West Side Story (1961) United Artists Director: Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins Producer: Robert Wise Cast: Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris. Awards ceremony: -34th Academy Awards: April 9, 1962. Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, California. Other films nominated for Best Motion Picture this year: -Fanny. -The Guns Of Navarone. -The Hustler. -Judgment At Nuremberg. Plot summary: Two rivals gangs - the Jets and the Sharks - compete for New York's Upper West Side. It all seems a bit silly and tongue-in-cheek for a while but a confrontation between the two gangs leads to a 'rumble' between their members one night in a secluded spot. Tony (RICHARD BEYMER), a senior member of the Jets, falls in love with Maria (NATALIE WOOD), who is the sister of the Sharks' leader Bernardo (GEORGE CHAKIRIS) but when Maria hears about the scheduled fight she sends Tony there to stop it from happening. In the heat of battle Tony ends up accidentally killing Bernardo, which leads to further tensions all around. Standout scene: After sitting through an excruciating opening 5 minutes with the overture we finally get into the film and it immediately looks soppy. Men dancing around all over the place, clicking their fingers and teasing a fight with their rivals. I thought it was setting up an interesting film, but alas it turned out to be the best sequence in the entire 153 minutes! Facts: -The 34th Academy Awards. -Nominated for 11 Academy Awards, it won 10: Best Motion Picture, Director, Supporting Actor (George Chakiris), Supporting Actress (Rita Moreno), Art Direction (color), Cinematography (color), Costume Design, Editing, Score, Sound. Personal opinion: TEDIOUS! I just don't like musicals, although some of the songs I did recognize but didn't know they came from this film ('Somewhere', for instance). Every 5 minutes a new song would come along and the film continues to rapidly go downhill at a pretty fast pace. Now I am not oblivious to some of the positives in the film and I can see why it is considered 'one of the greatest musicals of all time' (not my words!) but this is the type of film that bores me to tears. The sets looked so obvious and the action was confined to one small area for 2½ hours. Just a lot of people running around, clicking their fingers, sliding across the floor and dancing their socks off in admittedly well-choreographed musical sequences. This film appeals to a very specific audience. The kind that will sit in their armchair with it on in the background whilst they do their knitting. Not for me, sorry. Mind you, I did like the opening aerial photography gliding across the skyscrapers and rooftops of Manhattan. Did it deserve the Oscar? ❌NO! Just look at the other films that were nominated. Judgment At Nuremberg pisses over West Side Story... with enough piss to spare! 4½/10

Review date: 09 March 2025