West Side Story' as Cinema

For millions of moviegoers unable to see the original stage version of West Side Story, director Robert Wises adaptation was a cinematic gift that brought a Broadway hit to a mass audience. Ernesto Acevedo-Muoz argues that Wises 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 Singin in the Rain ranking higher in the AFIs list of the best of the genre. Acevedo-Muoz draws on previously unreleased production documentsfrom interoffice memos to annotations on the directors scriptto go beyond publicity accounts and provide an inside look at this critically acclaimed film classic, offering details of its filming that have never before been published. From location scouting to scripting to casting to filming, Acevedo-Muoz focuses on little-known details of the actual production. He provides close analyses of dramatic sequences and musical numbers, emphasising the films technical innovations and its visual and aural coding as a means for defining character and theme. He carefully explains the differences between Broadway and film versions, exposing censorship and creative issues that the filmmakers were forced to confront. And taking readers behind the cameras, he highlights the creative differences and financial difficulties that led to the departure of Robbinswho had conceived and directed the stage versionlong before filming was complete. Acevedo-Muoz makes a strong case for the films daring vision in combining music, dance, dialogue, and visual elementsespecially colourin highly creative ways, while also addressing the social, racial, and class tensions of American society. Drawing on his own Puerto Rican heritage, he provides a Hispanic perspective on the cultural aspects of the story and explores the ways in which the films portrayal of Puerto Rican identity is neither as transparent nor as negative as some critics have charged. Bursting with facts, insights, and inside stories, this book boasts a wealth of material that has never been explored before in print. Both history and homage, it is a must for scholar and buff alike.