Best Picture: #34
Original Release Date: October 18, 1961
Rating: Approved
Runtime: 2 hours, 33 minutes
Director: Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise
Quick Impressions:
“I’m not crazy about the romance or the gangs,” my daughter observed when we were about halfway through West Side Story. “I just kind of like the way it’s the first [Best Picture winner] that talks about racial injustice.”
“I like the set design,” I remarked lamely.
Warming to this thirty-fourth Best Picture winner actually took us quite a while. We both had such an intense, positive reaction to the previous winner, The Apartment. That’s possibly because we watched it just three days after losing my mother in such a shocking, unexpected way. Perhaps our own strong emotions blended perfectly with the personal catastrophes Billy Wilder’s film explores.
At any rate, neither of us connected to West Side Story in the same way, though Rita Moreno’s Oscar winning supporting turn is reason enough to watch the film.
Somehow, I had never seen West Side Story before. Nobody in my family even did the musical in high school (that I’m aware of). I went in knowing almost all the songs. And, of course, I’ve read Romeo and Juliet countless times. And back in college, one of my best friends (now a nun) used to dance toward me down the dormitory hallway, snapping as she sang, “When you’re a Jet, you’re a Jet all the way,” even though I was technically a J-E-T-T.
I was glad to see this film at long last, though I must confess I wish I had experienced the show on stage first. I have a feeling it would be more powerful that way.
The Plot:
Romeo and Juliet gets a 1950s musical makeover with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. On the West Side of New York City, two rival gangs fight an extremely well choreographed turf war. The Jets (pointedly pale and largely Polish) want the Sharks (markedly dark and Puerto Rican) out of their territory. The feeling is mutual (just like the territory claimed).
Under the circumstances, what could be more inconvenient than a Shark and a Jet falling in love at first sight? And so, of course, this happens. After just one dance, Tony, best friend of Jets leader Riff, falls head-over-heels for Maria, sister of Nardo, the leader of the Sharks.
Blinded by mutual passion, the oblivious lovers do not believe anything could prevent their happy future together, not even an upcoming rumble between the two gangs under the highway. Then they all live happily ever after. (Just kidding, horrible tragedy ensues, though Romeo and Juliet fans may be in for a pleasant surprise in the end.)
The Good:
My daughter and I were slow to warm to West Side Story, but I’m not sure that’s relevant. This film won ten Oscars, and as you watch, it’s pretty easy to guess which awards it won. (For example, Natalie Wood did not win Best Actress. You’ll see why when you watch the movie.)
I knew going in that Leonard Bernstein wrote the music, yet as I watched, I kept commenting on how much certain songs reminded me of Stephen Sondheim musicals. I assumed this was just proof of my poor ear or a possible indicator that I was losing my mind–and I kept saying so to my daughter–but after watching the film, I discovered that Sondheim did write the lyrics. I never knew that!
On the whole, the songs are fantastic. Even if you have never seen West Side Story, you probably know at least half of them already. To be honest, the songs are probably better than the drama surrounding them. Though I didn’t think the movie made much of an impression on me, I kept singing my way through it the next day as I chopped up the ingredients for the soup I was making. Unless I had a particular purpose in mind, I wouldn’t watch this movie again anytime soon. But the idea of listening to it in the car over and over again highly appeals to me, and not just because I miss going places in the car.
At moments, the choreography is even more impressive than the music. (Perhaps at every moment–the music doesn’t so much impress as charm, but the dance moves look exhausting, even for the choreographer!) In this aspect, the film’s spiritual predecessor seems to be An American in Paris. That movie took such relish in choreographing daily routine, turning all of urban life into a dance. West Side Story is the same. (Of course, no one as conspicuously talented as Gene Kelly is around, but the entire ensemble dances exceptionally well.)
Aside from the singing and dancing, what stood out to me most is the film’s visual aesthetic. West Side Story won Oscars for cinematography, art direction, and costume design, and none of this comes as a surprise. The city streets are presented like a colorful art installation (with red highlighted for us again and again). I love the depth of the shots, the use of realities of urban landscape to create multiple elevations, and the way incidental objects like hanging laundry become set decoration.
The performances are good, too–especially the vocal performance of Marni Nixon who is definitely working overtime here, dubbing multiple people’s singing voices and even looping in some spoken dialogue. Nixon’s voice is so distinctive and so often used in musicals of this period that songs of the era sound most properly performed when sung by her. As a child, I loved My Fair Lady, The King and I, and my mother’s Mary Poppins record. Nixon sings all of them. (I don’t know why she sang the children’s tie-in record for Mary Poppins, but she did!) (I can’t resist mentioning that my mother thought I was making a strange joke when I mentioned that the Fright Night remake was written by Marti Noxon. I kept insisting, “No she is also a famous person. I am not making a joke about Marni Nixon.” Mom seemed to think I was hinting that Marni Nixon had an evil double, in much the way that I assumed Donald Regan was the president’s sinister doppelganger as a child.)
