William Shakespeare's infamous 'Romeo and Juliet,' is revitalised by director Robert Wise as he takes it from the stage to the silver screen in the, if not equally infamous, 'West Side Story'. As a film that has had much acclaim I was already familiar with its storyline and some musical numbers, although having never seen it. I had high hopes. I love a good musical. 'West Side Story' received an outstanding eleven Academy Award nominations. It would go on to receive ten of these including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor and Actress for George Chakaris and Rita Moreno respectively, and Best Direction for the dynamic duo of Robert Wise and principle choreographer Jerome Robbins. I was expecting perfection. Perhaps it was for this reason that I was unfortunately left feeling deflated and ultimately disappointed.
That being said, I do not want to let my disillusionment cloud my objectivity. The film was not all bad – there were pleasant aspects. The choreography by Robbins is sheer genius. I do not envy the gruelling efforts the cast and crew made to create this excellence. The stories of Robbins need to create perfection in every take are well known. His inability to say 'Cut!' did ultimately lead to his removal from production due to financial impracticality but his assistants proved loyal to his vision and every step we see is his. Robbins displays innovativeness far out ranking any of his contemporaries. The notable scene whereby the gangs run toward a tall chain-link fence and manoeuvres themselves barehanded upwards and over onto the playground below in one fluid motion is not only incredible to behold in the moment, but you cannot help but wonder how many times the poor actors, not stuntmen, were forced to carry out this sequence to give it it's effortlessness.
I also found the retelling of 'Romeo and Juliet' itself to be utterly refreshing. I enjoyed the setting's transference from 16th Century Italy to the more familiar Upper West Side New York. The Montagues and Capulets become two rival street gangs - the second generation European immigrant Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks struggling to find their place in the world. While I find fault with the actual names of the gangs and dub them corny, the perpetuation of the young adults as victims of racial barriers evokes empathy in the viewer and an understanding of the feud not present in Shakespeare's play due to purposeful ambiguity. The removal of the parents from the plot and the casting of a young Rita Moreno as Anita to mirror the role of the older Nurse serve to make the film more appealing for a younger audience. These simple plot devices come together to make William Shakespeare approachable and take away the impossibility of coming to terms with his extensive literary catalogue.
Be all that as it may, I cannot hide my belief that this film was anti-climactic. I found the dialogue uninspired and bland. It was corny, and not in a tongue-in-cheek kind of way. As a Disney lover, I am a big fan of cheesy fairy tale romance. That being said, I cannot hide my disdain for the interchanges between the two leads Maria (Natalie Wood) and Tony (Richard Beymer). Firstly, there is a sheer lack of chemistry between the two lovers. Beymer is cripplingly insincere due to his incapability to carry the role of leading man let alone portray the role of a reformed gang leader. I am unable to find them to be a credible couple. I do not root for them. In terms of casting, on the other hand Rita Moreno's portrayal of Anita saves the show. She is utterly deserving of her Oscar. She exudes a charisma, magnetism and passion in that role that puts on display the numerous flaws of Beymer and Wood for all to see.
While I can admire the bold move to rewrite Shakespeare's tragic ending of mutual suicide, I cannot help but wonder if perhaps to have had Maria shoot herself would have saved my view of the film. While this film does indulge on tragedy through violence, murder and an attempted rape, I cannot help but say I was unmoved. The film lacked the same powerful ending that 'Romeo and Juliet' has. The death of Juliet in the play is critical to the play's success. It embodies the play's message of love and intensifies its moral - intolerance creates only sorrow. I understand that it played into the character development of Maria in becoming a confident and independent woman, but I do think her death could have given the movie the strong conclusion it so desperately needs. The hint of reconciliation between the Jets and the Sharks is utterly contrived and does not do anything to add a satisfactory climax. If anything, it only serves to underline American cinema's need at the time to provide feel good cinema and a happy ending.
Overall, the film's drama is nothing compared to its dancing. The leads are overshadowed by Rita Moreno. The gangs are parodies. The ending is lacklustre. It is for these reasons I would give it only three-and-a-half out of five stars. For a film with such potential and such acclaim, I truly had expected more.
That being said, I do not want to let my disillusionment cloud my objectivity. The film was not all bad – there were pleasant aspects. The choreography by Robbins is sheer genius. I do not envy the gruelling efforts the cast and crew made to create this excellence. The stories of Robbins need to create perfection in every take are well known. His inability to say 'Cut!' did ultimately lead to his removal from production due to financial impracticality but his assistants proved loyal to his vision and every step we see is his. Robbins displays innovativeness far out ranking any of his contemporaries. The notable scene whereby the gangs run toward a tall chain-link fence and manoeuvres themselves barehanded upwards and over onto the playground below in one fluid motion is not only incredible to behold in the moment, but you cannot help but wonder how many times the poor actors, not stuntmen, were forced to carry out this sequence to give it it's effortlessness.
I also found the retelling of 'Romeo and Juliet' itself to be utterly refreshing. I enjoyed the setting's transference from 16th Century Italy to the more familiar Upper West Side New York. The Montagues and Capulets become two rival street gangs - the second generation European immigrant Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks struggling to find their place in the world. While I find fault with the actual names of the gangs and dub them corny, the perpetuation of the young adults as victims of racial barriers evokes empathy in the viewer and an understanding of the feud not present in Shakespeare's play due to purposeful ambiguity. The removal of the parents from the plot and the casting of a young Rita Moreno as Anita to mirror the role of the older Nurse serve to make the film more appealing for a younger audience. These simple plot devices come together to make William Shakespeare approachable and take away the impossibility of coming to terms with his extensive literary catalogue.
Be all that as it may, I cannot hide my belief that this film was anti-climactic. I found the dialogue uninspired and bland. It was corny, and not in a tongue-in-cheek kind of way. As a Disney lover, I am a big fan of cheesy fairy tale romance. That being said, I cannot hide my disdain for the interchanges between the two leads Maria (Natalie Wood) and Tony (Richard Beymer). Firstly, there is a sheer lack of chemistry between the two lovers. Beymer is cripplingly insincere due to his incapability to carry the role of leading man let alone portray the role of a reformed gang leader. I am unable to find them to be a credible couple. I do not root for them. In terms of casting, on the other hand Rita Moreno's portrayal of Anita saves the show. She is utterly deserving of her Oscar. She exudes a charisma, magnetism and passion in that role that puts on display the numerous flaws of Beymer and Wood for all to see.
While I can admire the bold move to rewrite Shakespeare's tragic ending of mutual suicide, I cannot help but wonder if perhaps to have had Maria shoot herself would have saved my view of the film. While this film does indulge on tragedy through violence, murder and an attempted rape, I cannot help but say I was unmoved. The film lacked the same powerful ending that 'Romeo and Juliet' has. The death of Juliet in the play is critical to the play's success. It embodies the play's message of love and intensifies its moral - intolerance creates only sorrow. I understand that it played into the character development of Maria in becoming a confident and independent woman, but I do think her death could have given the movie the strong conclusion it so desperately needs. The hint of reconciliation between the Jets and the Sharks is utterly contrived and does not do anything to add a satisfactory climax. If anything, it only serves to underline American cinema's need at the time to provide feel good cinema and a happy ending.
Overall, the film's drama is nothing compared to its dancing. The leads are overshadowed by Rita Moreno. The gangs are parodies. The ending is lacklustre. It is for these reasons I would give it only three-and-a-half out of five stars. For a film with such potential and such acclaim, I truly had expected more.