IMDb > West Side Story (1961)
West Side Story
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West Side Story (1961) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 73 | slideshow) Videos (see all 8 NEW)
West Side Story (1961) -- Special ED. DVD, Post
West Side Story (1961) -- ZuGuide.com - Trailer (Flash)
West Side Story (1961) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)
West Side Story (1961) -- Moviesbox.us - Trailer (Flash)
West Side Story (1961) -- MyMovies.Net - Trailer (WM9 - 56kbps)

Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   27,502 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 1% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers:
Ernest Lehman (screenplay)
Arthur Laurents (book)
more
Contact:
View company contact information for West Side Story on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
23 December 1961 (Japan) more
Genre:
Musical | Romance | Drama more
Tagline:
"BEST PICTURE!" Winner of 10 Academy Awards! - 1961 (post-Oscar) more
Plot:
Musical about two youngsters from rival NYC gangs who fall in love. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won 10 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 6 nominations more
User Comments:
Still The Best more (261 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
152 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | Spanish
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System) (70 mm prints) | Mono (35 mm optical prints)
Certification:
USA:Approved (certificate #19949) | West Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Netherlands:MG6 | Brazil:Livre | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 (re-rating) (1970) | Sweden:15 (original rating) | Ireland:PG | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Peru:PT | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1986)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Chita Rivera originated the role of Anita when West Side Story premiered at New York's Winter Garden Theatre (September 26, 1957). Rita Moreno later played Anita in the film adaptation of the show. more
Goofs:
Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Doc says, "What are you doing there?" after stopping the Jets from taunting Anita in the drugstore, his lips actually mouth, "What are you doing now?" which was the line in the original stage script. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
[the Jets dance across the streets of New York, eventually coming to a playground where they toss around a basketball. The ball is intercepted by Bernardo, leader of the Sharks]
Riff: [snaps fingers at Bernardo] Come on.
[Bernardo drops the ball, Riff picks it up]
Riff: Beat it.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Bring It On: In It to Win It (2007) (V) more
Soundtrack:
A Boy Like That/I Have a Love more

FAQ

How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
A Note Regarding Spoilers
How old were Maria and Tony?
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30 out of 47 people found the following comment useful.
Still The Best, 29 December 2004
10/10
Author: zimmedc from United States

As a now 50-year old, I first saw 'West Side Story' when I was about 7. It may have been the first movie I ever saw outside home (actually at a drive-in--remember those?), and it's certainly the most memorable of movies I saw during that time of my life (although 'The Wizard of Oz' and 'The Music Man' are right up there too). In fact, as I watch the DVD now, I'm reminded why when asked, I typically cite it as my favorite movie of all time. The story is hundreds of years old, and now with the onset of drive-by shootings, the threat to the community presented by the Jets and Sharks seems a little dated, but then there's the amazing Bernstein score, and the fabulous Robbins' choreography, heartbreaking songs by Sondheim like "One Hand, One Heart" and "I Have a Love," innovative camera work by director Robert Wise, and unforgettable performances by the luminous Natalie Wood and the phenomenal Rita Moreno.

I'm not old enough to have seen the original Broadway play, but I saw a recent revival, and the movie even improves on the play by moving a couple of musical numbers around so they fit better with the plot. Great movie musicals are few and far between these days ('Chicago' sold well--I couldn't quite deal with Richard Gere as a song and dance man); I wish there was another 'West Side Story' in store to entertain me for the next 50 years of my life.

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