Gather film enthusiasts around a table to discuss Academy Award wins through the years in the category of Best Picture, and you’re bound to get some pretty heated discussions about highly deserving films being snubbed and other lesser films winning undeserved praise. Even when a film totally sweeps the Oscars, the argument can still be made that the win should have gone elsewhere, and in the case of West Side Story, it’s not an impossible case to pursue. Though brilliantly staged with Stephen Sondheim’s great tunes to bolster the modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet, there will always be a rather serious problem with the film: the choreography feels silly about 60% of the time. Dancing isn’t an uncommon occurrence in musicals, but when it’s a musical about lovers caught up in the politics of two rival street gangs, the dance has to fit the production. West Side Story doesn’t always succeed here, and to make things worse, the screenplay combines with the musical lyrics to pack in lots of needless exposition.
Tony thought he’d left the life of violence on the street behind when he quit the Jets, but as the song goes, “when you’re a jet, you’re a jet all the way, from your very first breath, ‘til your dying day”. Ignoring the implications of babies with knives, it means Tony will always have brothers in the Jets, and so when they call upon him to help out with their upcoming rumble against the Puerto Rican gang, the Sharks, Tony has a dilemma. Having just met the love of his life, Maria, at the high school dance, their romance must overcome the serious obstacle of their backgrounds: she, the sister of Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks, and he a former member of the Jets. Tony has a chance to dispel Maria’s fears about their romance when the Jets and Sharks plan a one-on-one fistfight rumble, but Tony’s attempts to interfere and prevent any violence end in bloodshed and put the two lovers in an even worse situation.
For the most part, Sondheim’s music for West Side Story is flawless, but its integration into the rest of the film sees a sizable problem arise. One of the biggest errors plaguing so many films is the screenwriter’s insistence on telling instead of showing, or as a variation of that, recapping the events in the film via a character remembering aloud what just happened. That happens in West Side Story more than it should, and Sondheim’s music is partially to blame. One such instance is immediately following the high school dance wherein Maria and Tony meet and kiss for the first time. It’s love at first sight, and for all intents and purposes it’s entirely obvious to anyone with eyes, ears, and a brain what just happened. Unfortunately, it’s immediately followed by a song that recalls the scene and, in case we somehow missed the less than subtle subtext, explains its significance in the scenes to follow. Even if the music is well written or the scenes well-acted, there’s no excusing the sloppy storytelling that occurs when the two are combined in their specific styles.
So much of West Side Story hinges upon the performances of the leads as actors, singers, and dancers. Consequently, it’s not hard to understand how West Side Story doesn’t have the most powerful impression through Tony and Maria, but as an ensemble piece, the film shines. To clarify that point, Natalie Wood is entrancing as Maria, and it’s hard to imagine an actress capturing that vulnerable sensuality better than she does, but unfortunately, Richard Beymer just can’t compete. His character is oddly two-dimensional considering he’s our tragic hero, and when Beymer’s performance is compared against some of the more nuanced deliveries of Chakiris or almost all of the Jets, you can’t help but question his selection for the role.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
As the 50th Anniversary Edition of the film, you’d be right to expect both a remastered release of the film as well as a healthy collection of extras. On both counts, most people will be more than satisfied. The film looks better than it’s ever been, though there’s a noticeable difference in clarity between shots, with some being beautifully reworked moments of cinematic beauty and others having an odd blur (usually in scenes with 3 to 4 different planes of depth).
The set includes the film both on Blu-ray and DVD, and all of the extras divided between two separate Blu-ray discs. On the main feature Blu-ray disc, you have a jukebox feature that lets you listen to each song, as well as the option to turn on Stephen Sondheim commentary as you watch the song and dance numbers from the film. The other optional viewing mode is one that breaks down the choreography of the scenes as they occur, giving a fairly in-depth look at their inspirations and derivations. On the extras Blu-ray disc, you get cast and crew retrospectives, two featurettes examining West Side Story as a groundbreaking achievement as a musical adaptation, and a comparison between storyboards and the finished film.
"West Side Story (50th Anniversary Edition)" is on sale November 15, 2011 and is not rated. Musical. Directed by Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise. Written by Ernest Lehman. Starring Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno, Russ Tamblyn, George Chakiris.
