I feel as though in watching this film, I've finally gone to a musical without leaving my house.
Dance adds grace to the struggle of power between two gangs in New York and the ill-fated love that blossoms from the conflict.
Thus begins the review of the 1961 retelling of Romeo and Juliet.
Story/Dialogue: For those of you who have yet to study Shakespeare in your schooling career or you have lived under a rock, Romeo and Juliet had us bear witness to a couple who fell in love amidst a feud between their two families. West Side Story takes this tale and thrusts it onto the streets of New York.
The dialogue is witty, the musical numbers odd (though entertaining,) and while the swords are smaller, the stakes are no greater than they were in the original story. When well done, a retelling of the story feels less like a reboot and more like a story all its own.
Cinematography: The lighting and the camera effects in this film were excellent. It's excellent to see that the lighting felt natural, even during the night. The framing and placement of the actors felt like a dance in and of itself.
Audio: Musicals. (I need a picture of that guy with the crazy hair from the History channel.) The musical score was tied into the dialogue and the action of the film which would have added to the emotion of the scene back in the day, but it takes the edge off to those of us who are desensitised to such things.
Overall: This retelling came out in 1961 and was way ahead of its time. The women were strong willed, even as oppressed as they were, the dialogue made you laugh, but I often felt the tone jump or the dancing in the middle of fight scenes a bit out of place and it took me out of the world I was invested in.
With this said, I did love the film.
I give this classic movie 4 and a half stars.
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