- West Side Story played for almost 2 years on stage in New York, racking up a total of 732 performances. Despite winning an Oscar for his work in the movie, West Side Story was the only movie that Jerome Robbins ever directed. The Jets and the Sharks were fictitious gang names.
- West Side Story is a beautifully-mounted, impressive, emotion-ridden and violent musical which, in its stark approach to a raging social problem and realism of unfoldment, may set a pattern for.
We take a first look at Steven Spielberg’s remake WEST SIDE STORY, coming out Dec. 10, 2021 (2020, COVID delayed). This video shows the film's cast, both THE.
Release Date: October 18, 1961
Directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, the 1961 film adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical stars Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno, and George Chakiris.. Released on October 18, 1961, the MGM film received high praise from critics and viewers, and became the second highest-grossing film of the year in the United States. The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won 10, including Best Picture (in addition to a special award for Robbins), becoming the record holder for the most wins for a musical.
The film has been deemed 'culturally significant' by the United States Library of Congress and was selected for the National Film Registry in 1997.
West Side Story won a total of 10 Oscars at the 34th Academy Awards in 1962, making it the musical film with the most Academy wins, including Best Picture. Jerome Robbins shared the Best Director Oscar with Robert Wise, becoming only the second director to win the Academy Award for Best Director for a film debut (after Delbert Mann for Marty). That same year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored him with a special award for his choreographic achievements on film.
Wins:
Best Picture – Robert Wise, producer
Best Director – Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins
Best Supporting Actor – George Chakiris
Best Supporting Actress – Rita Moreno
Best Art Direction–Set Decoration (Color)– Victor A. Gangelin and Boris Leven
Best Cinematography (Color) – Daniel L. Fapp
Best Costume Design (Color) – Irene Sharaff
Best Film Editing – Thomas Stanford
Best Original Score – Saul Chaplin, Johnny Green, Irwin Kostal, and Sid Ramin
Best Sound – Fred Hynes (Todd-AO SSD), and Gordon E. Sawyer (Samuel Goldwyn SSD)
Nominations:
Best Adapted Screenplay – Ernest Lehman
Other:
Jerome Robbins received an Academy Honorary Award 'for his brilliant achievements in the art of choreography on film'.
1962 Golden Globe Awards
West Side Story Film Choreographer
West Side Story garnered seven nominations and three wins at the 1962 Golden Globe Awards.
Wins:
Best Motion Picture-Musical
Best Supporting Actress - Rita Moreno
Best Supporting Actor - George Chakiris
Nominations:
Best Director - Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins
Best Actor-Comedy or Musical - Richard Beymer
Most Promising Newcomer-Male - Richard Beymer
Most Promising Newcomer-Male - George Chakiris
West Side Story Filmed
1961 Grammy Awards
The film’s original soundtrack won the Grammy Award for Best Soundtrack Album or Recording of Original Cast from Motion Picture or Television at the 4th Annual Grammy Awards in 1961.
For a complete list of awards, visit the film’s IMDB page.