Analysing The Editing Of West Side Story
WEST SIDE STORY || ANALYSIS OF EDITING (Dir. Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise)
(first five minutes of the clip below analysed)
(first five minutes of the clip below analysed)
Set just a few streets from Broadway itself, musical West Side Story updates William Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet to 1950s New York. For many, Jerome Robbins’ masterpiece is one of the greatest musicals, films and stories of all time. Winner of ten Academy Awards (including Best Film Editing), the film has been deemed ‘culturally significant’ by a multitude of critics for its presentation of juvenile delinquency, gang culture and race. Alongside it's vibrant music, world-famous choreography and heartbreaking plot, West Side Story also displays some incredible editing and uses this resource to its advantage creating brilliant pace and atmosphere throughout the two-and-a-half hour run-time.
The very first scene of the film is set to the spell-binding track ‘Prologue’ and introduces audiences to what West Side Story is all about - graphic colours, unforgettable choreography and use of music throughout the film. It is also one of the richest sequences in terms of editing, cutting jarringly from one gang to the other to literally display the intense uneasiness between the two.
The first shot of the entire eight-minute sequence is a very-long shot of the playground, introducing audiences to the bleak, desolate setting - a complete sea of monotone grey. Yet instantly there is a brutal cut towards the Jets, standing together in one corner of the playground - interesting the audiences in their bright yellow, red and blue tones. The editor has used a very-long shot to establish a context for our characters and a brutal cut to a slight Dutch angle a little to the left establishes the characters place in the wider society - they are outcasts and distant both literally and figuratively.
This establishing, master shot is then sliced with a jump cut to leader of the Jets, Riff, looking out coolly over his domain. He is of instant importance to the audience as the film was cut so audiences could see him more closely. The choice to position the camera to be looking out from behind him is also essential and ensures spectators feel they are part of the gang. The camera then pans to the right in-time to the music and reveals the other two most important members of the Jets: Ice and Action. The director is establishing for audiences who is most important and which faces we should be learning. Also the physical levels between characters displays their roles and status, Ice stands behind Riff as his second-in-command, Riff stands a little forward from everyone else as leader, and Action is shadowed and further back - not as important but still worthy enough to be there. These few shots almost seen drawn out, lasting a little too long and leaving fragments of silence between the sinister clicking, further illuminating the power of this gang.
Despite framing the Jets in barbed wire to seemingly contain them, there is a powerful atmosphere here - they do so little, yet the clicking is unusual and strange, it makes spectators feel uneasy and the stark cuts as the camera moves further away from Riff to reveal more members, adds to this feeling of intimidation. Spectators were unaware of the other members essentially hiding beneath the camera and these clean cuts backward not only reveal them, but ensure a quiet shock for audiences.
There is a cut once more with match on action and bring the statuesque, entrancing profiles of the Jets into the endless grey of their context once more. They seem suddenly human again, reacting so slightly to the ball nearing them. They use power over force, only needing to use slight movements to bring across their message rather than noise or disruption. Again, this shot seems a little drawn-out, building this quiet tension for spectators - there is a clear sense of the unknown and these long, unedited takes reveal very little to audiences. They understand the Jets move as one, answer to Riff and are immensely powerful in this environment. But there are no edits to close-ups to establish characters and for audiences to connect emotionally, there is little movement in the character - allowing the music to do all of the work, and there are no effects to move from one shot to the other except from a simple cut occasionally. This film is incredibly stylised and doesn't need confusing dissolves, fades and wipes to move from one shot to the next - a clean, crisp and jarring cut will do.
Music is the hero of this film and this first scene is emphasising this incredibly. Every tiny gesture, every little movement is fitting perfectly with the music - suggesting the Jets comfort in this environment, they are in-sync with everything or rather - everything is in-sync with them.
Another clean cut and the Jets are once again entrapped in a wire fence with obvious prison connotations. With every shot the action continues seamlessly through it also, for many this whole scene might seem drawn out - after all to some it may seem that almost a minute has passed and little has been done on screen. But most audiences will realise the quiet, powerful story that is being curated here and the suspense that builds as spectators wait for movement or even dialogue. This movement, of course, comes with a slow, controlled walking pace of the Jets, continuing their ominous clicking.
The camera cuts are quick and contrast to the long, drawn out shots. They move the camera quickly from here to there and allow spectators to walk through the streets of New York with the Jets as the action continues seamlessly through every cut. Suddenly there comes the first snippet of dialogue as the Jets pass by two boys playing basketball, yet the dialogue doesn't actually come from the Jets. They don't need to even speak to present their power. It's all so menacing and sinister, audiences are used to excessive dialogue from the very start of a film and yet West Side Story's opening ten minutes basically doesn't feature a word of dialogue.
