WEST SIDE STORY [1961 / 2011] [Deluxe Limited Edition DigiBook] [Blu-ray + DVD] [French Release] The Screen Achieves One of the Greatest Entertainments in the History of Motion Pictures!
The greatest love story ever told... in the most acclaimed musical of all time... is now on Blu-ray! Experience every sensational song, dazzling dance number and magical movie moment of ‘WEST SIDE STORY’ in sparkling high definition with pure 7.1 digital sound – along with fascinating special features created exclusively for this 50th Anniversary Edition!
Winner of ten Academy Awards® including Best Picture, this electrifying musical sets the ageless tragedy of Romeo and Juliet against a backdrop of gang warfare in 1950's New York. Featuring an unforgettable score, exuberant choreography and powerful performances by Natalie Wood, Russ Tamblyn, Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno and George Chakiris, ‘WEST SIDE STORY’ will forever resonate as a true cinematic masterpiece.
FILM FACT: Awards and Nominations: 1961 National Board of Review, USA: Win: NBR Award for Top Ten Films. 1961 New York Film Critics Circle Awards: Win: Best Film. Nominated: Best Director for Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. 1962 Academy Awards®: Win: Best Picture for Robert Wise. Win: Best Actor in a Supporting Role for George Chakiris. Win: Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Rita Moreno. Win: Best Director for Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins [For the first time a directing award is being shared]. Win: Best Cinematography in Color for Daniel L. Fapp. Win: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration in Color for Boris Leven and Victor A. Gangelin. Win: Best Costume Design in Color for Irene Sharaff. Win: Best Sound for Fred Hynes (Todd-AO SSD) and Gordon Sawyer (Samuel Goldwyn SSD). Win: Best Film Editing for Thomas Stanford. Win: Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture for Irwin Kostal, Johnny Green, Saul Chaplin and Sid Ramin. Nominated: Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium for Ernest Lehman. 1962 Golden Globes: Win: Best Motion Picture for a Musical. Win: Best Supporting Actress for Rita Moreno. Win: Best Supporting Actor for George Chakiris. Nominated: Best Director for Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. Nominated: Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical for Richard Beymer. Nominated: Most Promising Male Newcomer for Richard Beymer. Nominated: Most Promising Male Newcomer for George Chakiris. 1962 Directors Guild of America: DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures for Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins and Robert E. Relyea (assistant director) (plaque). 1962 Grammy Awards: Win: Best Soundtrack Album or Recording of Original Cast from Motion Picture or Television for Irwin Kostal (music director), Johnny Green (music director), Saul Chaplin (music director) and Sid Ramin (music director) (Original Cast). Win: Best Jazz Performance for a Large Group (Instrumental) for Stan Kenton. 1962 Laurel Awards: Win: Golden Laurel Award for Top Musical. Win: Golden Laurel Award for Top Female Supporting Performance for Rita Moreno. Win: Golden Laurel Award for Top Cinematography in Color for Daniel L. Fapp. Nominated: Golden Laurel Award for Top Musical Score for Irwin Kostal, Johnny Green, Saul Chaplin and Sid Ramin [4th place]. Nominated: Golden Laurel Award for Top Male Supporting Performance for George Chakiris. 1962 Writers Guild of America: Win: WGA Award (Screen) for Best Written American Musical for Ernest Lehman. 1963 BAFTA Awards: Nominated: BAFTA Film Award for Best Film from any Source [USA]. 1963 Sant Jordi Awards: Win: Best Foreign Film (Mejor Película Extranjera) for Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. 1997 National Film Preservation Board, USA: Win: National Film Registry for ‘WEST SIDE STORY.’ 1999 PGA Awards: Win: PGA Hall of Fame for Motion Pictures for Robert Wise. 2003 Online Film & Television Association: Win: OFTA Film Hall of Fame for ‘WEST SIDE STORY’ Motion Picture.
