West Side Story

Synopsis
Film version of the musical inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Updates the play to a story of rival teenage gangs (The Sharks and The Jets) in New York. Set in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and choreography by Jerome Robbins.
Language
English
Country
United States
Medium
Film; Video
Technical information
Colour / Sound
Year of release
1961
Duration
155 mins; 17,437 feet

Credits

Director
Jerome Robbins; Robert Wise
Producer
Robert Wise
Cinematographer
Daniel L. Fapp
Writer
Arthur Laurents
Screenplay
Ernest Lehman
Music
Leonard Bernstein
Production Design
Boris Leven
Costume
Irene Sharaff
Choreographer
Jerome Robbins
Contributor
Stephen Sondheim
Cast
Richard BeymerTony (Romeo)
Natalie WoodMaria (Juliet)
Rita MorenoAnita (Nurse)
George ChakirisBernardo
Russ TamblynRiff

Additional Details

Production type
Operas and Musicals
Plays
Romeo and Juliet
Subjects
Drama
Keywords
Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)
Related items
Leonard Bernstein Conducts’West Side Story’
Making of West Side Story, The
Place for Us: Fifty Years of West Side Story, A
Tonight Tonight, It’s West Side Story Night

Notes

Notes
Budget c$6,000,000
Figures
US Gross $43,700,700 (IMDb 2005)
Awards
Won 10 1962 Academy Awards - Best Picture, Best Director, Best Art Direction-Set Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Music-Scoring, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Chakiris), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Moreno).
Reviews
Holderness, G. Visual Shakespeare: Essays in Film & Television, Hatfield: University of Hretfordshire Press, 2002. pp151-82.

Production Company

Name

Beta Productions

Name

Mirish Pictures

Name

Seven Arts Productions

Distributor (Sale)

Name

Retail outlets

How to cite this record

Shakespeare, "West Side Story". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/shakespeare/search/index.php/title/23407 (Accessed 13 Nov 2024)