West Side Story

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kevin c Classic. Don't see how Speilburg can make this better Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/29/21 Full Review Michael The film was great of course. But I want to thank Hawthorne 12 theater (Vernon Hills, Illinois) and Fathom for the presentation. Print of film was new beautiful, the colors were hot—-and there were no glitches. Well presented. Even intermission was handled well ( with time on screen) Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/29/21 Full Review cathie This is my all-time favorite movie that I’ve loved since I first saw it in 1975. I lost count how many times I watched this movie, and tonight was no disappointment. The seats are so comfortable and the theater was perfect for this movie. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/29/21 Full Review Hannah P Loved the movie! My friend enjoyed it too! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/29/21 Full Review Paul horrible. the theater couldn't log in to show the movie. received an error message that either the broadcast was unavailable due to maintenance or access was unauthorized. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 11/29/21 Full Review Arianna C The 1961 West Side Story available on Amazon Prime is a feature on a youthful tragedy. The movie runs for 191 minutes and tells the story of two rival gangs in The West Side in Manhattan which features Puerto Ricans and Whites, battling against each other for their turf. Problems arise when a man from the rivaling Whites gang named the Jets falls in love with the Shark gang (Puerto Ricans) leader’s sister. The Jets gang consists of young delinquents, they are troubled teens who have been left to their own devices. With the members of the Jets being left to their own devices they begin to target the new arrival of the Puerto Rican families moving into the neighborhood of the West Side in Manhattan. And the relationship that forms between Tony the former Jets member and Maria the sister of Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks, causes the preexisting problems between the gangs to worsen. As the story progresses the rivaling gangs choose to solve their issues with a fight where one of the best fighters from either gang will fight each other. Whichever gang wins will be able to claim the streets as their turf. The fight between the gangs ends in a tragic loss of three lives, with Riff the leader of the Jets, Bernardo, and Tony. The directors Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise depicted the story of a youthful love ending in tragedy. Robbins' background within the Ballet Theater was exhibited through the intense choreography that was incorporated into the movie. Much of Robbin’s work was involved in Broadway Musicals and Ballets. While Robert Wise’s background features work on onscreen movies, the combination of Robbins' and Wise’s background work, made The West Side Story Broadway musical wonderfully translated on screen. The youthfulness exhibited at the beginning of the movie shown through the color scheme, dances, youthful themes, and song choices exhibit the love that formed between Tony and Maria. As the movie progresses the color schemes, dances, and songs become darker and feature prominently reds and black. The evidence of Puerto Rican heritage is shown in the wardrobe for the Puerto Rican characters. The dresses of the women were ruffled in similar fashion to that of Puerto Rican jibaro dresses. Irene Sharaff was the costume designer on the movie and is known for her work on Cleopatra (1963) and the King and I (1956). As well, the set choices for the movie highlight a candy store portrayed in the 50’s and a local park. Boris Leven and Victor A. Gangelin both worked on the production design. Leven is most known for The Sound of Music (1965) and Giant (1956). And Gangelin worked on Gog (1954) and The Searchers (1956). As the story ends with the death of Tony, the symbolism of Maira’s black scarf being draped over her head as Tony’s body is carried away depicts a funeral procession and the grief the Maria holds. Musical numbers “America” and “Gee, Officer Krupke” stood as a representation of youthfulness. The themes that were portrayed in the musical number “America” sang by Rita Moreno and George Chakiris, highlights the Puerto Rican women's hopefulness and the act of looking forward to all the possibilities that are available to them in America, while the men are more pessimistic, stating that America only adds worries, is too expensive, and unfair to them due to being immigrants. The argumentative style in the song adds a playful twist and shows the differences between the hope of youthfulness against the realities that they are facing. And the musical number “Gee, Officer Krupke” sung by Russ Tamblyn highlights the playful and comedic view of one's youth. The boys poke fun at the way in which they are viewed as juvenile delinquents and that their current states cannot be helped. They also shed light on a failed system that is meant to help children but instead doesn't help. The ending scene where Maria is left without her love and her brother, Natalie Wood the actress playing Maria, perfectly portrayed the desperation, anger, and grief that Maria felt after having lost everything. Overall the movie portrays the theme of a youthful tragedy and the romance between the two and how their relationship causes a deeper rift between rivaling gangs. And as the movie progresses the mood shifts from bright and youthful to a dark and mournful tragedy. The story is easily understood and is timeless. The length of the movie is the only con, the beginning of the movie starts off very slow but picks up after the first choreographed dance. The song choices, dances, and wardrobe choices were all done very well and made the movie very enjoyable. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 05/13/25 Full Review Read all reviews

West Side Story

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