent street gangs: the most dominant two being the Polish Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks. Constantly at each other’s throats, the two gangs finally agree to have a final showdown that will determine who rules the streets. But amidst the battle planning, an ex-jet named Tony falls in love with young Maria, the sister of the Sharks leader and the two engage in a doomed romance, threatened by the different colours of their skin as well as their ties to the rivalling gangs. 

So the story of the two star-crossed lovers and their doomed romance is enough to give the movie its poignancy and emotional drama: the conflict being between more than just rivalling street gangs, but gangs of different races. The racial inequalities and slurs depicted in this movie are very good in making the film reflective of the times as well as giving it an almost-political vibe to counteract with the familial and emotional ties between the characters. 

The dialogue and un-musical scenes are rather boring to behold and the film only really begins to have something when the musical aspect of it takes centre stage. The choreography is rather cool, although the dramatic and more violent parts like fight scenes and such cannot be taken all that seriously because they are firmly choreographed and therefore, seem a tad feminine and false. The Broadway choreography just has a problem being adapted for the rough street scene; case in point when we first meet the Jets they’re doing to whole macho and cool jazz clicking, but then that gets completely ruined by their sudden outbursts of flamboyant and almost ballet-esque dance movements. The only kick a modern girl can get from all that is to just perve on the pert bums of the male dancers in their tight high-wasted jeans. 

Although the soundtrack boasts some catchy and memorable songs and ballads including “America”, “When You’re a Jet”, “I Feel Pretty”, “Stay Cool Boy” and of course, “Somewhere”, the other handful of songs became quite overdone and almost operatic, a style that, although being performed in the passionate heat of the lovers, just does not fit the general vibe of the film and its setting. 

The casting too was a little bit of an issue with Richard Beymer being very wooden and without any real charisma or feeling and Natalie Wood really just couldn’t pass for Puerto Rican. But the supporting cast were pretty good with Russ Tamblyn and Rita Moreno picking up the Academy Awards. 

Starring George Chakiris, Simon Oakland, Ned Glass, William Bramley, Tucker Smith, Tony Mordente, Eliot Field, and Jose De Vega, West Side Story was a very influential piece of cinematic history when it was first released, but ultimately does not resist the decay of time, despite the fact that the story is immortal and the most intriguing scene being the final climactic one right at the very end. Filled with catchy songs, dancing, fights, violence, drama, racism, and romance, it’s not a bad film by any means, just one that has become somewhat dated and undervalued.