Cast: Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, Simon Oakland, Ned Glass, William Bramley, Tucker Smith, Tony Mordente, David Winters, Eliot Feld, Bert Michaels, David Bean, Robert Banas, Anthony 'Scooter' Teague, Harvey Evans, Tommy Abbott, Susan Oakes, Gina Trikonis, Carole D'Andrea, Jose De Vega, Jay Norman, Gus Trikonis, Eddie Verso, Jaime Rogers, Larry Roquemore, Robert E. Thompson, Nick Navarro, Rudy Del Campo, Andre Tayir, Yvonne Wilder, Suzie Kaye, Nobuko Miyamoto, Martin Abrahams (uncredited), John Astin (uncredited), Francesca Bellini (uncredited), Jimmy Bryant (uncredited), Elaine Joyce (uncredited), Priscilla Lopez (uncredited), Marni Nixon [Playback vocalist for Natalie Wood] (uncredited), Olivia Perez (uncredited), Lou Ruggiero (uncredited), Penny Santon (uncredited), Luci Stone (uncredited), Pat Tribble (uncredited) and Gary Troy (uncredited)
Directors: Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise
Producers: Saul Chaplin, Walter Mirisch (uncredited) and Robert Wise (uncredited)
Screenplay: Arthur Laurents (book), Ernest Lehman (screenplay), Jerome Robbins (play) and William Shakespeare (play) (uncredited)
Composers: Leonard Bernstein (music) and Irwin Kostal (uncredited)
Cinematography: Daniel L. Fapp, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Costumes: Sharaff
Image Resolution: 1080p (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio: 2.20:1 (Super Panavision 70)
Audio: English: 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
English: 4.0 Dolby Digital Audio
French: 5.1 DTS-HD Audio
German: 5.1 DTS-HD Audio
Spanish: 5.1 DTS-HD Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Dutch, Flemish, Mandarin (Simplified), Norwegian and Swedish
Running Time: 153 minutes
Region: Blu-ray: All Regions and DVD: PAL
Number of discs: 2
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / 20th Century Fox
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘WEST SIDE STORY’ [1961] is without question one of the most iconic, undeniably powerful, and memorable films ever released. The idea behind the production was an act of genius in and of itself: taking the tried and true formula of William Shakespeare's prodigious work known as Romeo & Juliet and adapting it into a modern day setting. Jerome Robbins monumental musical brought forth enough flair in style and heart of wonder to capture the imaginations of even the most cynical of film goers and film critics upon the theatrical release in 1961 and now 50 years ago. There are few films that manage to be so awe-inspiring in scope. West Side Story has the distinction of winning 10 Academy Awards® and including Best Picture, which is the most ever for a film musical.
The motion picture lays out some ground rules for the story from the beginning as two rivalling gangs in New York known as the Jets and the Sharks begin to demonstrate their immense displeasure with each other by evoking these negative sentiments with a perfectly choreographed song and dance number. The gang form replicates the original rivalry of Romeo & Juliet found between the Montagues and the Capulets.
This is a love story, of course, between two young star-crossed lovers from different backgrounds and who must struggle with the lack of acceptance from those who surround them. Tony [Richard Beymer] was the former leader of the Jets gang, and now he's looking for a brighter tomorrow without gang life interfering with a newfound spirit for renewal and growth. Maria [Natalie Wood] is the beautiful young woman who captures Tony's heart. Maria has inner-beauty that matches her outwardly gorgeous looks and she falls in love with Tony with an equal level of intensity and immediacy. Conflict inevitably arrives when Bernardo [George Chakiris] learns that his younger sister is involved with former Jet leader Tony. Bernardo is the gang leader of the Sharks.
The performances in ‘WEST SIDE STORY’ are brilliant and uncannily captivating across the board. Both lead performances by Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer are remarkable achievements. Richard Beymer was cast in one of his most memorable roles of his career and Natalie Wood added another excellent performance to her already long list of achievements (including her child performance in the original ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ and a performance against James Dean in ‘Rebel Without a Cause’). The supporting cast of actors helps the foundation of the film dramatically with great performances by Russ Tamblyn as the new Jet leader Riff (who is close friends with Tony), George Chakiris as Bernardo, and Rita Moreno as Bernardo's feisty and intelligent girlfriend Anita. George Chakiris and Rita Morena both received well deserved Academy Awards® for their sensational performances.
There are two essential double-bill aspects to ‘WEST SIDE STORY’ that have continued to be so impressive after all of these years following the debut: the collaborations in music that combined the efforts of an undeniably jazz-infused Leonard Bernstein and the up and coming brilliant lyricist Stephen Sondheim, and the directing efforts from both Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins (who also choreographed the film). Robbins deserves the most recognition though, as he conceived of the original play and lent the best of his choreography on a level that had never been captured before and hasn't been since. Either double bill aspect concerning this massive and unrelentingly complicated production is purely wonderful and worthy of acclaim. The music sweeps viewers off their feet and captures the essence of romance and love while the energetic, stylish direction and the majority of which was done by Robert Wise, and choreography done entirely by Jerome Robbins, and brings some of the most captivating cinematic visuals around.