The music builds to something happier, lighter (and certainly less sinister) and we cut to the Jets moving down the pavement with a lighter step, Robbins sprinkling in a few more dance moves and a little of his charming choreography. More questions are being answered here, there are more people on the streets (not just menacing shadows looking on), more colour in the surroundings and the audience find something familiar about the transformation. Another long take allows the tension to subdue before cutting to a much brighter, easy sequence of dancing by the Jets. The spectators are eased into what seems to be a lighter, more friendly film - such a contrast from the ocean of grey and mystery the film began in. This contrast depicts the contrast in the film also between the violent mind-set of the gangs and the romantic plot that marks the film.
The editing is also key to the withholding of information as it places everything a specific order key to creating such a sinister atmosphere. To ensure high levels of tension, the film reveals very little about the gang until this moment (above) when spectators finally understand they are the Jets. The editing has allowed the film to move from withholding almost all information with that initial menacing shot of Riff, to revealing a context and the relationship between the Jets and others. Now audiences understand who they are, there needs to be a conflict - something to push the narrative forward and hold our interest as there is little tension left due the fact seemingly all has been revealed.
This is why in a following shot we see Bernardo, interrupting the slick, smooth editing of clean shots and little interruptions to a cold and jarring stop. There is an instant conflict here - Bernardo has cut-short the fluid, free movements of the Jets and audiences feel instant suspense once more. Who is this and why are the Jets so concerned with him?
There is a sharp cut to the reactions of the Jets, and only moments later we return to focusing on Bernardo instead of the Jets. This begins a constant 'back-and-forth' between the two gangs and depicts the conflicts audiences later see spill over into horrifying violence. The camera also stays with the one-hundred-and-eighty-degree rule, staying, (just about) on one side of the action.
This relates back to the theatre origins of film where audiences stay on one side of the action as in
a literal theatre. This ensures the action is still slick and stylised and although the cuts could be seen as
jarring, they are perhaps more clean.
The audience are also positioned to be in the eye-line of the Jets and paired with the over-the-shoulder
shot of Bernardo, spectators feel they are really part of the action and being 'stared down' by the Jets
just as Bernardo is. So despite editing the footage so we have spent so much time with the Jets, they
still appear intimidating and spectators may be positioned to be on the 'side' of Bernardo - someone
who is being victimised by the Jets.
Once again the action returns to face Bernardo, the editing ensuring the action alternates between the two gangs. Bernardo is also seen from a slightly low angles to perhaps depict his stance on the moral high-ground and is frames by the two members of the Jets - conveying his entrapment in the Jets society he has become a part of.
There is another clean cut to the reaction of the Jets again, audiences see their menacing nature once more and in this medium close-up range, the reactions of all characters in frame can be seen. The audience is also positioned to be slightly below the eye-line this time, ensuring all characters seem equally threatening - they are all physically on the same level.
The Jets members leave Bernardo and the editing allows for Bernardo to be alone for just a second before more movement ensues. There is almost a sigh of relief for audiences - there was a real moment of impending doom for Bernardo and audiences are now interested in his reaction to the almost-collision. Editing-wise it is important to sequence the footage so Bernardo begins weak, alone and intimidated and builds up to being just as powerful as Riff surrounded by his own gang - the Sharks. There is a constant play of power throughout the entire film and these moments of silence and jarring tension build this up.
Another clean cut with the action, as always, following through. For every quick cut, there is another long, drawn out take that juxtaposes it. Drawn out sequencing of walking, clicking and doing very little else are the ultimate way to build tension - so little is going on, on-screen and yet so much suspense is being mounted through sharp music and withholding of information. The shots of the Sharks walking also mirror those previous moments of the Jets - perhaps suggesting that the two gangs are incredibly similar and function in very similar ways. Yet the choice to place the footage of the Jets first ensures that there dominance is understood by spectators, the shot of the playground before introducing them furthermore promotes this idea that New York is their territory. It is theirs to own and suddenly Bernardo cuts through this merry, content dance sequence - just as the Jets believe the Puerto Ricans have interfered with their territory.
Consequently, this all begins displaying the conflict between the two gangs and the power of being surrounded by your own gang. Alone, Bernardo knows not to initiate conflict, but as he walks and other members of the Sharks join him - he becomes more powerful and less victimised. I love the way the editing has created such conflict, mystery and tension by doing very little besides a few clean cuts and placing the footage in a very specific order.
The entire film is arguably all about movement and music and nobody can disagree that this scene doesn't display that perfectly.
Suddenly the Sharks are now trapped inside an alleyway - depicting their emotional containment as the Jets seek to annihilate them. The Jets are seen more often in wide open spaces, the streets and settings animated behind them to convey their comfort in their setting. However in the shots with the Sharks the streets are deserted and the locations filmed are dull and grey, a bleak and obvious contrast to the Jets to emphasise to spectators the separation between the Sharks and society - they are unwanted. The sequence of shots focusing on the Sharks is also incredibly interesting as they mirror the previous shots of the Jets, seen below as the Sharks dance over the Jets iconography scrawled on the street. The two sequences mirror one another perfectly - portraying that actually these two gangs are very similar.
