and I ended up absolutely LOVING it.
-
Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — West Side Story
jcl2 — 10 years ago(July 24, 2015 05:25 AM)
and I ended up absolutely LOVING it.
I'm 41 and I remember seeing parts of it over the years, but I just saw it all the way through for the first time last night. What an amazing movie from start to finish!!
You was my brother, Charley. You shoulda looked out for me a little bit. - Terry Malloy -
friendoffilm — 10 years ago(July 25, 2015 07:33 AM)
Welcome to the club, jcI2!
It's great to see another big fan of this great, golden oldie-but-keeper of a classic film! I'm a devout fan of the film West Side Story myself, who, for more than 40 years, have taken every opportunity to see this film, whether it be in a real movie theatre with the lights down low, on a great big, wide screen, or on the TCM (Turner Classic Movies) Channel, on TV.
I'm considerably older than you, but
West Side Story
is a movie that I never get tired of seeing over and over again.
The MGM quote
"Unlike other classics,
West Side Story
grows younger."
is
so
true!
Here's something else about the film West Side Story: While there are a number of other classic films that I've liked well enough to see more than once, most of them, despite being enjoyable, are somewhat dated and a little bit frayed around the edges, if one gets the drift.
West Side Story
, imo, is an exception, because of the music, the very story behind it, everything about it. -
friendoffilm — 9 years ago(April 13, 2016 05:02 AM)
Thanks, JujusFlix! This:
For me, it's just one of those that never gets old, never outlives its relevance and always touches my heart!
is exactly how I feel about this great, golden oldie-but-keeper of a classic film! After all these years (I'm now in my mid-60's!), the film West Side Story still tugs at my heartstrings, and I've seen it more times than I'm now able to count, and I haven't tired of it! Moreover, every time I see the film
West Side Story,
especially on a great big, wide screen, in a real movie theatre with the lights down low, and sharing the whole experience with a bunch of other people, whether I know them or not, it feels fresh and new to me, like I'm seeing it for the very first time.
Glad to see another big fan of this film here on imdv.com! -
yesbloom — 9 years ago(January 16, 2017 10:56 AM)
I really wanted to like this film more than I did because over the years I heard so much good things about it(e.g. the dancing, and I had heard several of the songs); plus, I like Natalie Wood in some of her films.
Unfortunately, I found some parts of the film dated, and parts of the movie was sluggish. But most of all, certain parts of the film was unrealistic (e.g. Maria finds out that Tony has killed her brother, but within minutes of hearing the news she goes to bed with Tony!).
Richard Beymer was weak as Tony. I read that Elvis Presley was interested in the role. But I also read that Warren Beatty was also interested in the role of Tony. He might have been good in it, especially as he and Natalie were having an affair at the time. Natalie Wood was just competent in the role of Maria.
It is the supporting players such as George Chakiris, Rita Moreno, Russ Tamblyn, and others whom give the acting some edge. If Richard and Natalie's acting was as good as the supporting players, the film might have been more moving and tragic; and more importantly, a true masterpiece.
Nevertheless, many of the songs are good ("America" is a truly great song and still relevant in 2017). The dancing and direction is to be praised.
When the film was first released, many critics thought it was the greatest musical of all time. Now, 55 years later, its reputation has diminished somewhat. It has so diminished that the film does not even make top ten film lists of greatest musicals.
A good musical, but no masterpiece because of its flaws.
As expected, Shakespeare did it better and more movingly. -
friendoffilm — 9 years ago(January 20, 2017 09:22 AM)
While you've made some good points, yesbloom, I still think that
A) Natalie Wood was okay as Maria.
B) Richard Beymer had certain constraints on him placed by director Robert Wise, which goes a long way towards explaining why Richard Beymer didn't play a Tony with a little bit more of an "edge". The way in which both the original scripts of the Broadway stage version and the film version of West Side Story were written also had a great deal to do with that.
C) I agree that Russ Tamblyn, George Chakiris, Rita Moreno, Simon Oakland, Susan Oakes (who played Anybodys), David Winters, Tucker Smith, Ned Glass, and Eliot Feld all helped make this movie as strong as it is.