Who cannot forget the opening dance number by the Jets, the spinning visual-effects of Maria to a new dance number with countless energetic dancers, the silly rooftop dance that celebrates and critically dissects both the promise and disappointments found by minorities living in America? Attempting to even pick a favourite scene or sequence can lead to some problems: every scene is so beautifully and expertly crafted that it almost seems more appropriate to simply select a personal favourite from the bunch. The mid-way rushing of frantically scattering gang members, the long silence, and the slanted camera-work might be one person’s pick, but how about the simple but elegant dance between Tony and Maria? There are so many perfect moments. The execution of this production is almost flawless.
There are some minor detractors as it is hard to imagine new audiences of ‘WEST SIDE STORY’ not having at least some difficulty accepting the fact that Natalie Wood is playing a Puerto Rican. The racial issues are actually inherently important to the story of ‘WEST SIDE STORY’ itself so the unmistakable fact that there is a racial issue in the film is sadly disappointing nonetheless, but for those who can overlook this aspect it should still be worth recognizing that Natalie Wood delivered a fantastic performance that continues to be enchanting. It is important to remember the historical context of when the film was produced within the Hollywood studio system and to appreciate positive elements without overlooking negative drawbacks.
The history of this motion picture is so interesting. It was a huge undertaking for everyone involved, most notably Jerome Robbins, who was eventually fired from the film despite being the largest source of its creative energy. The film surprised audiences worldwide. It was such a tremendous hit, and no one expected it to take everything by storm the way it did. The film continues to amaze audiences after half a century. The play version is performed worldwide through schools and theatre production companies. Even for those who haven't seen the film, there is a clear distinction of the importance of ‘WEST SIDE STORY’ and of the music that brought it to life. There is not even a single film out there quite like it and that continues to make it even more special and enduring. ‘WEST SIDE STORY’ is all about love between two unlikely souls, the love for theatre, as represented through this stunning cinematic tour-de-force, and the recognition of the importance of overcoming racial issues and understanding the commonalities between people of different backgrounds.
Set to the lush cinematography of Daniel L. Fapp, ‘WEST SIDE STORY’ is pretty much as the early advertisements for the film claimed: "As other movies age ... ‘WEST SIDE STORY’ gets younger!" In other words: it's a timeless classic.
WEST SIDE STORY MUSIC TRACK LIST
OVERTURE (1957) (uncredited) (Composed by Leonard Bernstein)
PROLOGUE (1957) (uncredited) (Composed by Leonard Bernstein)
JET SONG (1957) (uncredited) (Music by Leonard Bernstein) (Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim) [Performed by Richard Beymer and dubbed by Jimmy Bryant]
DANCE AT THE GYM (1957) (uncredited) (Composed by Leonard Bernstein)
MARIA (1957) (uncredited) (Music by Leonard Bernstein) (Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim) [Performed by Richard Beymer dubbed by Jimmy Bryant] [Later Danced by Natalie Wood]
AMERICA (1957) (uncredited) (Music by Leonard Bernstein) (Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim) [Performed by Rita Moreno, Suzie Kaye, George Chakiris, Yvonne Wilder and The Sharks]
TONIGHT (1957) (uncredited) (Music by Leonard Bernstein) (Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim) [Performed by Richard Beymer dubbed by Jimmy Bryant and Natalie Wood dubbed by Marni Nixon]
GEE, OFFICER KRUMPE! (1957) (uncredited) (Music by Leonard Bernstein) (Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim) [Performed by Russ Tamblyn, Tony Mordente, Bert Michaels, David Winters, David Bean, and The Jets]
INTERMISSION (1957) (uncredited) (Composed by Leonard Bernstein)
I FEEL PRETTY (1957) (uncredited) (Music by Leonard Bernstein) (Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim) [Performed by Natalie Wood dubbed by Marni Nixon, Suzie Kaye, Yvonne Wilder, and Nobuko Miyamoto]
