First off, it's my favorite musical movie, and I'm deeply in love with Natalie Wood. I watched the movie again last weekend for the billionth time, and had some thoughts. I have a friend who grew up on the West Side, and though he's an actor himself, his comment on the movie was that any street gang doing those dance moves in public would get their asses beaten in a second. Natalie's accent was getting on my nerves this time. I know scads of Latina women here at work and not a one rolls their Rs that much. The youth dance where the plot kicks off started at 10:00 at night?? So the whole rest of the first night's activities from the war council at Doc's to the balcony scene all happen late into the night? I guess it ain't a school night, not that any of these cruddy JDs go to school. Officer Krupke is chaperoning the dance with his billy club in his hand, not hesitating to loom over anyone who gets out of line. Are there still armed guards at teen community socials? In the Mambo number, was any of that modern freestyle dancing actually a mambo? Tony and Maria spend a good 15 minutes on the fire escape singing and wooing while her father keeps calling from inside, and she keeps saying "momentito, Papa!" I'd think any real father of a teenage girl wouldn't have lasted more than a few minutes before he actually came out there to see what the fuck she was doing. It's gotta be past midnight during the Officer Krupke number, when the Jets are all hanging out at Doc's. Why is the store even open? Why doesn't Lt Shrank make them all go the hell home? At the dress shop earlier, Anita tells Maria to be home in 15 minutes. After the rumble and the news of Nardo's death the next night, Maria retreats to her room. Tony shows up, yaddayadda. Why doesn't any of Maria's family go check on her in her room in the immediate aftermath of her brother's death?? You'd think they'd want to all be together in this crisis! Then at some point Anita walks into the apartment and hangs her shawl up like she lives there. Does she? I mean, Bernardo was her lover, not family. Doesn't she live with her own family, or on her own? After Tony's death, Maria grabs the gun from Chino and asks how many bullets are left. I can't help msyelf. "Five!" Then she pints it around at everybody crying "enough for you? and You? all of you?" I can't help myself. "Oh, then, no, only five of them." Then she says "...and still have one for myself?" "Oh, okay, then, four." My wife probably didn't appreciate the running count during the big scene. At the end, when everybody picks up Tony's body and carries him off, where the hell are they going??
To quote a bit from a comedian who I can't remember, Tony goes through Spanish Harlem singing, "Maria! Maria!" and only one girl comes to the window?
