Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy.Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy.Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy.
- Won 10 Oscars
- 31 wins & 11 nominations total
Anthony 'Scooter' Teague
- Big Deal
- (as Scooter Teague)
Harvey Evans
- Mouthpiece
- (as Harvey Hohnecker)
Best Picture Winners by Year
Best Picture Winners by Year
See the complete list of Best Picture winners. For fun, use the "sort order" function to rank by IMDb rating and other criteria.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe actors in the rival gangs were instructed to play pranks on each other off the set to keep tensions high.
- GoofsNear the end, when Maria yells "Don't you touch him!", two different voices can be heard at the same time in the first half of the phrase (in fact, this is singer Marni Nixon overdubbing for Natalie Wood).
- Crazy creditsThere are no opening credits; a stylized, tinted aerial still of Manhattan is shown as the overture plays. The background changes color as the themes change throughout the overture. As the overture ends, the tinting is blue, the title appears, and the shot segues to aerial photography of Manhattan streets and landmarks.
- Alternate versionsThe 1984 and 88 VHS releases in addition to the 1991 reissue had the 1982 United Artists logo plaster.
- ConnectionsAlternate-language version of West Side Story (2021)
Featured review
A triumph of song, dance, music, choreography, photography...
Viewing WEST SIDE STORY last night on TCM for the first time in years, I realized what an impact this made on film musicals with its innovative use of dazzling choreography and high-flying camera-work that made it a cinematic experience rather than a stage-bound one.
Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins directed this poignant and powerful musical with a talented cast of performers--Natalie Wood at her dewy-eyed loveliest as the Juliet-like heroine and Richard Beymer doing his best to bring some heart-felt passion to the role of the Romeo-like Tony, but he's too refined to be believable as an ex-gang member. At least he does have some chemistry with Natalie and obviously put his heart and soul into his performing. The voice dubbing for both is done skillfully, but I would have preferred a stronger voice for Beymer.
Rita Moreno (not Chita Rivera as another commentator named her) and George Chakiris are beyond reproach as Anita and Bernardo--and all of the gang members do superb footwork and acting as the Jets/Sharks. Most impressive is the actor playing Ice (Tucker Smith) who figures prominently in the finger-snapping "Cool" number.
This is the quintessential 1960s musical with some expert choreography (the rooftop version of "America" is a standout) and stellar work from everyone in the cast. Leonard Bernstein must have been proud of this film version of his Broadway musical. Robert Wise's firm control in blending the music with the "book" is craftsmanship at its finest.
By all means, a musical that deserved all of its Oscars!!
Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins directed this poignant and powerful musical with a talented cast of performers--Natalie Wood at her dewy-eyed loveliest as the Juliet-like heroine and Richard Beymer doing his best to bring some heart-felt passion to the role of the Romeo-like Tony, but he's too refined to be believable as an ex-gang member. At least he does have some chemistry with Natalie and obviously put his heart and soul into his performing. The voice dubbing for both is done skillfully, but I would have preferred a stronger voice for Beymer.
Rita Moreno (not Chita Rivera as another commentator named her) and George Chakiris are beyond reproach as Anita and Bernardo--and all of the gang members do superb footwork and acting as the Jets/Sharks. Most impressive is the actor playing Ice (Tucker Smith) who figures prominently in the finger-snapping "Cool" number.
This is the quintessential 1960s musical with some expert choreography (the rooftop version of "America" is a standout) and stellar work from everyone in the cast. Leonard Bernstein must have been proud of this film version of his Broadway musical. Robert Wise's firm control in blending the music with the "book" is craftsmanship at its finest.
By all means, a musical that deserved all of its Oscars!!
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Amor sin barreras
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $6,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $44,055,492
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $207,145
- Jun 24, 2018
- Gross worldwide
- $44,134,757
- Runtime2 hours 33 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.20 : 1
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