History Film / WestSideStory1961

** In the film, "I Feel Pretty" and "Gee, Officer Krupke" happen much earlier than they do in the stage version. In the stage version, they're meant to act as a tension break after the deaths in the first act. In the film, there are now no light moments after the rumble with the songs happening earlier. In the former's case, this required changing the line "bright," rhyming with "tonight," to "gay," rhyming with "today." Similarly, "Cool" happens after the rumble, in the scene where "Gee, Officer Krupke" was originally sung. This was all because producer and co-director Robert Wise wanted the film to have a single rising line of tension, with no lighthearted relief after [[spoiler: the two gang leaders' deaths.]]

The film won a whopping 10 UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s, including [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAwardForBestPicture Best Picture]], a record beaten only by ''[[Film/BenHur1959 Ben-Hur]]'', ''Film/{{Titanic|1997}}'', and ''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheReturnOfTheKing'', all of which won 11 Oscars. A [[Film/WestSideStory2021 second film adaptation of the stage musical]], directed by Creator/StevenSpielberg, was released in December 2021, close to sixty years after the 1961 film's premiere.

* OneBookAuthor: Despite winning an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward for his work, this was the only film that Jerome Robbins ever directed.

** In "I Feel Pretty", the lines "I feel pretty and witty and bright! / And I pity / Any girl who isn't me tonight!" are changed to "I feel pretty and witty and gay! / And I pity / Any girl who isn't me today!", [[HaveAGayOldTime which kind of had the reverse effect in the long run]].

* BrokenAesop: "America" is in part about the difficulties faced by Puerto Rican immigrants in the United States, including lines like "Life is alright in America / If you're all white in America!" In the movie, all but one[[note]]Creator/RitaMoreno[[/note]] of the actors playing the Puerto Ricans are white performers in {{brownface}}, with even the one actress who was ethnically right for the role being put in the same makeup. All the actors singing about how life is easier if you're white are themselves white.

** In the film, "I Feel Pretty" and "Gee, Officer Krupke" happen much earlier than they do in the stage version. In the stage version, they're meant to act as a tension break after the deaths in the first act. In the film, there are now no light moments after the rumble with the songs happening earlier. In the former's case, this required changing the line "bright," rhyming with "tonight," to "gay," rhyming with "today." Similarly, "Cool" happens after Bernardo and Riff's deaths, in the scene where "Gee, Officer Krupke" was originally sung. This was all because producer and co-director Robert Wise wanted the film to have a single rising line of tension, with no lighthearted relief after [[spoiler: the two gang leaders' deaths.]]

* BriefAccentImitation: In the film adaptation, one of the Jets acts as [[HerrDoktor a doctor with a German accent]] during "Gee, Officer Krupke".

** They really broke out the shoe polish for this one. Most of the Sharks were played by non-Hispanic white actors. Maria was played by the American (of Russian descent) Natalie Wood, and Bernardo by the Greek-American George Chakiris. In a shocking casting coup, Anita was played by the actually Puerto Rican Creator/RitaMoreno (seriously, she was born there and everything!), but even she is slathered in brownface and forced to put on an over-the-top accent.

** The exchange between Riff and Tony as "Womb to tomb, sperm to worm" is changed in the film to "Womb to tomb, birth to earth", but in the Quintet, for some reason, it's just "One two three, one two three!" which is a rather odd filler.

** In the film, "I Feel Pretty" and "Gee, Officer Krupke" happen much earlier than they do in the stage version. In the stage version, they're meant to act as a tension break after the deaths in the first act. In the film, there are now no light moments after the rumble with the songs happening earlier. In the former's case, this required changing the line "bright," rhyming with "tonight," to "gay," rhyming with "today." Similarly, "Cool" happens after Bernardo and Riff's deaths. This was all because producer and co-director Robert Wise wanted the film to have a single rising line of tension, with no lighthearted relief after [[spoiler: the two gang leaders' deaths.]]