ONE HAND, ONE HEART (1957) (uncredited) (Music by Leonard Bernstein) (Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim) [Performed by Richard Beymer dubbed by Jimmy Bryant and Natalie Wood dubbed by Marni Nixon]
QUINTET (1957) (uncredited) (Music by Leonard Bernstein) (Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim) [Performed by Rita Moreno, Jimmy Bryant dubbing Richard Beymer, Marni Nixon dubbing Natalie Wood, Russ Tamblyn, Tucker Smith, George Chakiris, The Jets, and The Sharks]
THE RUMBLE (1957) (uncredited) (Composed by Leonard Bernstein)
SOMEWHERE (1957) (uncredited) (Music by Leonard Bernstein) (Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim) [Performed by Richard Beymer dubbed by Jimmy Bryant and Natalie Wood dubbed by Marni Nixon]
COOL (1957) (uncredited) (Music by Leonard Bernstein) (Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim) [Performed by Tucker Smith]
A BOY LIKE THAT / I HAVE A LOVE (1957) (uncredited) (Music by Leonard Bernstein) (Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim) [Performed by Rita Moreno dubbed by Betty Wand and Natalie Wood dubbed by Marni Nixon]
SOMEWHERE (reprise) (1957) (uncredited) (Music by Leonard Bernstein) (Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim) [Performed by Richard Beymer dubbed by Jimmy Bryant and Natalie Wood dubbed by Marni Nixon]
END CREDITS (1957) (uncredited) (Composed by Leonard Bernstein)
AMERICA, MY COUNTRY ‘TIS OF THEE (1832) (uncredited) (Music attributed to Henry Carey "God Save the King!" 1744) [Whistled by The Sharks as they leave the candy store]
LA CUCARACHA (uncredited) (Traditional) [Whistled by one of the Jets]
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Blu-ray Image Quality – ‘WEST SIDE STORY’ arrives on Blu-ray with an almost immaculate looking transfer – which is great news as it was filmed with 70mm cameras. In one word: incredible. Fans of the film will be hard-pressed to find an element of dissatisfaction. The colours are so vivid; the contrast so accurate, the cinematography brilliant, and the overall feel of the high-quality production is almost perfectly captured. The image clearly hasn't been tampered with by annoying "picture-quality enhancing" shortcuts. Make no mistake: this Blu-ray is the best presentation of ‘WEST SIDE STORY’ on home media. The motion picture is presented in an awesome 1080p image in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.20:1.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – The audio presentation doesn't skimp out on any trimmings either. The film is presented with a glorious 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio experience that captures the music in all its magnificent glory. The dialogue is also well reproduced on this Blu-ray release and sound directionality is well used for both the composed film score and songs. Overall, this is a five star audio presentation.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
DISC 1 [Blu-ray]:
Special Feature: Song Specific Audio Commentary by Stephen Sondheim [2011] [1080p] [2.20:1] [19:41] Here we get an in-depth personal audio commentary from Lyricist Stephen Sondheim provides an audio commentary for each of his songs, and it is quite fascinating to hear a legend discuss his work in such detail, who tries to recall what he was thinking about each song 50 years ago and his remarks offer a few surprises but also a few gaps of silence and basically gives a running comment about specific songs he wrote featured in the film ‘WEST SIDE STORY’ and they are as follows: Prologue; Jet Song; Something’s Coming; Dance At The Gym; Maria; America; Tonight; Gee, Officer Krapke; I Feel Pretty; One Hand, One Heart; Quintet’ Somewhere’ Cool and A Boy Like That / I have A Song. Please Note: You can either watch each item separately or Play All.
Special Feature: Music Machine [1961] [1080p] [2.20:1] [85:07] This is basically a way of watching the film ‘WEST SIDE STORY,’ which to my mind is very strange, as you can get the same facility by just highlighting the word PLAY in the main menu, where you can start to watch the film instantly. For some unknown reason this special feature is a shorter length in time.
