West Side Story - DVD

Special Features:

Extra languages - German, Spanish, French, and Italian; subtitles available for 13 languages, plus two (English, German) for the hearing-impaired

The second DVD includes a documentary with interviews with the main stars and four trailers, including an animated one. The documentary ("West Side Memories" - 2003) is an interesting 55 minute inside look at the filming of "West Side Story." It includes Jerome Robbins' recollections of how the original play began as well as commentaries on the Broadway play by Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim and Hal Prince. Jerome Robbins' contributions to the film are discussed at length by Walter Mirisch, Robert Wise and several members of the cast, including Russ Tamblyn and Rita Moreno. The evolution of the dance numbers is explained, including an explanation of how the famous rumble scene was choreographed.

For fans of Natalie Wood, her original singing of "I Feel Pretty" and "Tonight" are included in the documentary. There is also commentary by Rita Moreno on the dubbing of her voice for "A Boy Like That" (she was unhappy with the results).

My Review:

The DVD of "West Side Story" comes in a special 2 disc set with extra features on the second disc.

The DVD is beautifully enhanced with a sharp and clear picture and natural, bright and vivid colors. The sound volume is loud and clear with a good, even volume throughout the film. The widescreen aspect ratio is good for the dance numbers, even when viewed on a portable (14") TV set.

The movie begins with the overture and sketches of New York City that change color according to the music (i.e., brighter colors for faster music). The first 14-1/2 minutes of the film is entirely music and dancing - a truly innovative concept for a movie musical.

"West Side Story" was a unique departure from early movie musicals. It was the first film to combine dancing and gymnastic-style dancing with a strong dramatic story line. It was also the first very long movie musical and it started a new tradition of 2-1/2 to 3 hour movies.

"West Side Story" earned 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Even though it is 47 years old, the story and song lyrics are still relevant in today's world. Jerome Robbins did not win an award for "West Side Story" because he was fired before the film was completed, but he did receive a special, well-deserved Academy Award for Brilliant Achievements in the Art of Choreography on Film.

In 1997, "West Side Story" was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry.