Save the Date! MGM To Release West Side Story on Blu-ray November 15th

If that’s got you excited as much as it has here at The Criterion Cast, MGM promises an amazing edition for this influential musical, coming out for the first time on Blu-ray on November 15th, just in time for the holidays. Winner of 10 Academy Awards, still the record holder for most trophies for a movie musical, West Side Story tells the story of the tension between the gangs the Jets and the Sharks. The first is an all white gang, the second a gang of Puerto Rican immigrants. Set in the Manhattan of 1957, it’s a latter day retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, with fantastic music and dancing that feel timeless.

Directed by Robert Wise (The Sound of Music, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Star Trek: The Motion Picture and is featured in the Criterion Collection with his stellar editing of The Devil and Daniel Webster) and Jerome Robbins (primarily a Broadway director/producer, who directed the original 1957 Broadway production of the musical), a cultural significant film in the eyes of the Library of Congress, the film also starred some of the hottest young stars of Hollywood. The radiant Natalie Wood (as Maria Nunez), Rita Moreno (as Anita, who won for Best Supporting Actress), Russ Tamblyn (Riff), Richard Beymer (as Tony Wycek) and George Chakiris (Bernardo Nunez, who also won for Best Supporting Actor) are just a few of the bright faces that bring Ernest Lehman’s screenplay to life, who has a Criterion connection with his amazing script for Sweet Smell of Success.

Strangely long out of print, this is a film that has had a few editions in its time, with one great special edition from 2003. West Side Story was once a part of the Criterion Collection on laserdisc as well, Spine # 72. For anyone who has bought this edition or any other for that matter, MGM is bringing a few new special features into the mix that sound amazing. We get a new featurette that has cast members, filmmakers, dancers and choreographers showcasing the film’s dance sequences and how important they are in cinema and the stage. They’re also including A Place For Us, which is a look at the legacy of the film here and around the world. Also included are all the special features from their last collector’s set, which is a whopping 8 years ago this year, since they released it.

MGM seems to have a great release for a film that has been forever loved, with classic songs like “Maria”, ‘America,’ ‘Tonight,’ and ‘I Feel Pretty’ endlessly being performed by Broadway hopefuls and revivals of the musical alike. This 50th Anniversary edition seems like the best time to revisit this film, even if you already own it. Yes, I’m telling all of you to double or triple dip with this one considering all the work they’ve done with this release. If you haven’t bought the film yet because you were waiting for the inevitable Blu-ray release, your patience has come with a great prize at the end of the tunnel. If you were hoping for a the Criterion Collection to revisit the film due to MGM’s films sometimes popping up every so often, as well as the laserdisc connection, this is as close to a definitive Criterion edition as we’re going to get. Are there any MGM films you hope Criterion picks up in these next few months? Let us know in the comments below.

WEST SIDE STORY 50^th Anniversary EditionBlu-ray Special Features