West Side Story (1961)

Written by Ernest Lehman

Directed by Jerome Robbins & Robert Wise

I’m going to preface this review, for all of you who enjoy West Side Story: I’ve seen this film before...I didn’t enjoy it then, and I still didn’t now.

Now, having said that, I did enjoy the film more on this second viewing, but still not enough to want to watch it a third time.

A modern-day Romeo and Juliet

At an instinctual level, I don’t like the overall plot, which is another retelling of Romeo and Juliet. I do give the piece kudos for being able to retell the story in a modern way; it wasn’t the first time Romeo and Juliet had been updated this way, but it was the most well known for its time. But, back to my original point: I don’t like Romeo and Juliet. I’ll admit I don’t have a really great (or coherent) reason, I simply don’t like it. Perhaps it’s too overdone. Perhaps we are all just SO FAMILIAR that it’s hard to be invested in the dramatic stakes. From the moment Tony and Maria meet, we know at least one (if not both) of them aren’t going to make it. Sure, there’s some dramatic tension there, but I don’t believe it’s enough to sustain over two-and-a-half hours (it actually would’ve been more interesting had (SPOILER ALERT) Maria been the one that was shot, now that I think about it).

I do have to take a moment here to praise the element that West Side Story is perhaps best known for: its choreography. Now, despite taking a dance appreciation class a LONG time ago in college, I don’t know much about dance: I generally can’t tell you what is or isn’t good dancing. West Side Story has good dancing. It’s the defining element of the film, for me. It starts with a great introduction, starting very subtly: an arm here, a leg there. Suddenly, it HITS, and it never fails to be mesmerizing in its ability. Co-Director Jerome Robbins is a master of his craft, and this film is an excellent showcase.

You know what this film needs? ANOTHER SLOW LOVE BALLAD.

The music and lyrics, however, fall flat. The love ballads (of which there are at least...three?) plod to their conclusion. The high-energy numbers fare better (“America” is a pretty great song), but I still find the majority of them to be forgettable. “Cool” is a yawner, and “Gee, Officer Krupke” slams the film to a dead halt, to provide insight into a group of characters who 1) have names, yet are virtually indistinguishable from one another and 2) don’t need this sort of character development, especially at this point in the story (which is near the halfway point). Move the song up by about 45-60 minutes, and I might have a better opinion, but again, it’s a song that feels out of place to the rest of the score, and just adds to the running time (as I’m writing this, I’m struck by the idea that everything might play MUCH better if one were to flip “America” and “Gee, Officer Krupke” in the score).

Jerome Robbins’ brilliant choreography, shot from low angles

As a film, West Side Story does pretty well. I love the cinematography of the dances, even if it’s not as kinetic as we’ll see later in something like Chicago. An interesting thing I noticed about the camera work is that in many of the numbers, the camera shoots from very low to the ground, almost as if it’s replicating what seeing the show from the orchestra is like. It’s a stylistic choice that I’m not terribly opposed to, but it does become predictable by the end. There’s some other interesting choices made with the camera, mostly centering on the dance hall sequence where Tony and Maria meet: there’s a very weird lighting and optical effect that transitions us into the scene, and then there’s weird camera effects when Tony and Maria first lay eyes on each other. I get the point the filmmakers are trying to make, but it just makes the camera lens look dirty.

Is West Side Story a bad musical? I suppose it isn’t. Well, it must obviously not be, as I’m in the minority with my opinion of it. I guess I have to treat it the same way as I do Wicked: it’s great as a gateway drug for people who don’t like musicals (although I think Wicked is a much better candidate for this role AND I SERIOUSLY DON’T LIKE WICKED), and if this gets people to watch other, better musicals, then that’s all I can ask for.

FINAL GRADE: C+