West Side Story

Gyönyörűen fényképezett, ellenállhatatlanul színes - az ingek és ruhák színeitől kezdve a külső és belső terekig, amelyek mindig színesebbé teszik az egyes jelenetek hangulatát. Az ablakok között ünnepi zászlóként lobogó száradó ruhák, vagy az emeletek között ferde fémlétrák egy komor jelenet hátterében... a kép minden részlete narratívan céltudatos és esztétikailag ízléses elrendezést mutat. Ehhez jön még a Rómeó és Júlia egyszerű és könnyen érthető jelenete, amelyet jóképű színészek adnak elő, és olyan okos párbeszédek, amelyeket ma Steven Zaillian sem írna meg. A West Side Story a musicalek számára szerintem olyan, mint ami az ügynöki kalandok számára Észak-északnyugat. De mire jó ez, ha a posztmodern Moulin Rouge kivételével ez a műfaj tőlem annyira v-é-g-t-e-l-e-n-ü-l távol áll, és a West Side Story esztétikai élménye is csak egy unalmas, kiéhezett várakozás volt a bemutató utáni állófogadásra. (2012.01.21)

Good night, good night. Sleep well and when you dream, dream of me. Indifference against passion, innocence against inflammability. And Sharks against Jets in the intoxicating heat of New York immigrants, where love wants to overcome all bad blood. An ageless classic that even sixty years after its creation continues to touch the heart. (2011.11.10)

A few days before the premiere of Spielberg's version, I wanted to remind myself of a film I once enjoyed very much. Unsurprisingly, I enjoyed it again. After all, Leonard Bernstein's music is still just as brilliant, Sondheim's lyrics are still so entertaining and to the point, the choreography of the dance numbers is amazing and well thought out, the commitment of all the actors/singers/dancers is infectious (yes, Tony is still the least interesting, but that's the fate of this breed of heroes) and Wise's direction, though it feels more theatre and studios than actual film, is still very engaging. But I noticed something I had never noticed before. After each number there is a pause in the film, a quieter moment perfect for a well-deserved applause. I wondered if that was intentional. And it was. Reportedly, people in the cinemas routinely rewarded West Side Story with thunderous applause as if they were in a theatre, and I wonder not only if there will be room for applause in Spielberg's version, but more importantly, if there will be clapping as well. I hope so, so that the contemporary viewer, transported back sixty years, can have that kind of fun. We’ll see. (2021.12.06)

When I saw West Side Story for the first time, I had some difficulty appreciating it, because I was not sure if adapting the story of "Romeo and Juliet" into a modern environment was enough to propel the plotline of a two-and-a-half-hour musical. But after a second viewing (on the big screen this time), these doubts are gone. In fact, in terms of stage set and colour/lighting work, West Side Story shines. Both the music and choreography are legendary. The casting is accurate (watching the Richard Beymer & Russ Tamblyn duo in comparison to their Twin Peaks performance is funny) and Robert Wise’s directing skills are admirable, considering he had never filmed any musical before. As for the backbone of the story, it’s only secondary in this case and, thanks to the funny and brilliantly written dialogues, one doesn’t really give it much thought. Finally, I can appreciate this picture properly! [Summer Film School 2018] (2018.08.02)

As a musical, it is excellent, with great dance numbers and Russ Tamblyn showing off excellent acrobatic tricks that really impressed me. As a variation on Romeo and Juliet, it's quite dull and unnecessarily lengthy, to the point where I felt that an hour could easily be cut. However, some of the songs will still linger in your head long after it's over. (2015.04.08)