West Side Story (film) Brittany Snow and Drake Bell. West Side Story (film) West Side Story is a 1961 American romantic musical tragedy film directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. The film is an adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was inspired by William Shakespeare's play "Romeo and Juliet". It stars Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno, and George Chakiris, and was photographed by Daniel L. Fapp, A.S.C., in Super Panavision 70. Released on October 18, 1961, through United Artists, the film received high praise from critics and viewers, and became the second highest
America (West Side Story song) of Bernardo. In the progressive rock band Yes' cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "America", bassist Chris Squire quotes the "West Side Story" song near the conclusion of their instrumental intro. A theme from "America" was referenced by John Williams for his celebratory "For New York", composed in 1988 for Bernstein's 70th birthday gala. In 2011, the song was covered by the cast of musical comedy television series "Glee" in the fifth episode of the third season, "The First Time" (aired on November 8), with character Santana Lopez (portrayed by Naya Rivera) on the lead. A minor controversy was caused over