For millions of moviegoers unable to see the original stage version of West Side Story, director Robert Wise's adaptation was a cinematic gift that brought a Broadway hit to a mass audience. Ernesto Acevedo-Munoz argues that Wise's film was not only hugely popular, but that it was also an artistic triumph that marked an important departure in the history of American movie making. With a score by Leonard Bernstein and choreography by Jerome Robbins, this update of the Romeo and Juliet story remains one of the most revered and highly popular American movie musicals, with only...
For millions of moviegoers unable to see the original stage version of West Side Story, director Robert Wise's adaptation was a cinematic gift ...