West Side Story (1961)
★★★ — West Side Story (1961)
West Side Story began as a 1957 Broadway musical conceived by playwright Arthur Laurents, composer Leonard Bernstein, and lyricist Stephen Sondheim (then making his Broadway debut), with Jerome Robbins choreographing and directing the stage production. Robbins co-directed the film adaptation alongside Robert Wise, though the collaboration was famously troubled, with Robbins being fired partway through for falling behind schedule and over budget, leaving Wise to complete principal photography. Wise was already an established Hollywood hand by this point, having cut his teeth editing Citizen Kane before going on to direct The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). The film was produced by the Mirisch Company and shot partly on location in New York, in a neighbourhood that was itself being demolished at the time to make way for Lincoln Centre.
I found this hilarious imagining if this was the standard way people walked about. West Side Story (1961) is an American classic, no question. Directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, it’s a sweeping, stylized musical that reimagines Romeo and Juliet as a tragic clash between rival street gangs in 1960s New York: the Jets and the Sharks. The film is a technical marvel, vibrant Technicolor cinematography, jaw-dropping choreography, and location shooting that turns the city itself into a character. The way they use light, movement, and space, especially in numbers like “Cool” and “America,” feels revolutionary even today. The dancing alone elevates it to masterpiece status, every step, every leap, every finger snap is precision fused with raw emotion. I sat there thinking, I bet this is what inspired Michael Jackson to make Beat It and I later read that it actually was. The parallels are undeniable (gang tension, dance as conflict, the plea for peace) and it’s satisfying to see that legacy confirmed. That said, as someone who doesn’t naturally gravitate toward musicals, I found it long, nearly two and a half hours of heightened drama, melodrama, and song-and-dance routines that, while stunning, start to blur together. The story doesn’t evolve much from start to finish; it’s emotionally intense, but thematically repetitive. And musically, it’s hit and miss. Still, despite its length and dated elements, it’s impossible not to respect what it achieved. It won 10 Oscars for a reason, craft, ambition, cultural impact. It earns its place among the greats, even if it overstays its welcome. A landmark in cinema history, best appreciated for its artistry, even when the runtime tests your patience. Musicals may not be my thing… but this one demands recognition.
Rating: ★★★ | Year: 1961 | Watched: 2025-11-10
Where to watch (UK)
Stream: MGM Plus Amazon Channel
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from the 1960s: Viy (1967) · Persona (1966) · Carnival of Souls (1962) · Daisies (1966)
More crime: A Better Tomorrow (1986) · Angst (1983) · Stolen Face (1952) · Cairo Station (1958)
More drama: Viy (1967) · Wonder (2017) · A Better Tomorrow (1986) · Beautiful Boy (2018)
