West Side Story

In Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins' 10-Oscar winning 1961 update of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the Capulets and Montagues are replaced with two rival teen gangs, the Sharks and the Jets, who--this being a musical--are much better singers and dancers than their inspirations. Natalie Wood is radiant as Maria, an ingénue newly arrived from Puerto Rico, who falls in love with Tony (Richard Beymer), a member of the Jets (an Anglo gang), leading to racial conflict. Based on a stage play by Arthur Laurents, West Side Story has a fairytale atmosphere that overrides some of the social statements, but the fantastic music (Leonard Bernstein's score and Stephen Sondheim's lyrics on hit songs such as "America," "Somewhere," "Maria," and "Tonight"), excellent cast, and Robbins' stylish choreography all add up to one of the greatest musicals ever made. Released earlier on DVD in a barebones edition, this double-disc "special edition" in a handsome boxed set features a beautiful widescreen digital transfer coupled with a vibrant Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack on the first disc, with a wonderful all-new 56-minute documentary entitled "West Side Memories" (with Laurents, Sondheim, Wise, Beymer, Rita Moreno, and others) on the second disc, as well as photo galleries and a five-minute storyboard-to-film montage. Finally, the set includes a 208-page book featuring the full screenplay and production notes. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (R. Pitman)[Blu-ray Review—Nov. 22, 2011—MGM, 153 min., not rated, Blu-ray/DVD: 3 discs, $29.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1961's West Side Story: 50th Anniversary Edition sports a decent transfer with DTS-HD 7.1 sound. Extras include song-specific commentary by lyricist Stephen Sondheim, a “West Side Memories” retrospective featurette with Sondheim, writer Arthur Laurents, filmmaker Robert Wise, costars Richard Beymer and Rita Moreno, and others (56 min.), “A Place for Us: West Side Story's Legacy” featurette (30 min.), a “Pow! The Dances of West Side Story” viewing mode for the various dance sequences (20 min.), a storyboard-to-film comparison montage (5 min.), a music machine video jukebox, a bonus DVD copy of the film, and trailers. Bottom line: a landmark musical makes a solid debut on Blu-ray.]