The most conspicuously memorable performance in the film belongs to the Best Supporting Actresss winner Rita Moreno, who is simply outstanding (as usual) as Anita, Maria’s ill used friend. She’s the clear standout of the cast, though also very good are Best Supporting Actor winner George Chakiris as Maria’s brother and Anita’s boyfriend Bernardo and Russ Tamblyn as Jet leader and Tony’s “womb to tomb” friend Riff. (I felt so old when I began saying to my daughter, “You know Amber Tamblyn…” and she surprised me by answering, “No.” I don’t know why I assumed she would! I was thinking, “All kids know Amber Tamblyn!” I forget my kid was born in 2009…although she does know David Cross!) Anyway, David Cross’s wife’s father gives the best performance of all the Jets (probably why he’s had a long, successful career).
If you like playing my little “identify actors by their relatives game,” you’ll be pleased to know that John Astin is also (too briefly) in this movie playing the DJ (or maybe the emcee) at an (extremely ill conceived) community dance/mixer.
Another standout is Ned Glass as Doc (a drugstore owner who plays something like the priest role in Romeo and Juliet), a character whose point of view is immediately sympathetic. Then come two characters I wanted more of, Simon Oakland as Lieutenant Schrank and Susan Oakes as Anybodys. Schrank is a puzzling, exasperating, irritating, often unsympathetic, curious character, and Oakland’s performance is compelling. But the character never gets that much to do and disappears for long stretches. He’s ultimately not too important (beyond his functional role, facilitating story events), which is a bit disappointing since Oakland is a good actor who brings so much presence and hints at depth. In contrast, Anybodys gets quite a bit of screentime, but I wanted more depth. Here’s a supporting character with quite a story. As far as the other Jets are concerned, Anybodys is an annoying, tag-a-long girl who dresses like the boys and wants to be in the gang. Anybody watching today would say, “Oh, Anybodys is transgender!” I’m curious to see Steven Spielberg’s take on the character.
Best Action Sequence:
The rumble looks exciting, but the fighting itself made me think fondly of some of Jackie Chan’s exquisitely choreographed brawls and chases, delightful episodes that look more like dances than fights. Truly exciting at the rumble are the dynamic, athletic ways in which everyone enters/exits the area.
Best Scene Visually/Best Scene:
The whole film is so stylized. Catch a glimpse of any part of any scene, and you’d know instantly that you’re watching West Side Story.
Several moments stand out, but my favorite is the “A Boy Like That/I Have a Love” scene between Natalie Wood and Rita Moreno.
As Wood sings, Moreno’s face tells a whole story of its own. Her facial expressions in this scene alone should have won her that Oscar. Moreno’s part in the story going forward becomes increasingly intense.
Best Dancing Scene:
Since Moreno’s performance is my favorite, no one should be surprised to learn that the rousing “America” is my favorite dance-focused number.
In terms of sheer dance intensity, though, “Cool” is quite a tour de force. I felt tired after just watching! (I’m not sure the the number is necessary, though. Too bad they didn’t perform it before the rumble. They might have tired themselves out and avoided violence.)
Best Song:
Personally, I’m quite partial to “Quintet.” I have a thing for numbers like this. You know (imagine singing):
Performer 1: I’m singing, and I’m going!
Performer 2: Me, too, I’m also singing and going! I’m starting somewhere else and singing something else and going!
Others: Also don’t forget about us! Look at us go and sing yet another thing!
Somebody Else: Remember this random theme of mine? It works in this song, too. That’s how you know it’s me! Here I go!
Everyone: We are all going! Singing and going! And soon we’ll be arriving! In the same place! And in the same song!
If I had an education in musical theater, I would be able to explain this phenomenon using the proper terminology. But most good musicals have a song like this.
The Negatives:
Miracle on 34th Street is one of my favorite movies, so I have a great deal of affection and good will for Natalie Wood, but she is horribly miscast in this role. Why did they choose her to play Maria? She dances better than I do, so I have no room to talk there. And she looks winningly vivacious when she tries on hats. But they didn’t think she was a strong enough singer for the part, clearly, since she’s dubbed by Marni Nixon. She also does not have much chemistry with Richard Beymer’s Tony. Overall, her performance is better than his. As I watched, I naively assumed that Beymer (always either wooden or overdramatic) had been cast because of his angelic, almost operatic singing voice. Then I saw that he was dubbed, too! Who chose these leads? How did this happen?
Beymer, I suppose, has his good looks to fall back on. Natalie Wood is hard to look at because the decision to darken her skin (dramatically!) is distracting. I realize most of my discomfort with that comes from my anachronistic gaze. I can’t judge an earlier period by the standards of this one, I know. I agree my reaction is not fair to the material, but I can’t help the sensation of discomfort I feel when I see an actor’s ethnicity altered (especially in such a clunky way).
