Review: West Side Memories (2003, Dir. Michael Arick)

West Side Memories is a panoramic view of Jerome Robbins adaptation of West Side story, and a deep dive into his intense, debatable practices. How can one be both a tyrant and a creative genius? In reframing Robbins treatment of the West Side Story cast through a modern lens, is the means to an end truly acceptable?

Having only briefly seen West Side Story prior to this documentary, I was blown away by the attention to detail placed into the production design by Boris Leven, and his expressive watercolour thumbnails inspire me to add more vibrancy and emotion into my own visuals.

What can one say of the work of Sondheim? It's timeless to me, and pieces such as 'Being Alive' (from 'Company, 1970) stick with not only me but have lasting impact on media in the 21st century, as seen in the wonderful ending number of the song in 'Marriage Story' (2019). His work in West Side Story is just as impactful to many, with the sound of New York being immortalised by Sondheim and his impressive twirling and mingling of thematic motifs.

Robbins' work is contested by many as controversial and, in West Side Story, he was even fired from his own project. His work ethic was brutal, and he spent many weeks reshooting scenes to the ire of the studio heads that were funding his work. His perfectionism is seen on screen through famous numbers such as 'America', but at the same time, I struggle to truly connect to the choreography knowing the strain many of the dancers were placed under by Robbins. It's an unfortunate consequence of my own views on art and the artist; I can see not only a wonderful end product, but also the tears and overwork it took to get to that point.

Overall, 'West Side Memories' was significant to me as it's not often you get backstage access to one of the most famous movies of the time. The highlighted work of Leven was also inspirational to me as someone wanting to improve my visualisation, and seeing how concept art has evolved over time to what it is now (mostly digital painting and photobashing over traditional pen and ink) was eye-opening to me.