Bernstein's music, Sondheim's lyrics and Robbins's choreography are great, but as a movie it falls short of the truly inspired cinematic musicals.
2 Comments
02/19/08
West Side Story (1961)
92
%
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Reviews Counted:49
Fresh:45
Rotten:4
Average Rating:8.1/10
Consensus: Buoyed by Robert Wise's dazzling direction, Leonard Bernstein's score, and Stephen Sondheim's lyrics, West Side Story remains perhaps the most iconic of all the Shakespeare adaptations to visit the big screen.
Theatrical Release:26-08-2005
Synopsis: Considered one of the most popular musicals of all time, WEST SIDE STORY earned director Robert Wise an Oscar for Best Director as well as nine other Academy Awards, including Best Picture.... [More]
Starring: Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno, Russ Tamblyn
Director: Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins
Reviews for West Side Story
Technically stunning, with dazzling choreography matching an unforgettable score.
02/19/08
Top CriticIt's the groundbreaking combination of toe-tapping tunes and wailing pathos, which makes this a truly arresting musical.
08/23/05
Top CriticHow does the film -- which won ten Oscars on its 1961 release -- stand up now? Very well indeed.
01/26/06
Top CriticEach song from Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim is a belter.
01/01/00
Top CriticLeonard Bernstein's rich, eloquent and demanding score is still a powerful experience.
02/19/08
Top CriticUnhappily, the film shares a serious flaw in the essential conception of the show; both are founded on a phony literary analogy and on some potentially vicious pseudo-sociology.
02/18/09
Top CriticSorry, West Side Story, but the years have not been kind.
05/16/04
A tough, dated sit-thru. At least much of the music still sings.
07/21/04
It is a great movie ... in parts.
04/09/04
Top CriticAn energetic and vibrant musical that modernizes the Romeo and Juliet story ably and with great passion.
11/15/06
When it's good, very good; when it's bad, a stinker.
12/13/06
Top CriticWhat they have done with West Side Story in knocking it down and moving it from stage to screen is to reconstruct its fine material into nothing short of a cinema masterpiece.
05/20/03
Top Critic
The Full Meal Deal – a movie so strong in so many different areas that it’s impossible to argue with the ‘all-time classic’ label that it’s been given.
08/04/03
No review available.
08/22/03
the aforementioned musical numbers have become showtune standards
03/09/03
No review available.
10/11/02
Unforgettable and endlessly watchable.
12/19/05
Decent 1961 adaptation of the Bernstein-Robbins musical, if you can handle Richard Beymer and Natalie Wood in the leads.
02/09/07
Latest News for West Side Story
June 22, 2007:
AFI Announces Top 100 Movies of All Time ... Again
Ten years ago the AFI gave us a list of the Top 100 American Films Ever Made -- and when that was done they churned out 15 other lists every few years. And then last night they... More...
August 17, 2006:
Burton & Depp Together for the 6th Time: Sweeney Todd
When Tim Burton and Johnny Depp get together, pretty wild movies tend to happen. Frankly I think all five of their previous collaborations have been darn fine films, and here's... More...
September 15, 2005:
Hollywood Giant Robert Wise Passes Away at 91
Master filmmaker and 4-time Oscar winner Robert Wise has died at the age of 91. Probably best known as the director of films like "The Sound of Music," "West Side... More...
July 06, 2005:
Legendary Screenwriter Ernest Lehman Passes Away
Veteran screenwriter / producer Ernest Lehman passed away on July 2nd after a lengthy illness. Mr. Lehman was nominated for a half-dozen Oscars over the course of his... More...
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