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

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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   27,492 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 dynamic, after all these years 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:
A major controversy developed because Carol Lawrence, who played Maria in the stage version, was passed over for the role in favor of Natalie Wood. more
Goofs:
Continuity: Tony's arm jumps up from his side between shots at the end of the balcony scene. 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 Cinematic Titanic: The Oozing Skull (2007) (V) more
Soundtrack:
Prologue more

FAQ

A Note Regarding Spoilers
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
How old were Maria and Tony?
more
25 out of 40 people found the following comment useful.
Still dynamic, after all these years, 13 May 2002
9/10
Author: sharron albert (morgana@gci.net) from Fairbanks, Alaska

It was a late Saturday night. I'd done my chores and decided to relax with some needlework before crawling into bed. Looking over my tapes, I decided it was time to visit West Side Story again, after some years. It was a fine choice. I would catch myself with my hands idle, as my eyes tracked the dancing, the most dynamic part of the film. I reveled in the Sharks on the rooftop and the gymnasium dance. "Cool" was cool, as always. This is a musical that doesn't try to transcend itself. It just lets the music and dancing speak for itself (and offkey singing along is allowed at home). I've always felt that Richard Beymer was the weakest of the actors, and nothing has changed my mind. But he's easy to ignore in comparison to the outstanding performances of George Chakiris, Rita Morena (who dominates the screen and steals all her scenes), Russ Tamblyn and the rest of the supporting cast. I'll leave the experts to make the minute comparisons to Romeo and Juliet, and to the critics to point out all the flaws. I'll just say, let yourself drift back to the 50s, break out the popcorn and enjoy.

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Message Boards

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What was your favorite sequence? XLCH1000
Another Natalie Wood + Richard Beymer film? lavenderspirit2005
Ice and Anybody's. Into each other? mankillingshark
Top 250. jrmyxjrmy
RIFF + TONY ChristianEdwards81
Who Sings 'America?' Dsneybuf
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