Opening And Closing Credits For The 1961 "West Side Story"

[+ azdr0710]

I may've posted something like this before, but the youtube algorithm just came up with the closing credits for me and that reminded me of the movie's fantastic opening....many here already know these scenes, but both the opening and closing are still very clever for a 65-year-old flick, I think.....graphic designer Saul Bass and his wife are responsible for this what must've been pretty radical stuff for 1961 (vertical lines??? - what could that possibly mean??!!)......AI summary for Saul Bass: 

Saul Bass designed the iconic opening for West Side Story, transforming credits from simple lists into a narrative prologue using abstract lines, shifting colors, and eventually filmed aerials of Manhattan, introducing the city's tone and gang rivalry before the story begins, a groundbreaking integration of graphic design with live action. He and his wife, Elaine Makatura Bass, also created the graffiti-style closing credits, linking the film's tragic end to its urban setting, making the sequences a distinct part of the movie's identity

always cool to watch plus Bernstein's work to boot......stay with both to the very "end"........full screen and volume up!......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1ON6DH35sQ

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 10 by azdr0710

[MikeBiDude]

3 hours ago, azdr0710 said:

I may've posted something like this before, but the youtube algorithm just came up with the closing credits for me and that reminded me of the movie's fantastic opening....many here already know these scenes, but both the opening and closing are still very clever for a 65-year-old flick, I think.....graphic designer Saul Bass and his wife are responsible for this what must've been pretty radical stuff for 1961 (vertical lines??? - what could that possibly mean??!!)......AI summary for Saul Bass: 

Saul Bass designed the iconic opening for West Side Story, transforming credits from simple lists into a narrative prologue using abstract lines, shifting colors, and eventually filmed aerials of Manhattan, introducing the city's tone and gang rivalry before the story begins, a groundbreaking integration of graphic design with live action. He and his wife, Elaine Makatura Bass, also created the graffiti-style closing credits, linking the film's tragic end to its urban setting, making the sequences a distinct part of the movie's identity

always cool to watch plus Bernstein's work to boot......stay with both to the very "end"........full screen and volume up!......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1ON6DH35sQ

 

 

 

 

 

I’m extremely fortunate to have met Saul Bass, and worked with him as he did some consulting for a startup company I was working for.