** In the film, "I Feel Pretty" and "Gee, Officer Krupke" happen much earlier than they do in the stage version. In the stage version, they're meant to act as a tension break after the deaths in the first act. In the film, there are now no light moments after the rumble with the songs happening earlier. In the former's case, this required changing the line "bright," rhyming with "tonight," to "gay," rhyming with "today." Similarly, "Cool" happens after Bernardo and Riff's deaths. This was all because producer and co-director Robert Wise wanted the film to have a single rising line of tension, with no lighthearted relief after [[spoiler: the deaths of Riff and Bernardo.]]

** In the film, "I Feel Pretty" and "Gee, Officer Krupke" happen much earlier than they do in the stage version. In the stage version, they're meant to act as a tension break after the deaths in the first act. In the film, there are now no light moments after the rumble with the songs happening earlier. In the former's case, this required changing the line "bright," rhyming with "tonight," to "gay," rhyming with "today." Similarly, "Cool" happens after Bernardo and Riff's deaths. This was all because producer and co-director Robert Wise wanted the film to have a single rising line of tension, with no lighthearted moments after the rumble.
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: Bernardo is more sympathetic here than in the stage version. He shows more affection to his sister Maria, calling her "a precious jewel" before the dance and being gentler even when scolding her for dancing with Tony (in the stage version Chino protests "Don't yell at her, Nardo," which here he doesn't do), and after he [[spoiler: kills Riff]], while the stage script describes him as "triumphant," here his reaction is a silent MyGodWhatHaveIDone The altered version of "America" also makes him more sympathetic by expanding his role and giving the audience more of his point of view.

* AdaptationalNiceGuy: Bernardo is more sympathetic here than in the stage version. He shows more affection Maria, calling her "a precious jewel" before the dance and being gentler even when scolding her for dancing with Tony (in the stage version Chino protests "Don't yell at her, Nardo," which here he doesn't do), and after he [[spoiler: kills Riff]], while the stage script describes him as "triumphant," here his reaction is a silent MyGodWhatHaveIDone The altered version of "America" also makes him more sympathetic by expanding his role and giving the audience more of his point of view.

* AdaptationalNiceGuy: Bernardo is more sympathetic here than in the stage version. He shows more affection Maria, calling her "a precious jewel" before the dance and being gentler even when scolding her for dancing with Tony (in the stage version Chino protests "Don't yell at her, Nardo," which here he doesn't do), and after he [[spoier: kills Riff]], while the stage script describes him has "triumphant," here his reaction is a silent MyGodWhatHaveIDone The altered version of "America" also makes him more sympathetic by expanding his role and giving the audience more of his point of view.

The film won a whopping 10 UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s, including [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAwardForBestPicture Best Picture]], a record beaten only by ''[[Film/BenHur1959 Ben-Hur]]'', ''Film/{{Titanic|1997}}'', and ''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheReturnOfTheKing'', all of which won 11 Oscars. A [[Film/WestSideStory2021 remake]] directed by Creator/StevenSpielberg was released in December 2021, close to sixty years after this film's premiere.

** They really broke out the shoe polish for this one. Most of the Sharks were played by non-Hispanic white actors. Maria was played by the American (of Rusian descent) Natalie Wood, and Bernardo by the Greek-American George Chakiris. In a shocking casting coup, Anita was played by the actually Puerto Rican Creator/RitaMoreno (seriously, she was born there and everything!), but even she is slathered in brownface and forced to put on an over-the-top accent.

->''"Tonight, tonight, it all began tonight\\

what you are, what you do, what you say..."''

** They really broke out the shoe polish for this one. Most of the Sharks were played by non-Hispanic white actors. Maria was played by the Russian-American Creator/NatalieWood, and Bernardo by the Greek-American George Chakiris. In a shocking casting coup, Anita was played by the actually Puerto Rican Creator/RitaMoreno (seriously, she was born there and everything!), but even she is slathered in brownface and forced to put on an over-the-top accent.
** Creator/NatalieWood didn't use makeup, according to the biography by her sister Creator/LanaWood she "was always outside sunbathing so she'd be tan and look appropriately 'outdoorsy'."

* OneBookAuthor: Despite winning an UsefulNotesAcademyAward for his work, this was the only film that Jerome Robbins ever directed.