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West Side Story

Oscar™ Best Picture - Winning Movies

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West Side Story

Original title: West Side Story
Year: 1961
Running time: 151 min.
Country: United States
Director: Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins
Screenwriter: Ernest Lehman (Book: Arthur Laurents) (wmusical: Jerome Robbins)
Music: Leonard Bernstein (Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim)
Cinematography: Daniel L. Fapp
Cast: Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, George Chakiris, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno, Simon Oakland, Ned Glass, William Bramley, Tucker Smith, Tony Mordente, David Winters, Eliot Feld, Bert Michaels, David Bean, Robert Banas
Producer: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Genre: Musical. Romance. Drama | Romantic Drama. Street Gang
Synopsis / Plot: This romantic musical update of 'Romeo and Juliet' won ten Oscars. The tale of a turf war between rival teenage gangs in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen and the two lovers who cross battle lines has captivated audiences for four decades. The Stephen Sondheim/Leonard Bernstein score is just one of the reasons.

Awards: 1961: 10 Oscar: including, Best Movie, Director. 11 Nominations

1961: 3 Golden Globes, including Best Movie - Musical. 7 nominations

1962: BAFTA Awards: Nominated to Best Film

1961: New York Film Critics Circle: Best Film. 2 Nominations

1961: National Board of Review: Top 10 Best Films

1961: Directors Guild of America (DGA): Best Director

Show 1 more awards

1961: Writers Guild of America (WGA): Best Musical Screenplay

Critics' reviews

"A beautifully-mounted, impressive, emotion-ridden and violent musical."

Whitney Williams: Variety
"Natalie Wood sets herself firmly as the most important young star of the time and moves herself into the powerful league of some of her elders."

James Powers: The Hollywood Reporter
"'West Side Story' remains a landmark of musical history (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 4)"

Roger Ebert: rogerebert.com
"Decent 1961 adaptation of the Bernstein-Robbins musical"

Dave Kehr: Chicago Reader
"To its credit, 'West Side Story' does not shy away from difficult issues (...) Effective singing is matched by strong dancing (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"

James Berardinelli: ReelViews
"It looks a little dated in places, but Sondheim/Berstein's musical take on 'Romeo and Juliet' still has snap, crackle and pop (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"

Peter Bradshaw: The Guardian
"This really is the musical for people who dont like musicals (...) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"

Kim Newman: Empire
Show 3 more reviews

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Ranking Lists Position

5 My Favorite Musicals (348)
49 Most Beautiful Movie Posters in Film History (8)
78 My Favorite Romantic Dramas (55)
83 Movies with an Incredible Soundtrack (OST) (139)

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