West Side Story (film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
This article is about the 1961 film. For the 1957 musical, see West Side Story.
For the soundtrack album of the film, see West Side Story (soundtrack).
West Side Story
Image:West Side Story Poster.gif
Directed by Jerome Robbins
Robert Wise
Produced by Robert Wise
Written by Jerome Robbins
Arthur Laurents (play)
Ernest Lehman
Starring Natalie Wood
Richard Beymer
Russ Tamblyn
Rita Moreno
George Chakiris
Music by Leonard Bernstein (Music)
Stephen Sondheim (Lyrics)
Distributed by United Artists
Release date(s) October 18, 1961
Running time 152 min.
Language English
Spanish
Budget $6,000,000
Gross revenue $43,700,000
Official website
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

West Side Story is a 1961 film directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. It is an adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name, loosely adapted from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It stars Natalie Wood, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, Russ Tamblyn, Richard Beymer, and Tony Mordente, and was photographed by Daniel L. Fapp, A.S.C. in Super Panavision 70. The action was filmed largely in Los Angeles on sets designed by Boris Leven, although the film's opening sequence was shot on the streets of New York City, mainly in the area where the Lincoln Center campus of Fordham University now stands. The construction of the new campus was halted to allow completion of the sequence.[citation needed] Jerome Robbins, who had directed the stage version, was responsible for planning and directing all music and dance sequences in the film, as well as all the fight scenes. When approximately 60% of principal photography was complete, the producers became concerned that the production was over-budget and Robbins was fired. His final contribution before leaving the film was to write out the staging for the rumble.[1]

The film was released on October 18 through United Artists. It received praise from critics and the public and became the second highest grossing film of the year, domestically. The film won ten Academy Awards in its eleven nominated categories as well as a special award for Robbins, including Best Picture, thus surpassing Gigi's record nine-for-nine sweep three years earlier. The soundtrack album made more money than any other album before it.

The film ranked #41 on American Film Institute's list of greatest American movies, #2 on its list of best musicals and #3 on its list of the best romantic American movies. On the list of the greatest songs from American movies, "Tonight" ranked #59, "America" ranked #35, and "Somewhere" ranked #20. The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1997.

Contents

[edit] Cast

[edit] Crew

[edit] Awards

[edit] Wins

[edit] Nominations

[edit] Honorary Awards

  • Academy Award for Brilliant Achievements in the Art of Choreography on Film - Jerome Robbins

[edit] Other Awards

  • The Stan Kenton Orchestra recorded Johnny Richards' "West Side Story", an entire album of jazz orchestrations based on the Bernstein scores, in 1961. It was previewed by the producers of the motion picture, who lamented that, had they known of its existence, it would have used as the musical foundation of the new film. The Kenton version won the 1962 Grammy award for Best Jazz Recording by a Large Group.

