MovieChat Forums > West Side Story (1961) Discussion > How I came to love West Side Story:

How I came to love West Side Story:

posted 9 years ago by friendoffilm
6 replies | jump to latest

My initial introduction to West Side Story came during the summer of 1962, prior to my entering the sixth grade, while attending day camp out west, in Tucson, AZ. One girl in the group I was in at day camp, who'd recently received a copy of the LP album of the soundtrack to the original Broadway stage production of West Side Story as a birthday present, brought the album to camp and played it for the rest of the group. My love for the music to West Side Story, as well as the very story behind this great musical took off instantly.

West Side Story-mania was in the air that summer, as kids at day camp roamed the hallways, sometimes in packs, snapping their fingers and singing all the songs. The songs from West Side Story rang through the bus to and from day camp five days a week. It was really cool.

Due, at least in part, to my relative social isolation as a kid, and in part due to the fact that my mom didn't consider the film West Side Story a kid's movie, however, I did not get to see the film version until around Christmastime of 1968, as a high school Senior. This was during a national re-release of the film West Side Story. I first saw it at a now-defunct cinema 45 minutes north of Boston, and the town that my siblings and I grew up in, fell in love with the film instantly, and have been hooked on it since!

Then, other movies temporarily put my love of West Side Story on the back burner. Four years later, when WSS first went on television, it was shown in two parts. I was then taking an evening jewelry-making course at an art school in Boston, someone had brought in a small black-and-white TV, and we all gathered around and watched West Side Story on TV for the first time. It was then that my love for the film West Side Story had just begun to be re-awakened.

That summer (the summer of 1972, for exactness), my love of West Side Story was fully-re-awakened, when, on a six-week trip to Europe, somebody in the group had brought along a cassette tape of the soundtrack to the film version of West Side Story, which was played almost every evening, during free hours. It was then that I began hoping that the movie would come back, which it eventually did. (I also might add that the re-kindling of my love for West Side Story was
pretty much the only positive aspect of this particular trip, but that's a whole other issue, which I won't elaborate on here!)

Shortly after I came home from Europe, I had the following conversation about it with my dad over supper:

Me: Gee, I wish the film West Side Story would come back again.

Dad: You never forgot it, did you?

Me: No.

Sure enough, two days before Thanksgiving, West Side Story came on TV. I cut my evening jewelry-making class to stay home and watch it on our little black-and-white TV, and, need I add that I've been hooked on this great film ever since? I've watched West Side Story a number of times since, whether it be in one of the 2 independent, non-profit movie theatres left in my neck of the woods, or on TV.

Since I was still a teenager in high school when I first saw the film version of West Side Story, I was able to identify with the Jets, the Sharks and their girls regarding kids being kids, and so on, but when I became a little older, I still love(d) the film dearly, but began to see it from a somewhat different viewpoint. Although I still love the music, the story, the dancing, and the cinematography and costumes, and characters in West Side Story, I also see this great golden oldie-but-keeper of a classic film as a really true work of art, which is a feast for the eyes, the mind and the heart, as well as the ears.

As a devout fan of the film West Side Story who's also seen several really good stage productions of the original Broadway production, as well as the more up-to-date Broadway stage revival of WSS (which I looked at with a harder, more critical eye than my sister-in-law or my niece, who I saw it with), I've not only attended virtually every screening of the film West Side Story that has come into my area, but have even made special road trips to the opposite end of the state, as well as to neighboring states to view screenings of this great classic. I've seen it solo, and I've seen it with friends and/or family.

Although there are other classic films that I've liked well enough to see more than once, as well as a number of newer movies, West Side Story is a very special film that I never tire of seeing over and over again. The MGM adage

"Unlike other classics, West Side Story grows younger."

rings so true!

[–] Buddy-51 9 years ago

I remember its two showings on network TV in 1972 (the first in the spring in two parts and the second in the fall in a single sitting).

It was shown for a third time in June 1977 and a fourth in 1978.

Then it was on to syndication.

[–] friendoffilm 9 years ago

I remember watching both of those TV showings of the film West Side Story; the screening in 2 parts while I was attending an evening jewelry-making class at an arts school in Boston, on a little black-and-white TV that someone had brought in for the occasion, and the other single screening in one sitting showing of West Side Story the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. I skipped my evening jewelry-making class to stay home and watch it.

