It was not because of any political incorrectness at the time reigning Hollywood white glamour queen goes Latino for that hot issue didn't erupt until decades later. It was her limited range as an actress. But over the years, I have grown accustomed to Wood. Yes, despite the melodramatic leanings, the necessity of vocal dubbing by the incomparable Marni Nixon , the flawed Puerto-Rican accent and the general overuse of Coppertone, I still feel for this Maria. What Wood does offer is utmost sincerity and heartfelt poignancy.
So I'm one person who has gotten off the Natalie Wood-bashing wagon. Richard Beymer is another matter. An extremely weak, uncool choice for Tony, his toothy, freshly-scrubbed, chipmunk-like mug and awkward gait reads more like library assistant than gang member. Who would have thought Beymer would be the one to dazzle us much later in the totally cool and offbeat "Twin Peaks"? Since the film's emphasis is really on dance, it's the flashy second leads who provide the real firepower. Rita Moreno's smouldering Anita "The Nurse" is a spitfire of anger and attitude, while George Chakiris as her Shark leader boyfriend Bernardo "Tybalt" demonstrates slick, controlled menace.
Both Oscar-awarded here, Chakiris, in his debut, proved a lightweight acting talent himself, never finding a role like this again. Russ Tamblyn as Riff "Mercutio" , the recently inaugurated leader of the Jets, is a hotbed of jaunty, scrappy impatience. Both he and Chakiris are riveting as they demonstrate poetry in motion, leading a pack of Edward Villela-like tough guys into athletic, gravity-defying dance moves. The adults already know the value of this treasure. Start your free trial.
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Please reload or try later. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Full Cast and Crew. Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy. Jerome Robbins , Robert Wise. Jack Black on Jack Black. Share this Rating Title: West Side Story 7. Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Write a customer review. There was a problem filtering reviews right now.
Why West Side Story is so timely now
Please try again later. An interesting Book for people who still love that show. Fascinating how these wondrous talents and egos could co-exist and thrive! The Planets were aligned on Broadway in the 60's! The section on dubbing voices and why stand out to me.
West Side Story
Possibly a little pricey for the size of the Book itself - but I quibble! This book is for someone who loves to research about musicals. I have actually performed in 'West Side Story'. I pertrayed the part of Anybodys, a girl who wants to be in the Jet gang. You can learn what the Jet gang is and much more in this book. Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers.
Music from West Side Story - Wikipedia
Learn more about Amazon Giveaway. Music on Film Series. Set up a giveaway. Police sirens blare and everyone flees, leaving behind the dead bodies. Maria waits for Tony on the rooftop of her apartment building when Chino Martin arrives and tells her what happened. Tony arrives and explains what transpired and asks for her forgiveness before he turns himself in to the police. Maria confirms her love for him and asks Tony to stay with her. The Jets have reassembled outside a garage, with their new leader, Ice having them focus on reacting to the police. Anybodys arrives and warns them that Chino is now after Tony.
Ice sends the Jets to warn Tony. After having sex, Maria and Tony arrange to meet at Doc's, where they will pick up getaway money so they can elope. Anita spots Tony leaving and chides Maria for the relationship, but Maria convinces her to help them elope. Schrank arrives and questions Maria about the rumble. To cover for Tony, Maria has Anita tell him that Maria is detained from meeting him.
When Anita reaches Doc's, the Jets harass her, until Doc intervenes. Anita declares that Bernardo was right about them and that Chino killed Maria. Doc banishes the Jets and gives Tony his getaway money in the basement and delivers Anita's message. Tony runs into the streets, shouting for Chino to kill him as well. In the playground next to Doc's, Tony spots Maria and they run toward each other, only for Chino to shoot Tony. The Jets and Sharks arrive to find Maria holding Tony, who dies.
Maria stops the gangs from fighting and takes the gun from Chino and threatens to shoot everyone, blaming their hate for the deaths. Schrank, Krupke and Doc arrive and the gangs form a funeral procession, with Maria following. The police arrest Chino and lead him away. Veteran director Robert Wise was chosen to direct and produce because of his experience with urban New York dramas such as Odds Against Tomorrow Since he had no experience directing a musical, Wise agreed that Jerome Robbins , who had directed the stage version of West Side Story , would direct the musical and dance sequences.
After about one-third of the movie had been shot, the Mirisch Company, concerned that the production was running over-budget, dismissed Robbins. According to Saul Chaplin , Robbins nearly suffered a nervous breakdown during the time he worked on the film. The remaining dance numbers were directed with the help of Robbins' assistants. Recognizing Robbins' considerable creative contribution to the film, Wise agreed that Robbins should be given co-directing credit, even though Wise directed the greater part of the film.
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The opening titles and end credits sequences were created by Saul Bass , who is also credited for "visual consultation" on the film. Exterior shots used the buildings of Lincoln Square , which were vacant and about to be torn down, allowing them to be used as a set. Because the producers wanted actors who looked believable as teenagers, they did not consider year-old Larry Kert , the first Tony on Broadway, or year-old Carol Lawrence , the first Maria, but some had experience in stage productions. Tucker Smith , who joined the Broadway production several months into its run, played Diesel, renamed Ice for the film.
Jay Norman, Juano on stage, appeared as Pepe. Elvis Presley was approached for Tony, but his manager, Colonel Tom Parker , strongly believed the role to be wrong for Elvis and made him decline in favor of other movie musicals. When the movie became a hit and earned 10 Oscars, Elvis regretted having given up the part.
Bobby Darin made a strong impression on the producers at his audition and was, at one point, in talks for the role. However, he turned it down due to his concert and recording commitments. Tab Hunter , then 30, and Burt Reynolds , nearly 26, were also considered, due to their Broadway and singing credits, but they were dismissed because of their age. Richard Chamberlain was also thought too old at age The producers settled on their "final five": Although he was 28 before filming began, Perkins' boyish looks and Broadway resume seemed to make him a contender for the role, and he was trying to avoid getting typecast after the success of Psycho.
Robert Wise originally chose Beatty for the role, figuring that youth was more important than experience. Ultimately, Beymer, the most unlikely of the candidates, won the part of Tony. Tamblyn, after several callbacks, impressed the producers and was given the role of Riff. Natalie Wood was filming Splendor in the Grass with Warren Beatty and was romantically involved with him off-screen. The producers were not considering her for the role of Maria at that time. When Beatty went to screen test for the role of Tony, Wood read opposite him as Maria as a favor because she had been practicing with him.
The producers fell in love with the idea of Wood as Maria but did not cast Beatty.
However, Hepburn later withdrew because she became pregnant. The Return of the King won 11 Oscars, but they were not musical films. American Film Institute lists:. The film's cast appeared and was honored at the 50th anniversary of West Side Story at the Ventura Film Festival.