After the movie, I read something that upset me even more. Because Natalie Wood’s skin was darkened so dramatically, the skin of Rita Moreno (who actually is Puerto Rican) had to be similarly darkened to match! Isn’t that crazy? While watching the movie, I kept thinking, “Rita Moreno’s skin was so dark when she was young! Did her skin lighten over time? Did she do something to lighten her skin?” (That seemed unlikely, but I know celebrities with dark skin are always being accused of that.) (And yes, I mean the word “accused.” When people’s skin tone seems to have lightened, dramatic, scandalous accusations never fail to fly from all corners.)
So I guess what I’m saying is, I like Natalie Wood, but when you’re trying to cast the part of a young Puerto Rican who can sing and dance, Wood doesn’t necessarily spring to mind. To me, her Puerto Rican accent also sounded…not great. It seemed exaggerated and imprecise, kind of like Mario’s Italian accent in Nintendo games.
For these reasons, I found her performance largely unsympathetic. In fact, I liked her precisely three times. The musical number “I Feel Pretty” won me over because the song is so familiar and infectiously upbeat. (I’m not sure this should count, though, because Marni Nixon is singing, and if you’re familiar with her voice at all, it is extremely obvious that Marni Nixon is singing). I also liked Wood’s “meet the parents” bit with Tony in the store, just the light comedy part before the mock wedding. And then in the very end, Maria gets a pretty powerful moment. (Of course, after the movie, I found out that some of her final lines of dialogue were actually looped in by Marni Nixon! It begins to seem a bit ridiculous when they bring in someone to sing for you…and talk for you! That’s not Wood’s fault. It wasn’t her choice. And the frustrating, unsympathetic way the character is written is not her fault, either.)
Now, of course, one redeeming aspect of Wood’s awkward, hard-to-embrace lead performance is that it makes Moreno’s supporting turn even more appealing. I first learned the term “dramatic foil” when studying Romeo and Juliet my freshman year of high school, so Wood’s ability to showcase Moreno’s luster somehow seems even more appropriate.
I liked Tony even less than Maria. My daughter compared him to a serial killer because of his pretty face. (“Once you kill someone and you’re cute, it becomes creepy.”) I wouldn’t go that far, but Beymer doesn’t seem a good fit for this part. I was left with the impression that the actor could do more with a different character, and the character could mean more if performed by a another actor.
On the whole, I found the romantic leads so unsympathetic that I had to force myself to meditate on the tragedy of the story to work up the appropriate emotional response.
Without spoilers, I find it hard to express my other major problem with the story. But consider this. If you run someone through with a sword, chances are that person is a goner. A knife is a lot smaller, though. It seems to me that a gouge (not a strategic slash, but a frantic gouge) from such a small blade would take some time to be fatal. I understand that it’s hard to climb fences, but there are concrete tunnels, not to mention phones.
Probably my biggest remaining complaint is that the film feels dated. When my daughter and I watched the first Best Picture, the silent, black-and-white film Wings from 1927, I was stunned by the that movie’s enduring immediacy. I feel more distanced from West Side Story than I did from Wings. I feel the gulf of the time separating me from this movie more keenly. In fact, for me, the text of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet feels more immediate and relatable, closer to me in time, than this film. (Granted, that’s if I’m reading it in a recent edition with the typeface and page dimensions of our own period.) West Side Story feels like something made for different Americans in another era. I can appreciate its artistry, and I can admire the sentiment of its (for that time) socially progressive stances, but it feels like something I would like better if I had first seen it in the 1960s (which would have been a trick since I wasn’t born until 1979). I also think the musical, completely as is, would play much better on stage. It’s the way they captured it on film that feels dated. I love musicals, but I had a hard time getting into this one. (Now I’ll grant you. I was a bit distracted. I kept thinking, “It wasn’t a heart attack that killed my mother. It was aortic dissection. So do I have that, too, and will I die?” But I was even more distraught the night we watched The Apartment, and I connected to that with no problem. Watching that was a joyously addictive experience, in fact. We couldn’t turn that one off, and we forced this one down like medicine.)
The other slightly unfortunate thing is that choreography is one of the areas where this film really shines, and I am just not that into big dance sequences. I certainly admire the vision of the choreographers and the athleticism of the performers, all doing something I have proven I cannot. But I sometimes find long dance sequences like these exhausting to watch. As a kid, I used to joke, “I don’t like the second halves of musicals. They’re full of dancing and conflict and Nazis.” (That last bit is specific to The Sound of Music.) Of course, that remark seemed wittier to me when I was twelve, but I stand by the sentiment. (The one exception is the choreography in Oliver! which I’ll say more about a few reviews from now.)
The good news is, Steven Spielberg has already remade this movie! If it weren’t for the pandemic, I think it would be out already. Next year when I watch it, I hope to see a version of the show that feels more in tune with our own times. (And hopefully they’ll refrain from painting the actors!)
Overall:
West Side Story isn’t my favorite Best Picture winner, but I’m glad I watched it, and I’m humming a medley of songs from it as I type. If you watch it, I guarantee similar results.