[edit] Differences from the stage production

  • The order of many of the songs was shuffled, reportedly to heighten the tension of the story (e.g., the humorous "Gee, Officer Krupke", which, in the play, is sung after the fatal knife fight, was moved to long before the fight, and the more tense "Cool" was given the spot formerly occupied by "Gee, Officer Krupke"; similarly, the lighthearted "I Feel Pretty" which originally was sung immediately after the fight, was moved to an earlier, happier moment in the story).
  • Onstage, Anita sings about her lover Bernardo: “He’ll walk in hot and tired. / So what? / No matter if he’s tired / as long as he’s hot.” In the film version, “So what?” was changed to “Poor dear” and the second instance of “hot” was changed to “here.”
  • Onstage, the line in the "Jet Song" that is sung as "When you're a Jet/When the spit hits the fan..." is changed in the film to, "When you're a Jet/Let 'em do what they can...". The song in the stage production ends with the lines, "...we're gonna beat/Every last buggin' gang/On the whole buggin' street/On the whole ever mother-lovin' street." In the film, the last line is changed to "...On the whole buggin' ever-lovin' street."
  • Onstage, "America" is sung by Anita and Rosalia, with help from the other Shark girls. Anita sings in favor of American life while Rosalia sings positively of Puerto Rico. In the movie Bernardo replaces Rosalia in speaking negatively of America, and the Shark boys join in the song. Also, the lyrics of "America" were changed because the original lines were considered too derogatory to Puerto Rico and Latin American people in general.
  • Onstage, a stanza from "Gee, Officer Krupke" runs, "Dear kindly social worker, / They tell me earn a buck. / Like be a soda jerker, / Which means like be a schmuck." In the movie, the second line is "They tell me get a job", and the last word is changed to "slob". (In the original cast album of the stage show, the line is "They tell me earn some dough" and the last word is "schmo".)
  • Onstage, Maria and her friends sing "I Feel Pretty" in Maria's bedroom, just before she discovers the outcome of the rumble. In the film, they sing it in the bridal shop after she has met Tony but before there is any real trouble.
  • Onstage, "Cool" is sung before the Rumble, and "Gee, Officer Krupke" is sung after. Because "Gee, Officer Krupke" was more comical, while "Cool" had more dramatic tension, the producers decided to switch the songs' positions for the film.
  • In the stage version, "Gee, Officer Krupke" is sung by Action, where in the film, it is sung by Riff.
  • In the stage version of the show, "Cool" is sung by Riff before the rumble. In the movie version, "Cool" is sung after the rumble by Diesel (re-named 'Ice' in the movie).
  • Onstage, the balcony scene appears just before the song "America." In the film, it appears just afterward, giving the impression that more time has elapsed between Tony and Maria's first meeting and their duet on the fire escape.
  • Onstage, "Somewhere" is performed by an anonymous stranger, a young girl not associated with either gang who sings the song on a balcony. In the film, Tony and Maria sing the song.
  • Onstage, the walls and lights of New York City fade away as the Jets and Sharks dance together without fear or hatred.
  • Onstage, Tony is painting a new sign for Doc's store as he and Riff are talking. In the film, he is stacking crates of soft drinks.
  • There are 11 Jets (including Tony) and 10 Sharks in the stage version. The movie adds a 12th Jet (Joyboy) and an 11th Shark (Chile).
  • The Jet "Diesel" is named "Ice" in the movie. (The novel includes both names.) The Sharks named Anxious, Nibbles, and Moose are called Loco, Rocco, and Del Campo on film.
  • There are six Jet girls in the stage version. There are at least five in the movie, but only three are credited. (Two uncredited girls can be seen in the "Cool" sequence.) There are six Shark girls in the stage version and at least five in the movie, per the "America" number. However, the movie credits list only three girls.
  • In the movie Ice (Diesel) is second in command of the Jets and takes over after Riff's death. In the play, Action is the second in command and does likewise.
  • In the movie Riff says "Womb to tomb," which Tony responds "Birth to earth." In the stage production Tony responds with "Sperm to worm." This was changed due to the fact that it went far beyond censorship standards for the time.
  • In the song "Gee, officer Krupke," some of the lyrics have been altered. In the play "My father is a bastard, My mom's an S.O.B." was changed in the movie to "My father beats my mommy, my mother clobbers me."
  • In the movie Pepe responds to Consuelo's taunt against Bernardo ("we came with our arms open") by saying "you came with your mouth open". In the stage production 'pants' is said instead of 'mouth'.

[edit] Casting decisions

Larry Kert, who originated the role of Tony, was 30 around the time of the production, and the producers wanted actors who looked believable as teenagers. Carol Lawrence, at 29, was considered too old for Maria. This caused some controversy and dissatisfaction when people learned she had been passed over in favor of a new actress. Only Tony Mordente (A-Rab on stage, Action in the film) and George Chakiris (Riff on stage (London Production), Bernardo in the film) were invited to act in the film version. David Winters, who originated Baby John, got to play A-Rab, Carole D'Andrea reprised Velma, Tommy Abott as Gee-Tar, Jay Norman (Juano on stage) as Pepe, and William Bramley as Officer Krupke.

Elvis Presley was originally approached for Tony. However, his manager, Colonel Parker, strongly believed the role to be wrong for Elvis and made him decline in favor of other movie musicals. When the movie became a hit and earned 10 Oscars, Elvis later regretted giving up the part. He was only one of many young stars that were in consideration for the role of Tony. Several Hollywood men auditioned for the part, including Warren Beatty, Tab Hunter, Anthony Perkins, Burt Reynolds, Troy Donahue, Bobby Darin, Richard Chamberlain, and Gary Lockwood.

