西区故事

我不知道在遥远60年代的普罗大众是否会觉得这部电影易于接受，至少我认为60年后的我已经几乎无法与它的音乐元素共情了。迪士尼动画的确也热衷于这种创作形式，不过它只是电影美丽的点缀，剧情进展精巧安排的停顿，好莱坞产业不会允许电影与票房需求相悖。《西区故事》恰恰相反，它即使把穷街陋巷搬上了舞台，百老汇的血统却仍清晰可见，两个多小时漫长的歌剧表演无不宣示着自己的身份，它的观众会是上流社会的绅士淑女们。

尽管如此，它仍然是一部优秀的追逐声音的电影，最吸引人的莫过于影片开头摄影机捕捉的街道中时隐时现的口哨声，还有伴随着响指节拍进行的舞蹈，正如前面提到的它的百老汇血统，它运行的原理不是剧情，而是诠释着电影动态的歌舞，其中最为成功的当属鲨鱼帮和火箭帮自嘲不幸的片段，幽默、活泼、互动，应是好莱坞，乃至影史最为有趣的场景之一。

电影明显是在摄影棚中完成拍摄的，异常鲜妍的色彩、演员面部光泽的单调让人怀疑他们是从油画里走出来的，僵硬、刻意。新意十足的美术设计勾勒着影片的外景，大胆地入侵现实的基础，一切都是那么的不自然，那么的别出心裁，就好像它摧毁和诞生了产业体制下所有美好的事物一样。

它的情节是罗密欧与朱丽叶和美国黑帮电影喜结连理的果实，两个帮派势不两立，战争一触即发，这时最糟糕的事情发生了，他们彼此阵营中的禁恋多米诺骨牌似的将一切推向悲剧的深渊，直至两方幡然醒悟重归于好，但是悔之晚矣。帮派的斗争和氛围十足的布景本就增添了一丝危险，加之这是一则边缘群体被堕落的倾向所吸引的寓言，懵懂无知的青少年们拿着刀枪仿佛在不安地颤栗，小孩子过家家的游戏却成了犯罪，这种不确定性增加了影片的戏剧效果。

奥斯卡喜欢走在时代潮流的前沿，那么西区故事一定符合它的新意。片中的年轻人是不幸的，是叛逆的，也是幼稚的。冷暴力、族裔隔阂、社会不公让这些人走上街头成为了警察口中的小混混，其中波多黎各人负担着自身落后观念和外界欺压双重的压力，比白人更有悲剧气质（鲨鱼帮总是阴沉的，与他人格格不入）；他们大多对社会感到不满，渴望活力和解放，妇女们想要冲脱封建思想的束缚，让物欲和性激素驱动她们的头脑，男孩们逃离了让他们支离破碎的家庭，在街头巷尾建立属于自己的王国；他们不像是我们印象中的“坏人”，冲动且小心翼翼，警察倒是给了人“家长”的错觉，西区笼罩在温室之下，影片最终是和气的。

‘West Side Story’: THR’s 1961 Review
On Oct. 18, 1961, the Robert Wise production held its world premiere in New York at the Rivoli Theatre.

BY JAMES POWERS

OCTOBER 18, 2016 10:26AM

On Oct. 18, 1961, West Side Story held its world premiere in New York at the Rivoli Theatre, eventually going on to win 10 Oscars at the 34th Academy Awards. The Hollywood Reporter’s original review is below.

West Side Story is a magnificent show, a milestone in movie musicals, a box-office smash. It is so good that superlatives are superfluous. Let it be noted that the film musical, the one dramatic form that is purely American and purely Hollywood, has never been done better. The Robert Wise production, directed by Wise and Jerome Robbins, is a Mirisch Pictures presentation, released by United Artists. All involved deserve the kudos and cash that will accrue to this picture as filings to a magnet.

Tandem direction has seldom worked. There can only be one concept of a project — once it is underway — and since the concept must be largely mental, it is difficult to imagine one concept shared in all its details by two vigorous mentalities. Despite this, the joint direction by Wise and Robbins makes a harmonious whole. Rumors of production conflict apparently produced only the healthy stimulation of wholesome temperament. Wise, a producer and co-director, makes evident everywhere his special gifts for poetic realism, the natural excitement and poignance it contains. Robbins, whose innovations in dance are now part of every musical, translated his stage conception into dynamic screen terms.

