When the film West Side Story debuted in 1961, it was hailed as a groundbreaking cinematic marvel. Watching it almost 60 years later, it's clear that this praise is still warranted. The film, starring Natalie Wood as Maria and Richard Beymer as Tony, is a masterful blend of acting, filming, and editing prowess.

    The storyline of West Side Story is well known- it’s a modernized Romeo and Juliet. In this film, the parties at odds with each other are two gangs of young New York City hoodlums, one group of native born Americans and another of Puerto Rican immigrants. Each group despises their other and has made it their mission to antagonize and “get even” with their foes. But one fateful night at a dance, Puerto Rican Maria and native Tony lock eyes and become transfixed with another. They fall deeply in love despite their love being forbidden. The story follows the blossoming of their relationship and its eventual tragic downfall.

Cinema aside, the story of the show is masterful and contains many relevant themes considering the time the movie was filmed in. It shows hatred and discrimination going both ways between the two racial groups, but in the end shows how love powers over hate. It also explores gender issues by showing women who challenge the status quo and “proper place” of a woman. While there are certainly moments of things that wouldn’t fly today, it seems the film was at least trying to be progressive for the time.

The filming of the movie was spectacular. Scenes transitioned from conversation to full out singing and dancing with ease. The vocals were strong, and the actor’s mouths were in perfect time with the music. The actors were also clearly all trained dancers who seemed to move effortlessly. The way that the cameras were able to move and capture this, despite the technology being recent, was impressive. A variety of filming techniques were used including aerial shots, close ups, portraits, panning shots, and zooms, and they all worked well together. The sets were clearly built with quality, and while some shots looked somewhat artificial, they’re still very impressive when the age of the film is considered. Many of the shots appeared to have been actually filmed in a city as well, which was effective in delivering the message.

The actors did an amazing job of telling the story. The chemistry between Tony and Maria was tangible and realistic, and viewers have no trouble believing they’re madly in love. The supporting actors were also particularly strong, and their animation and facial expressions helped keep audience attention. The singing and dancing were very impressive and weaved into the storyline perfectly. Many of the songs in the film are still relevant today, and I found myself already being familiar with many of them.

All in all, the praise for this film is deserved. It was a groundbreaking film at the time and set the precedent for all movie musicals after. I enjoyed watching the film a lot, and loved seeing a familiar story retold differently.