West Side Story's three-disc release contains the feature film on Blu-ray and DVD. The main Blu-ray disc also has song commentary by Stephen Sondheim, the ability to watch each of the musical sequences alone, and discussions of what went into the dance sequences. This last piece can either be seen from within the movie or separately. The second Blu-ray disc features storyboard-to-film comparisons, and two featurettes. The first of these is called "A Place for Us: West Side Story's Legacy" and the second is "West Side Memories." Both of these pieces are retrospectives dealing with the film (and what took place during it – famously, Jerome Robbins was fired during production) as well as the cultural outgrowth. Neither is particularly brilliant or a must watch, but both hold one's attention and do provide interesting tidbits here and there.
It is virtually impossible to say enough good things about West Side Story, odds are that it can win over many of the most skeptical individuals. No, the Jets don't appear particularly tough and the way things go sideways really ought to have been prevented, but the singing and dancing and beauty of the tale more than make up for all of that. West Side Story is, simply put, a fantastic musical.
.jpg?t=20130517094513)
Article comments