Bobby Darin made a strong impression on the producers at his audition and was, at one point, in talks for the role. However, he turned it down due to his concert and recording commitments. Tab Hunter, then 30, and Burt Reynolds, nearly 26, were also considered, due to their Broadway and singing credits, but they were dismissed as being too old. Richard Chamberlain was also thought too old at age 26, and chose to renew his contract for Dr. Kildare that same year.

When Elvis did not agree to play Tony and other actors either dropped out or didn't make it, the producers settled on their so-called "final five": Warren Beatty, Anthony Perkins, Gary Lockwood, Troy Donahue, and Richard Beymer. Although he was 28 before filming began, Perkins' boyish looks and Broadway resume seemed to make him a contender for the role, and he was also looking to avoid getting typecast after the success of Psycho. Robert Wise originally chose Beatty for the role, figuring that youth was more important than experience. Ultimately, former child-actor Beymer, who was the most unlikely of the candidates, won the part of Tony.

The producers had not originally thought of Natalie Wood for the role of Maria. She was filming Splendor in the Grass with Warren Beatty and was romantically involved with him off-screen. When Beatty went to screen test for the role of Tony, Wood read opposite him as Maria as a favor because she had been practicing with him. Ironically, the producers fell in love with the idea of Wood as Maria but did not cast Beatty.

Jill St. John, Audrey Hepburn, and Suzanne Pleshette were among the many actresses who lobbied for the role of Maria in the film adaptation. However, Audrey Hepburn later withdrew, because she was pregnant.

Richard Beymer and Natalie Wood both tried to do their own singing for the movie, but their voices were ultimately deemed too unrefined and were overdubbed by Jimmy (Jim) Bryant and Marni Nixon, respectively.

William Bramley is the only performer from the stage version to reprise his role (Officer Krupke) in the movie. Other cast members who appeared in both the stage and movie versions (with different character names) include Tony Mordente, David Winters, Jay Norman, and Tommy Abbott.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Vaill, A. (2006). Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins. New York: Broadway Books. 

[edit] External links

Puerto Rico Portal
Image:Wikiquote-logo-en.svg
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
West Side Story
Awards
Preceded by
The Apartment 		Academy Award for Best Picture
1961 		Succeeded by
Lawrence of Arabia
 v • d • e A series on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
Characters Romeo • Juliet • Mercutio • Tybalt • Benvolio • Friar Laurence • Nurse • Paris

Prince Escalus • Lord Capulet • Rosaline • Other Characters

Image:Romeo-and-Juliet-toy-theatre-cut-outs.png
Sources The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet • Pyramus and Thisbe

Palace of Pleasure • Troilus and Criseyde • Ephisaica

Musical Adaptations West Side Story (musical) • Roméo et Juliette (musical) • Giulietta e Romeo (musical)

Roméo et Juliette (opera) • I Capuleti e i Montecchi (opera) • Romeo and Juliet (ballet)

Roméo et Juliette (symphony) • Romeo and Juliet (overture)

On Screen Romeo and Juliet (1908) • Romeo and Juliet (1936) • Romeo and Juliet (1954)

Romeo and Juliet (1968) • Romeo and Juliet (1978) • The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet (1983)

Romeo and Juliet (1988) • Romeo and Juliet (1992) • Romeo + Juliet (1996)

Beneath the 12 Mile Reef (1953) • Romanoff and Juliet (1960) • West Side Story (1961)

Romie-0 and Julie-8 (1979) • The Sea Prince and the Fire Child (1981)

Tromeo and Juliet (1996) • Love Is All There Is (1996) • Romeo Must Die (2000)

Shakespeare in Love (1998) •حبك نار Hobak Nar (2004) • Pizza My Heart (2005)

West Bank Story (2005) • High School Musical (2006) • Romeo & Juliet: Sealed with a Kiss (2006) • Romeo x Juliet (2007)

de:West Side Story (Film)

eo:West Side Story (filmo) fr:West Side Story (film) it:West Side Story (film) ja:ウエスト・サイド物語 (映画) pt:West Side Story ru:Вестсайдская история (фильм) sv:West Side Story (film)

Retrieved from "http://india.smashits.com/wikipedia/West_Side_Story_%28film%29"
Views
Personal tools

Toolbox