Reviews

The film opens with the Jets, and for most of the film's duration, the focus is solely on them, relegating the Puerto Rican Sharks to secondary characters or even the "bad guys".

To my eye, the only real misstep was the makeup on the actors playing the Puerto Rican characters.

Best Picture Best Supporting Actor: George Chakiris - Bernado Best Supporting Actress: Rita Moreno - Anita Best Director: Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins Best Cinematography, Color Best Music Score Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color Best Costume Design, Color Best Sound Best Film Editing

Natalie Wood is generally a good actress, but she doesn't make for an especially convincing Puerto Rican (which becomes much more obvious when she's in a scene with the other Puerto Rican characters) and it's a bit too obvious that she's being dubbed over during songs where she performs.

West Side Story is the 1961 film version of the landmark 1955 Broadway musical that updated Shakespeare's ROMEO AND JULIET to the turbulent urban gang scene of Manhattan's west side that follows the romance between Puerto Rican Maria (Natalie Wood) and Polish Tony (Richard), which is framed against ...