Natural Movement

Where one began and the other left off is never evident because West Side Story is a fluid whole. Events move naturally from dance to speech as from comedy to tragedy. The film, of course, is Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in screeching modern terms transplanted from fair Verona to mad Manhattan, with dance substituted for poetry to give the lyric mood that lifts the violent story from melodrama to tragedy. Ernest Lehman’s perceptive and compact screenplay, based on Arthur Laurents‘ stage book, makes sure the dance is used as part of the story, as embedded in the action as all its turbulent events.

Although West Side Story could properly be termed a musical tragedy, the emphasis on the latter word would be misleading. There is joy and humor profusely illuminating the stark story, and the total mood of the picture is uplifting. One of its unique qualities is a kinetic excitement that seizes the spectator in the opening sequences and does not let go until near the very end, when, purposely, the key shifts from allegro to largo, as the direction prepares the audience for the ending. Putting the credits at the end is a wise stroke to enable the audience to let go what has been almost a traumatic experience.

Like all good stories, West Side Story has a moral. Its action arises from the conflict between two rival gangs, one Puerto Rican, one composed of members somewhat lighter in skin pigmentation. Its agony comes when Natalie Wood, a Puerto Rican girl, falls in love with Richard Beymer, of the anti-Puerto Rican gang. Before the story has concluded, Miss Wood’s brother, head of the Puerto Rican Sharks, and Beymer’s brother, leader of the rival Jets, are dead in a gang rumble (Mercutio and Tybalt). Beymer is accidentally killed in reprisal. The two gangs merge to bear away his body in a silent funeral cortege, united for a time, at least — in brotherhood by the dreadful effects of prejudice, national, racial, parochial.

Only highlights can be noted here, but mention must be made of the haunting pictorial effects on the song, “Tonight”; of the vigorous sociological humor in the satirical “Officer Krupke“; of the dances staged on Manhattan streets that seem as indigenous to the pavements as the seeping hopes and hates. And nothing is diversionary. It all contributes. Aside from the basic contributions of Leonard Bernstein’s music, Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics, and Lehman’s screenplay, there is the directors’ central intelligence which has held all this in mind from start to finish so there is not an unnecessary gesture.

Important Young Star

With West Side Story coming just after Splendor in the Grass, Natalie Wood sets herself firmly as the most important young star of the time and moves herself into the powerful league of some of her elders. Although her singing voice is dubbed (Marni Nixon), it is Miss Wood’s personality and her intrinsic ability that are important and her special and unique qualities have never been at higher pitch. Richard Beymer is equally attractive as her lover. Russ Tamblyn and George Chakiris are sensational as the rival gang leaders, dancing actors; actors who can dance. Rita Moreno is splendid. Tucker Smith, Simon Oakland and Ned Glass are standouts. The huge cast of young people cannot all be individually accoladed here. Their performances only cause wonder that some casting directors have to look abroad to find young people when these enormously gifted youngsters exist in such profusion. John Astin is especially memorable as one of the adults, Sue Oakes as one of the kids.

Daniel L. Fapp’s photography in Technicolor and the fine Panavision 70 process is notable, among other things, for this: The daring design of production contained problems that a less gifted photographer could have blocked. Fapp has obviously met every problem and with his own imagination and ingenuity encouraged them. Boris Leven’s art direction has given the physical being to the conception. Photographic effects by Linwood Dunn and Film Effects of Hollywood have realized tricky and important innovations. Thomas Stanford’s editing welds the concept together. Sound by Murray Spivack, Fred Lau and Vinton Vernon is clarity itself. Lyrics, often so important to the story, are clean and clear.

Others who contributed importantly include Johnny Green, for his perceptive conducting; Irene Sharaff for her meaningful costumes; Saul Bass for his moody introductory frames (although light levels were a little off at the preview performance); Bobby Tucker for his impeccable vocal coaching; Emile La Vigne for his subtle makeups. Dance assistants were Tommy Abbott, Margaret Banks, Howard Jeffrey and Tony Mordente. Assistant directors were Robert E. Relyea and Jerome M. Siegel. Assistant editors were Marshall M. Borden and Stanley K. Scheuer.

Saul Chaplin was associate producer and with Wise performing a double function, much responsibility must have fallen to him. — James Powers, originally published on Sept. 22, 1961