Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is transformed into a gang war epic in this vivid musical from Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein. Restored and revived for DVD, this two-disc edition also explores the real tensions behind the movie.

I Feel Pretty

Fans will love the picture quality, with the film presented in near-flawless detail. A strong energetic 5.1 sound mix drives the songs and music, immersing you into the experience like never before.

Very Big Deal in America!

An hour long documentary, West Side Memories, takes us through a production of blood, sweat and tears with balanced views and contributions from crew and cast. There's no getting away from the fact that co-director and choreographer Jerome Robbins was an exceptional taskmaster, but as actress Rita Moreno reveals, she worshipped him for what he could push her to do. The arrival of Robert Wise on the production to take up directing duties is discussed; unfortunately there's no commentary from the man himself. It's a pity as Wise has done some good commentaries to date, and no doubt would have done the same here.

Now It Begins, Now We Start

There's plenty more to disc two, but most of the additional material takes the form of a vast array of image galleries. These should prove interesting to fans but they'll likely be frustrated at the same time due to the size of these images, which are miniscule. It's annoying as the presentation of the film and quality of the documentary are so good - making this an essential musical DVD purchase.

DISC ONE SPECIAL FEATURES

DISC TWO SPECIAL FEATURES

This DVD was reviewed on a JVC XV-N5 DVD player.