1961 Original Film — West Side Story
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a4fa7482aeba5818502fc1c/1581023739798-89Y0CG24LTGXFZ031PVY/favicon.ico?format=100w
West Side Story
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.

Cast and Production Staff

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 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

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.