The Old, Original 1961 film version of West Side Story: The Real Deal All Around for Me:

[mplo2022]

As a devout fan of the old, original 1961 film version of West Side Story, the original 1961 film version of West Side Story is the real deal for me, all around. Here's why:

A)  The fact that it opens with the pencil marks that eventually turn into buildings on the island of 1950's-1960's ManHattan, showing various colors beforehand, followed by the aerial viewpoints of the West Side of 1950's-1960's Manhattan, when gradually zeroes down in on the finger-snapping Jets is a fantastic opening and a great moment to a fantastic classic movie-musical.  

B)  The intensely brilliant Leonard Bernstein musical score is stellar, and doesn't go flat inso many places, the way the soundtrack to the 2021 film version of West Side Story does, and does not haver a metallic sound to it, either.

C)  The voices of Richard Beymer and Natalie Wood, despite being dubbed by the late Marni Nixon are projected much more forwardly than Ansel Elgort's or Rachel  Zegler's.

D)  The seamlessly-combined on-location scenes with sound-stage scenes by the late Boris Leven look uncannily like the impoverished rough and rundown parts of the city, rather than the tonier, wealthier parts of the city, the latter of which occurs in Steven Spielberg's new film version of WSS.

E)  Having grown up seeing a lot of movies, including the original 1961 film version of West Side Story in technicolor, that's that I tend to prefer.  The cinematography of the late Daniel Fapp involves  the use of hot, passionate colors such as reds, purples, and blues, as well as other colors, to illustrate the story behind West Side Story, unlike the Spielberg vfilm version of West Side story, which seems to use too much blue and to go from much duller colors to suddenly go to colors that are way too jarring.

G)  In the old, original 1961 film version of West Side Story, the Jets, the Sharks and their girls looked way rougher and tougher than the Jets and the Sharks and their girls in the 2021 film version of West Side Story.  The same thing is true of the late Simon Oakland's Lt. Schrank, the late Bill Bramley's Officer Krupke, and even the late Ned Glass's Doc, who was the Candy Store Owner.  

H)  Russ Tamblyn played a fabulous role as Riff, the tough socks and arrogant Jet gang leader, and he had both the personality and the looks for the role of Riff, as well as the acrobatic ability, as well.  The late Tucker Smith was also perfect in his playing of the role of the more mature, calm, cool and collected Ice, who not only kept Action in check a number of times when he'd go out of control, but took over the Jets gang leadership after Riff's death during the Rumble, and advised the Jets to keep cool, and not to continue to wreak revenge on the Sharks, at this point.

I)  All of the cast in the original 1961 film version of West Side Story fit their roles beautifully.  Rita Moreno was fantastically spectacular as Anita, the fiery girlfriend of the sardonic Bernardo, the Shark gang leader, which was fabulously played by George Chakiris.  Both Rita Moreno and George Chakiris won well deserved and well-earned Academy Awards as the Best Supporting Acttress and the Best Supporting Actor.  

J)  In the old, original 1961 film version of West Side Story,  Susan Oakes played the part of the tough tomboy, Anybodys, wTonyho fought to be accepted as an equal by the Jets as an equal, which she eventually won.  I've always thought of Anybodys as a straight but tough tomboy of a girl, who proved that she could take care of herself.  There are plenty of straigh tough girls and women like that in real life.  

K)  When Ice assigns the Jets and their girls to various places to search for Tony, after the Jets have learned from Anybodys, who's been spying around, and ultimately tells the Jets about Chino's gunning for Tony, Ice assigns Anybodys to go in and out of the shadows ro look for Tony.  Imo, the fact that Anybodys gets all dreamy-eyed when Ice gives her the compliment of "Hey!  Ya done good, buddy-boy!", and she responds with a dreamy-eyed, smiling "Thanks, Daddy-o!"  indicates that anybody's has kind of fallen in love with Ice, although Anybodys acts worse than the Jets when, while they're in Doc's Candy Store protecting Tony (who's hiding in Doc's cellar),  (who Anybodys found while going in and out of the shadows), when Anita made a sincere attempt to help protect Tony from Chino, who's gunning for him), Anybodys says to the Jets  "But she wants to help get Tony!", which results in the Jets' insulting and roughing up Anita, who's saved from sexual assault by the Jets, when Doc comes in.