Special Feature: POW! The Dances from ‘WEST SIDE STORY’ [1961 / 2011] [1080p] [2.20:1 / 1.78:1] With this special feature you get to use the POW! Two versions of the Mode to explore the creation of the film ‘WEST SIDE STORY’ and especially the dance sequences. These video pieces may be viewed either with MOVIE MODE [172:55] or INDIVIDUAL FEATURES [19:12]. INDIVIDUAL FEATURES contributors include: Robert Relyea [Assistant Director for ‘WEST SIDE STORY’], Jamie Bernstein [Daughter of Composer Leonard Bernstein], Yvonne Wilder [‘Consuelo’ 1961 film and “Teresita” Original London Production], Debbie Allen [Actress / Dancer / Director and “Anita” 1980 Broadway Revival], Adam Shankman [American film director / Producer / Dancer / Author / Actor / Choreographer], Mikhail Baryshnikov [Artistic Director of Baryshnikov Arts Center], Susan Stroman [Director / Choreographer], Deborah Jowitt [Author of Jerome Robbins: His Life, His Theater, His Dance], Chita Rivera [“Anita” Original Broadway Production], Zach Woodlee [Choreographer / Producer], Sylviane Gold [Dance / Theater Critic], Amanda Vaill [Author of Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins], Nobuko Miyamoto [‘Francisca’ 1961 Film] and Joey McKneely [Choreographer for 2009 Broadway Revival].
DISC 2 [DVD]:
Special Feature: ‘WEST SIDE STORY’ Memories [2003] [1080i / 480i] [1.78:1 / 2.20:1 / 1.37:1] [55:51] This documentary was for the 25th anniversary MGM collection. Details how this successful stage production was reared and moulded into a beautiful cinematic spectacular motion picture. Takes an in-depth look how Jerome Robbins' choreography and Leonard Bernstein's composed film score making processes. It is good to see some of the outtakes of certain scenes and hear Natalie Wood’s original recordings of the songs she sang that Natalie Woods did not know she was dubbed by Marnie Nixon because, basically, she couldn't sing, but I thought it was very acceptable. We get to view interviews with team members including Robert Wise and Stephen Sondheim. It gives us a broad outlook at the making of the film and the troubles it went through, including the firing of Jerome Robbins. For whatever reason George Chakiris wouldn't participate and they got just one or two guys from the gangs to participate. Also seemingly everyone has forgotten that Natalie Wood HATED Richard Beymer and didn't want him. Even Richard Beymer doesn't mention it. It worth viewing if you want a complete version of every aspect of the film ‘WEST SIDE STORY.’ We get to view some rare footage of the premiere of ‘WEST SIDE STORY’ in New York on the 18th October, 1961. Contributors include: Jerome Robbins [Co-Director / Choreographer] (Audio only), Arthur Laurents [Playwright], Stephen Sondheim [Lyricist], Hal Prince [Co-Production for the 1957 Broadway Production], Greg Lawrence [Author of Dance with Demons], Walter Mirisch Executive Producer], Robert Wise [Producer / Co-Director], Richard Beymer [Tony], Robert Relyea [Assistant Director], Tony Mordente [Action], Rita Moreno [Anita], Russ Tamblyn [Riff] and Harvey Hohnecker [Mouthpiece].
Special Feature: Production Design & Storyboard: Here we get to view Production Design and Storyboards by Production Artist Maurice Zuberano and there are three separate features you get to view and they are as follows:
MONTAGE [1961] [1080i] [2.20:1 / 1.37:1] [4:48] Here you get to view a sort of slide show that features storyboard illustrations and also scenes from the film ‘WEST SIDE STORY’ that relates to the storyboard illustrations. In the background you ge to hear the composed film score from ‘WEST SIDE STORY.’
PRODUCTION DESIGN GALLERY [1961] [1080i] [1.78:1] [0:56] With this special feature, we are presented with conceptual designs and sketches created for ‘WEST SIDE STORY’ by Production Designer Boris Leven and Storyboard Artist Maurice Zuberano. Boris Leven’s conceptual drawing designs established a distinctive visual style for the production. While Maurice Zuberano’s Storyboards were drawn to assist Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins in shooting key sequences within the film. Together, they provided a detail outline of colour, style and composition based upon the shooting script. Production Designer Boris Leven’s conceptual drawing designs were used for several key sequences in the film ‘WEST SIDE STORY.’ What you get to view is a slide show that has no sound.
STORYBOARD GALLERY [1961] [1080i] [1.78:1] [5:57] With this Storyboard Gallery we get to view more specific storyboard illustrations relating to the film ‘WEST SIDE STORY,’ which consist of the Prologue; A Conceptual drawing of Manhattan utilised for the main title “Oveture” sequence. The illustration of the overhead shots of different locations in New York that you view at the start of the film, like Harlem Park, Rumble, Children shouting and other settings for the Jest and the Sharks turf. Other images we get to view is the “Dissolve Transition” created as an optical effect by Linwood Dunn; Maria; Storyboards for “Tonight” with a suggested stylised effect that was later achieved by Linwood Dunn’s optical process; The Quintet; The Rumble; Maria’s Rooftop Dance. We also get to view a series of Storyboards outlining an expanded treatment for “Somewhere.” Also incorporating the stylised Dram Ballet” originally presented in the stage production of “West Side Story.” This approach was later abandoned in favour of the simpler sung version number, shot in Maria’s room. We also get to view Conceptual Sketches for the End Title treatment. All in all, we get to view 84 illustrated images.
