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I’m not particularly fond of musicals
– so I had to broaden my tastes and open my mind to review West Side Story (the
50th Anniversary Edition) on Blu-ray. I went into it with no expectations at all
– and I came out of it with a slightly higher respect for this and others in its genre.
West Side Story is a 1961 classic musical
which stars the talented and lovely Natalie Wood as Maria – a woman who is torn between her own family and the man that
she loves. The story is ripped directly from the pages of Romeo and – but it is easily forgiven since
this is a completely different look into the classic story. It is given a modern look and feel to it –
well, modern for the fifties and sixties at least. Just imagine if Romeo and Juliet was taken over by the
cast of Grease – this is exactly what you’d get.
To be honest, I was a little worried in the beginning – any
movie that takes four minutes and thirty-nine seconds to do anything… well, I would usually turn it off.
And I’m not joking, for the first four and a half minutes you are staring at a blank screen with lines slowly
moving across the screen. There are no words – and no apparent reason for this – other than
to drive me crazy. After the breathtaking opening 4.5 minutes (used
with slight sarcasm) – the movie opens with one of its most memorable scenes – the scene I always
think of when I hear people talk about this movie. I’ll give you a hint, it features a lot of snapping
and dancing.
Natalie Wood is the shining star of this movie, her acting and her natural beauty generates through
the screen and hits you like none other. And although her voice was dubbed for the singing – it still
looks completely natural and believable. After watching the making of West Side Story (featured on disc two), you find out that Natalie Wood was worried about performing her accent –
but I honestly thought it was perfect in every way. She was such a unique talent for her time.
The Blu-ray transfer was astounding.
This movie has never looked so good before – it truly showed off the colors they used back in the sixties.
The choreography was both fun and
quirky – which made the dance/song scenes a little more enjoyable for a person who doesn’t care for this genre.
The Bottom Line: Although I’m
not a fan of musicals, I can’t say too many negative words about West Side Story. Maybe that it’s
a little long and filled with too many songs - or the fact that the “Sharks” would tear open the “Jets”
any day of the week. But honestly, I feel the worst part of this movie was some of the singing.
I don’t think we heard their best performances throughout the musical. But with all that being
said - this movie wasn’t half bad.
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