I missed the June 1977 TV showing of West Side Story, but I don't remember if I watched the 1978 TV airing of this film

Anyway, I've continued to watch West Side Story every time it comes to an independent movie theatre, or on TV.

[–] pontevedro 9 years ago

You and I are virtually the same age - in the summer of '62, I was also about to enter the sixth grade. But my parents were not so restrictive. I saw it that year with my mom and bought the soundtrack soon after. We may have gone back to see it again. Having the soundtrack at home meant that it was never far out of my mind. I'm not sure when I saw it again after that summer. But in the pre videotape era, it was shown occasionally in the repertory movie theaters in town and I'm pretty sure I saw it there.

[–] friendoffilm 9 years ago

I, too, began seeing the film West Side Story in the (now mostly defunct)repertory theatres in my area, after I got out of high school, during the pre-VCR/DVD/Blue-Ray Days, and every time West Side Story came around, I'd make sure that I was there to see it. I'm still the same way, but right now, there are only 2 repertory movie theatres in my area, where I go to see the film West Side Story every time it come around to both of those theatres. I recently saw it, a week ago yesterday, at the Luna Theater, up in Lowell, MA, a blue-collar city north of Boston and where I presently reside, and also had a great time. T

The only time I missed an afternoon screening of West Side Story in my area, in mid-March, back in 2001, due to the fact that this particular screening conflicted directly with my (late) dad's memorial, so i skipped that day's screening.

I have more than made up for my not being able to see the film West Side Story, and for the afternoon screening of it that I missed 15 years ago, by continuing to see West Side Story every time it comes around, be it in a movie theatre, or on TV. .

Glad that you also enjoyed West Side Story, and were also introduced to it at a young age/grade!

My family and friends are oth amused and resigned to the fact that this great classic still tugs at my heartstrings all these years, but, as they say...nobody's harming anybody.

[–] letrayas 9 years ago

I too first became acquainted with West Side Story from the original Broadway cast recording. A few months later I saw the original London production. I was bowled over by both.

It may be difficult to believe, but the reaction to the original Broadway WSS production was enthusiastic but it was not generally perceived to be the great theatrical work that we now recognise. The runaway Broadway success at the time was The Music Man. It was its critical reception when it opened in London that identified it as a masterpiece. In fact, its West End run was rather longer than its (respectable) Broadway run.

The film is excellent, but it is a different work from the stage play. The stage play is more intimate, more astringent and demands more from its audience than the film adaptation. I have seen the stage play again - the 50th anniversary production - and memories of my evening in London, in 1960, came flooding back. The recent production had a Maria who was very different from Natalie Wood.

Natalie Wood's Maria is strong and you know she will survive.

Sofia Escobar's Maria was fragile and damaged and without hope.

A few years ago, I heard a performance by the CBSO of Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. At the end of the piece was silence. It was about 15 seconds before any applause began - this was spontaneous, not fashioned by the conductor. It seems that WSS is now a part of our cultural make up and that two thousand people in Symphony Hall shared an understanding of the meaning of this music.

[–] friendoffilm 9 years ago

Hi, letrayas.

Thank you for your nice post.

Although I've seen several very good stage productions of West Side Story that I've liked a great deal, I also attended the more up-to-date Broadway stage revival of West Side Story with my sister-in-law and my then 8-year-old niece. With West Side Story being West Side Story, I largely enjoyed it, but, unlike my sister-in-law and my niece, I viewed the more up-to-date Broadway stage revival with a somewhat more critical eye than they did. Here's why: Things such as the Jet gang whistles, the finger-snapping, and the message of reconciliation in the end, which were very integral, vital parts of the very story behind West Side Story had been eliminated. The fact that the Sharks and their girls spoke and sang in Spanish was an interesting idea on the face of it, but it was sort of messing with a classic, if one gets the drift.

The singing voice of Tony was somewhat forced, and the vibratos of his singing voice were so wide that one could practically skip-rope through them, if one gets the drift.

It's true that it takes more effort on the part of the audience to watch a stage production, because, unlike movies, which absolutely demand one's attention due to showing up larger than life-size on the screen, it's more effort to maintain a constant wave of communication between the actors/actresses (who are real people), on the stage.

The film version is excellent...my all time favorite film, hands down.