Special Feature: BEHIND THE SCENE: Here we get to view 10 separate features and they are as follows:
JERRY ROBBINS HOLDS AN AUDITION [1961] [1080i] [1.78:1] [0:40] Here we get to view 10 black-and-white photographs as a slide show.
EARLY REHEARSALS [1961] [1080i] [1.78:1] [0:20] Here we get to view 5 black-and-white photographs as a slide show.
UP IN THE AIR [1961] [1080i] [1.78:1] [0:20] Here we get to view 5 black-and-white photographs as a slide show.
NATALIE PREPARES [1961] [1080i] [1.78:1] [0:16] Here we get to view 4 black-and-white photographs as a slide show.
ON THE RECORDING STAGE [1961] [1080i] [1.78:1] [0:23] Here we get to view 6 black-and-white photographs as a slide show.
IRENE SHARIFF PRESENTS COSTUME DESIGNS [1961] [1080i] [1.78:1] [1:11] Here we get to view 18 black-and-white photographs as a slide show.
ON LOCATION IN NEW YORK [1961] [1080i] [1.78:1] [2:04] Here we get to view 31 black-and-white photographs as a slide show.
BEHIND THE SCENES [1961] [1080i] [1.78:1] [2:40] Here we get to view 40 black-and-white photographs as a slide show.
CLOSE-UP ON NATALIE [1961] [1080i] [1.78:1] [0:20] Here we get to view 5 black-and-white photographs as a slide show.
ARTWORK AND AUTOGRAPHS [1961] [1080i] [1.78:1] [0:12] Here we get to view 3 black-and-white photographs as a slide show, that includes Original Trade Artwork by Al Hirschfeld.
TRAILERS: Here we get to view four different trailers and they are as follows: ANIMAMTED [1961] [480i] [1.37:1] [1:56]; ACADEMY AWARD WINNING [1961] [480i] [1.37:1] [3:56]; ORIGINAL [1961] [480i] [1.37:1] [3:40] and ORIGINAL THEATRICAL [1961] [1080i] [1.37:1] [4:02].
BONUS: A Beautiful Designed Exclusive Deluxe Limited Edition DigiBook. Here you get lots of brilliant stunning Colour and Black-and-White photos and an Introduction by Producer Walter Mirisch. You also get different sections entitled: “LA PETITE HISTOIRE DE WEST SIDE STORY;” “UN FAUTEUIL POUR DEUX;” “BERNADO, TONY ET RIFF;” “MARIA ET ANITA” and “NEW YORK NEW YORK.” [French wording].
Finally, ‘WEST SIDE STORY’ is one of the great landmarks of cinema. It is the perfect blend of theatricality and cinematic wonder. The performances amaze, the direction mesmerizes, and the musical songs are totally beautiful and have become classic songs that live forever. ‘WEST SIDE STORY’ is a landmark film which pushed the boundaries of the American musical art form. Five decades later it doesn't just hold up, it stands tall as one of the best movies ever made. This Blu-ray presentation doesn't quite reach those comparatively giddy heights, however. The transfer looks great at times but it's slightly hamstrung by the original printing artefacts, and some modern anomalies have also left their mark. The sound is quite lovely in terms of quality and retains the directional dialogue, but sadly the 7.1 surround field is utterly wasted. The extra features aren't as wide-ranging as one might hope, yet there's just enough here to satisfy. Here be warned about the strange fade to black during the Overture, which maybe was a small mistake that will surely be remedied at some point with another Special Edition. But despite this, with this Blu-ray release, it has made the film look totally fresh, in thinking it was made in the 21st Century, as the filming was so dramatic and with the fantastic cinematography, bring musical score and amazing tuneful songs, this film was worthy of all its plaudits and has now gone pride of place in my Blu-ray Collection. Of course sadly the wording in this DigiBook is all in French, but the colour and black-and-white images make up for it, as well as the brilliant DigiBook luxurious presentation. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
