MGM West Side Story (027616884343) DIR Storage Media Single Reviews

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What can I say that already hasn't been said by more eloquent reviewers already about West Side Story the movie? It deviated a bit from the original Broadway musical but the movie here still wack a wallop in terms of Jerome Robbins' groundbreaking choreograpny, Robert Wise's direction, and Leonard Bernstein's music. from Amazon.com Some DVD box sets are complete and utter over blown wastes of money. Like of both How the West Was Won (Ultimate Collector's Edition) and The Searchers (Ultimate Collector's Edition) which were over padded and miscolor films. This film box set isnt that at all. from Amazon.com Let me state up front that I adore this film and, having grown up in New York City, and lived for years on the west side of Manhattan where the film's now iconic opening sequences were shot, I feel a special connection with it. Groundbreaking in its transfer from the Broadway stage, and in its production values and design, featuring (among other virtues) a matchless score by Leonard Bernstein, brilliant choreography by Jerome Robbins, costumes by Irene Sharaff, and a fantastic supporting cast, the film is a treat for the eye and ear. from Amazon.com West Side Story (Full Screen Edition) from Amazon.com Instead of being the children of two rival families, the ill-fated lovers would be connected to two rival gangs; Tony is a disenchanted former member of the Jets, an American-born gang, and Maria is the sister of the leader of the Sharks, a gang of Puerto-Rican immigrants and rivals to the Jets. This musical, of course, would have to deal with topics that had been off-limits in frothy, feel-good musicals; gang violence, racism/anti-immigrant predjudice, murder, and one scene of attempted rape. In lesser hands, there is simply no way that a musical about the nastier side of life could have worked. Thankfully, West Side Story was NOT in lesser hands, when it came to the people behind or in front of the camera. from Amazon.com Being in my early 50's in age, and a long-time movie buff; I have always considered West Side Story to be in my top ten all-time favorite movies. I had previously owned a VCR version of the movie. from Amazon.com The Bottom Line: Dated, overlong, and poorly-acted, West Side Story features some nifty choreography but its plot is so irrelevent and ending so obvious that it's not exactly like there's a whole lot of suspense; if musicals are your thing you might want to watch it, but otherwise don't waste 150 minutes of your life. from Amazon.com West Side Story (Special Edition DVD Collector's Set) This is the story of Tony Montana when he was a small time hoodlum running wild on the streets of NYC. from Amazon.com This is even better--more compact and convenient without taking away from the quality--thsn the Criterion Laser Disc I have, with all the interesting bonuses included (storyboards, screen tests, etc.) This is a classic movie in itself...but for the avid fan, this edition is a MUST HAVE for any West Side Story fanatic! from Amazon.com Included in the set is a great book containing the entire screenplay which I had fun following along reading while I watched the movie. This book also has a forward written by none other than the scriptwriter himself, Ernest Lehman. In addition, the book also contains write ups about the making of the film plus biographies of the main actors and directors as well as other key contributors such as composer Leonard Bernstein. Famous for his Beethoven, Brahms and Stravinsky cycles, people tend to forget that Bernstein was a very good composer in his own right; this is shown here in his inspired work together with lyricist Stephen Sondheim producing some of the most memorable songs such as "America", "Tonight" and "Maria". from Amazon.com