West Side Story (1961)

Plot:  A variation on Romeo and Juliet. Two NYC gangs fight over turf, while two youngsters (one White, one Puerto Rican) fall in love.
Stars:  Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer,  Rita Moreno,  George Chakiris

A box office smash in 1961, West Side Story was considered new and exciting.  Critics were bowled over by the location  shots, singing/dancing Gang members, and  its serious treatment of race and juvenile delinquency.  The only thing "old hat" was the standard musical love story between Beymer and Wood. And that's the major problem.

When the movie stays with the Gangs, its fairly interesting.  But when it switches to the "love story" its deadly boring. Neither lover, (Beymer or Wood) has much star presence, both are dubbed, they don't dance much, and they don't fit their roles. Russian-Jewish Wood, despite the pancake makeup, isn't a credible Puerto Rican, and Beymer is too soft to be a Gang leader. The fiery Rita Moreno - a Puerto Rican - would have been a better lead.

The Songs -  Considered one of the greatest musical scores ever,  I found the songs a mixed lot.  The two "gang numbers"  Cool and The Jet Song were great. OTOH,  America and Gee Officer Krupke set my teeth on edge with their phony, unrealistic lyrics.  Bernstein didn't seem to understand that Puerto Ricans are Americans - not "immigrants".  And Krupke has to be the most annoying "'Teenage snark" song ever recorded.

The Romantic songs  Maria, Tonight, I Feel Pretty, are OK, but derivative.  Did Bernstein sneak into Rogers & Hammerstein houses and steal some sheet music?  Kael puts it this way: "When I left the theater, someone remarked "I could listen to that music forever", to which I replied "We have been listening to it forever".  Having Marnie Nixon dub the songs didn't help.

The Dancing -  This is the highlight of the movie, assuming you can accept Singing/Dancing Gang members and ballet-like  knife fights.  Deservedly, Robbins received a special Oscar for the choreography.

The Direction - One of the best directed film musicals, ever. Things move at a quick pace. And Wise does a tremendous job in transforming a play into a movie, its definitely not a "filmed play." Occasionally, you notice the phony sets, but for the most part it looks very realistic.

The Script - Based on Romeo and Juilet, the story has more plot holes then a New York City street. The dialog is pedestrian. Not one witty or memorable line. And the liberal moralizing! Samples: "When will you kids stop? You make the world lousy" and "You all killed him, not with your guns or knives, but with your hate. Well, now I can kill too. Because now I have hate"  ( I love the "have" in there).

Casting - The leads have been discussed. The supporting players are much better. Moreno and Chakiris are standouts. You can quibble about the gang members.  The Jets, should be Italian/Irish but look like they came out of an Iowa cornfield.  Meanwhile, the Sharks, instead of being Puerto Rican, are Anglo/Italian/Greeks with pancake makeup.

Summary:  Not really my kind of musical.  I prefer musicals with a witty script and some amazing Gene Kelly/Fred Astaire dancing. I don't mind a serious musical if it has an excellent book and characters I care about - but West Side Story had neither.  But that's  a minority view.