L)  The very fact that in the original 1961 film version of West Side Story,  in the various scenes/songs in West Side Story, including the playground skirmishes between the Jets and Sharks, as well as the "America", "Dance at the Gym", the pre-Rumble Ensemble of all the characters, especially the Jets and Sharks, but Tony, Anita and Maria as well, are getting ready for a big night, and the various reds and purples are emphasized to indicate passion here, as well as the dance scenes of the Rumble, also make for a great climax.  So does the "Cool" scene in the Garage after the Rumble, that's led by Ice, who's taken over the Jet gang leadership after Riff's death during the Rumble.

M)  I like the fact that the "Officer Krupke" scene was played in the 1961 film version of WSS prior to the Rumble, that the "I Feel Pretty" scene by Maria and her girlfriends in the Bridal Shop Prior to the Rumble and the deaths, and the fact that the "Cool" scene was played after the Rumble, when the Jets were tense and upset by the killings.  The order of these songs in the original 1961 film version of West Side Story wea much more fitting.   The fact that the Shark Girl, Rosalia, was treated as an equal by her girlfriends, rather than being constantly bullied, teased and made fun of by her fgirlfriends was much better,  as well.

N)  The fact that there seemed to be a hint of possible reconciliation after Maria gives her angry message after Tony has been shot and killed by Chino was the catalyst that helped lead to a hint of a possible truce between the Jets and Sharks, especially when several Jets and Sharks come together to carry Tony's body off, as well as the fact that baby-John gently puts Maria's mourning shawl over her head and shoulders, and that even the combative Action approaches Maria in a gentle manner, iprovide a ray of hope and a possible unification by the Jets and Sharks.

O)  The fact that Tony and Maria sing "Somewhere" together in the end and when they plan to elope together indicates a ray of hope and a plea for peace and acceptance.  

P)  In the original 1961 film version of West Side Story, it's clear that, despite their different backgrounds (i. e. the White European Ethnic american Jets and the newly-arrived Puerto Rican Sharks) have very different backgrounds, they also have much in common, as well:  the fact that they're both competing for the small turf, and the crumbs that the Continental United states has left the Jets and Sharks to  compete for and fight over, as well as the Jets' racism.  

Q)  While the new film version of West Side Story portrays the newly-arrived Puerto Rican Sharks as good, upstanding guys who are determined to lead normal lives, the Jets are portrayed as people who are portrayed as failed people who are simply unalloyed racists who are to ge repelled and don't stand a chance for making it in society, the original 1961 film version of West ?Side Story makes it clear that both the Jets and the Sharks not only have a lot in common, but theat both gangs bear responsibility for the lives that are lost on both sides.  Both the Jets and Sharks are just ordinary kids in the original 1961 film version  who'e green driven to gangsterism and gang warfare, due to not only racial/ethnic hatred, but competition for territory, and, in general, the crumbs that American Society has left then to compete for.

R)  In the original 1961 film version of West Side Story, both the Jets and Sharks are just ordinary street kids , and no back story has been given to them, unlike Tony who's on parole from prison, where he's serving for assault and attempted murder.  Riga Moreno's role as Doc's widow, as well as the fact that she sing's "Somewhere" in the end, seem a little bit "Off" to me.  

S)  All in all, the fact that the original 1961 film version of WSS  goes from being light to dark to light many times, and sheds a ray of ope in the end indicates what a great movie-musical it is.  The new  film version of West Side Story, on the other hand, seems to lack any real lightness, and seems way overdone, unnatural, and doesn't feel like West Side Story, unlike the original 1961 film version.

N)  The fact that Tony and Maria sang "Som