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In the intervening years I've had a chance to revisit the film more than once, and my understanding of why it remains so difficult for some modern moviegoers to appreciate the form has become obvious. Free of cynicism or irony, West Side Story is unabashedly romantic and old fashioned, and offers no apologies. It's Big Emotions as song and dance, all pure sincerity burned onto celluloid. And it is of my opinion that today's audiences just can't handle that, nor care to. Good or bad, we live in a world of postmodernism, and I for one doubt we can ever go back.

So let it be said that today I myself enjoy West Side Story quite a bit, but admittedly it is not my favorite of the genre. I am probably not being fair, but I still have problems accepting Hollywood's overt racism at the time. Natalie Wood as an ethnic heroine!? (Yes, it was early-60's Hollywood, but still!) It is also easy to see how the film's lack of "realism" - the mean streets of New York have never looked like so much fun - can be perceived as corny by today's teens raised on MTV and Eminem. I also feel the film runs a bit too long at 152 minutes - perhaps a few of the numbers could have been pared down or dropped entirely? Some sequences feel like mere excuses for another big production extravaganza, and aren't supported by the narrative as a whole.

Yet West Side Story is so cheerfully exuberant that it is impossible not to love despite any faults. The film is widely considered to be nothing more than a musical updating of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, but lovelorn teenagers from opposite sides of the tracks were nothing new even back in the early 60's. The film is really a spectacle for song and dance, and on that level it succeeds brilliantly. Taking home plenty of Oscars, the film shares a common trait with many of co-director Robert Wise's other early efforts despite being dissimilar in theme. (Wise would take home the Best Director trophy with Jerome Robbins, becoming the only co-directors to ever share the honor.) Bursting with enthusiasm, the glee in which Wise and Robbins stage all the song and dance is a tour de force, the blueprint for how to successfully mount a movie musical. I still have problems with the casting because I feel it lessens the film's authenticity, but the performances are flawless (especially Oscar- winners Rita Moreno, who probably should have gotten the lead, and George Chakiris.) It's also hard to argue with any film that looks this grand; every aspect of the production is an example of a craftsmen working at the top of his or her craft. The set design, art direction, costumes and scoring are some of the best Hollywood has ever produced. In terms of the sheer pleasure that technical brilliance gives an audience, West Side Story remains unrivaled.

That said, if stuck on a desert island with only one Robert Wise movie to take along, I'd still probably pick The Sound of Music, but I'm sure just as many would pick West Side Story. It's cheerful, romantic, exciting and a joy to behold. Movie musicals don't get much better than this, so forgive Hollywood's prejudices and just enjoy the spectacle. And never, ever, see it with a bunch of snotty film brats.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

West Side Story has always been a wonderful-looking film, although this new special edition is probably going to be a disappointment to diehard fans because it features the same transfer as on the previous DVD released in 1998. It certainly is still a very good transfer, and the film is presented in its original 2.20:1 theatrical aspect ratio and anamorphically encoded. However, I feel a new print should have been struck, because there are some distracting dirt and speckles that I'm sure could have been greatly eliminated with a full restoration. The defects are hardly excessive, but it just doesn't look as clean as the best remasters I've seen in the past few years.

However, taking into account the film's age (40 years-plus) it still has much to recommend. The film's Technicolor hues are gorgeous. Colors are smashing: near-perfect in their smoothness and clarity, there is no bleeding or smearing nor inaccurate fleshtones to distract. Blacks are also rock solid except in a few sequences where I was able to detect some fading. I was also impressed by the consistent contrast and overall strong detail apparent. Shadow delineation is a just a bit less than optimal compared to the best transfers of this vintage that I've seen, but overall sharpness and clarity are superb. Alas, there is some edge enhancement present which results in haloing around sharply-contrasted objects, although it could be far worse. On the plus side, given that this is a two disc set and not overcrammed with extras, I noticed no compression artifacts. Overall, a very nice presentation if not the slam-dunk revelation fans were likely hoping for.

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

Although the packaging claims this DVD features a newly-remixed 5.1 Dolby surround track, to be honest I could not tell the difference between this and the previous DVD. It is still a rather nice remix, although like the transfer, not the best compared to others I've heard lately. Without a doubt, dynamic range and fidelity are impressive for a film of this vintage. The midrange is warm and expansive, with some spacious highs and fairly strong low end. It still sounds a bit dated by today's standards, however, and the mix is primarily front-heavy. Truly discrete rear effects are hard to discern; there is only a bit of surround bleed to the score and some processed-sounding effects, but nothing incredibly enveloping. Better is the sense of stereo separation across the front three channels, which is fairly wide with clean and clear dialogue reproduction. All in all, a pretty nice remix. (Note that the previous DVD soundtrack came under fire from many fans for the removal of some key sound effects, most notably a missing "Jets whistle," but that problem seems to have been corrected here. Also, this new edition allows you to view the film for the first time on home video with the original theatrical orchestral intermission, which has also been remixed and remastered in full 5.1. )

Also included are French and Spanish Dolby 2.0 surround dubs, English, French and Spanish subtitles, and English Closed Captions. The film's original stereo soundtrack is not included.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

At long last getting the full-on special edition treatment, MGM Home Entertainment has put together a rather lavish box set. However, like many gargantuan packages these days, fans may be disappointed that despite two discs of content, there is less here than may meet the eye.

Aside from the entire theatrical feature and the original intermission, disc one contains no additional extra features. All of the supplements are contained on disc two, the standout of which is the new 55-minute documentary West Side Stories. Exciting here is that we don't just get the expected new interviews - CO-directors Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, Walter Mirisch and actors Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno and Russ Tamblyn are all here of course, sharing their recollections on the making of a classic - but also real historical perspective courtesy of such respected legends as Steven Sondheim, Arthur Laurents and Greg Lawrence. While few may recognize as such today, West Side Story was hardly considered old-fashioned at the time, but a modern, hip take on the musical with youthful performers and attitude to spare. There is plenty more to savor in this doc, including the revelation that Natalie Wood and Beymer just about hated each other on the set, the real story behind the dismissal of Robbins halfway through the shoot, and footage of Wood's original performance of "I Feel Pretty." To be honest, while this is a very nice doc, even 55 minutes doesn't feel like enough time to fully cover it all, and I wish a new commentary with Wise had been recorded. Ah, well, it is still a must-watch.

The remaining video extras are largely promotional or still-based. A 5-minute storyboard-to-film comparison breaks down various shots from various scenes, and is a little scattershot. There is also a very impressive still gallery approaching 250 images, from behind- the-scenes photos to conceptual drawings and storyboards to more traditional publicity shots. The manual controls are basic but easy to navigate. Last but not least is the film's original theatrical trailer (in rather poor quality) plus trailers for four other MGM musicals, and the option to watch the film's original intermission if you skipped it during the feature.

While these supplements are quite nice, I think I loved the packaging most of all. New for MGM, this two-disc set comes housed in a very elaborate and slick quad-fold cardboard slipsleeve, adorned with colorful photos, plus an excellent 126-page collectible scrapbook. It's literally filled with goodies: an introduction by screenwriter Lehman, a complete working script with revision pages and song lyrics, rare never-before-seen photos, letters from director Robert Wise, a lobby brochure reproduction, the film's historical timeline, film reviews, and more. It's all included inside a nice and slick black and red cover that looks just great. Sweet!

DVD- ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

No ROM extras have been included.

Parting Thoughts