MovieRob’s Birthday Bash of Favorites 2022 (#33 of 49) – West Side Story (1961) – Encore Review 4

January is my birthday month, so I decided that I would try and do something quite unique and special for this milestone in my life. I will be turning 48, so I decided to watch 49 (48+1 for good luck) of my all time favorite movies in a random order over the course of this month. I have reviewed every one of these films already, but I will now give new perspectives on them all. Every one of these films received a 10/10 scoring from me. Some of these reviews will contain spoilers so if you have never seen them before, I recommend that you read some of my previous reviews of the film that are spoiler free before reading on…

Hope you enjoy!

This is film #33 of the 49.

Let’s continue with…

“All right, wise guys. Now you listen to me. All of ya! You hoodlums don’t own these streets. And I’ve had all the roughhouse I’m gonna put up with around here! You wanna kill each other, kill each other! But you ain’t gonna do it on my beat. Are there any questions?” – Lieutenant Schrank

Initial Viewing Memories – I saw this as a kid so many times that I cannot pinpoint my first watch, I just know that I’ve always loved it and know all the songs by heart after having seen it so often over the years.

Number of Times Seen – Too many to count (TV, Video, DVD, 26 May 2013, 26 Jun 2017, 30 Dec 2019, 13 Dec 2021 and 20 Jan 2022)

Link to original review –Here, Here, Here and Here

Brief Synopsis – Tow rival New York gangs try to vie for territory but when members from opposite gangs fall in love, trouble ensues.

My Take on it – This is a film that I can watch over and over and never get tired of it.

The story is quite universal and stays fresh and original every time especially given the fact that this is a modern adaptation of Romeo and Juliet.

The songs are amazing and quite poignant in their lyrics.

The characters are vividly portrayed which helps make the viewer care so much about both sides of this conflict.

The star crossed lover aspect of the film is presented really well and this kind of tale can be transposed on so many different nationalities and still come across as genuine and realistic as they do here.

The choreography is also great which helps make so many of the songs so memorable to watch being performed.

Winner of 10 Oscars including BEst Picture and Director.

HIghly Highly REcommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – The lyrics to “America” were substantially changed for the movie. There had been complaints that the Broadway version was too belittling to Puerto Ricans, in that the song mainly ridiculed Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans. The movie lyrics emphasize the racism and discrimination that Puerto Ricans were subjected to in America. (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy (10/10) (no change from original review)