Throughout, the Jets are filmed from eye level or higher, and the Sharks are usually filmed from below eye level. The Jets are presented as bullies exploiting their position of power, and the Sharks are shown in a more heroic light because of this. The following shots (below), show the similar shots that alternate constantly between the two gangs.
The sharp cuts also ensure the pace of the sequence continues, to create tension there are lulls of long, lengthy shots of dance contrasted with short - sharp bursts of tension when the characters freeze. As I mentioned, the film is all about movement and when the characters stop moving - there is signified tension, in this case between the two gangs. The cutting back and forth, back and forth, creates this conflict between the smooth, timeless sequences of choreography when the gangs are separated and the gritty, stunted movement and cuts when they are in shot together.
The choice to edit the footage in this way (Jets, then Jets and Sharks, then Sharks, then Sharks and Jets etc.) illuminates spectators to this conflict and creates wild peaks of tension in-and-amongst the fluid, beautiful moments of dance. Simply put, the rhythm created through drawn-out, unedited shots are interrupted when the gangs are together and an atmosphere of tension ensues.
There is one edit throughout the entire sequence that is not a clean and simple cut - there is one wipe (seen above) that is used to bring the Jets from one setting to another. The music is seriously building here and so is the drama of the film, the wipe is still a stylish and reasonably simplistic choice, additionally creating further visual interest for the spectator - almost bombarding them with noise and movement.
The intended effect of this stunning editing is, of course, to bring audiences into the action - it has been filmed in a completely immersive way and the editing of simple cuts does not disrupt this but enhances it. (I also love the shot above so much and the constant movement throughout the piece.)
The action on-screen is continuous, there is always movement from the characters or camera and to use complex editing techniques would only confuse the audience and disrupt such a stylish sequence. The continious motion mirrors the continuous rivalry between the two gangs, there is constant drama and action in the gangs lives and this is mirrored on screen, building throughout the sequence and ending a long way from the sinister shot of Riff clicking his fingers in the playground. The main success of editing here is the choice of which order to position the film.
Overall, I believe the editing to be incredibly successful in West Side Story - the editing in this film proves that 'less is more' and that just by placing the footage in a specific sequence and using clean, stylised cuts ensures that the pace and rhythm of the sequence can continue. The movement and music continue throughout the sequence and carry the piece, there is no need for dissolves, fades or any other dramatic editing as the story, choreography and music is enough to seriously engage audiences. It is in the ingenious choice to cut back and forth between the two gangs and used these (sometimes jarring, sometimes clean) cuts to bring the piece together.
~Grace~
This establishing, master shot is then sliced with a jump cut to leader of the Jets, Riff, looking out coolly over his domain. He is of instant importance to the audience as the film was cut so audiences could see him more closely. The choice to position the camera to be looking out from behind him is also essential and ensures spectators feel they are part of the gang. The camera then pans to the right in-time to the music and reveals the other two most important members of the Jets: Ice and Action. The director is establishing for audiences who is most important and which faces we should be learning. Also the physical levels between characters displays their roles and status, Ice stands behind Riff as his second-in-command, Riff stands a little forward from everyone else as leader, and Action is shadowed and further back - not as important but still worthy enough to be there. These few shots almost seen drawn out, lasting a little too long and leaving fragments of silence between the sinister clicking, further illuminating the power of this gang.
Despite framing the Jets in barbed wire to seemingly contain them, there is a powerful atmosphere here - they do so little, yet the clicking is unusual and strange, it makes spectators feel uneasy and the stark cuts as the camera moves further away from Riff to reveal more members, adds to this feeling of intimidation. Spectators were unaware of the other members essentially hiding beneath the camera and these clean cuts backward not only reveal them, but ensure a quiet shock for audiences.
There is a cut once more with match on action and bring the statuesque, entrancing profiles of the Jets into the endless grey of their context once more. They seem suddenly human again, reacting so slightly to the ball nearing them. They use power over force, only needing to use slight movements to bring across their message rather than noise or disruption. Again, this shot seems a little drawn-out, building this quiet tension for spectators - there is a clear sense of the unknown and these long, unedited takes reveal very little to audiences. They understand the Jets move as one, answer to Riff and are immensely powerful in this environment. But there are no edits to close-ups to establish characters and for audiences to connect emotionally, there is little movement in the character - allowing the music to do all of the work, and there are no effects to move from one shot to the other except from a simple cut occasionally. This film is incredibly stylised and doesn't need confusing dissolves, fades and wipes to move from one shot to the next - a clean, crisp and jarring cut will do.
Music is the hero of this film and this first scene is emphasising this incredibly. Every tiny gesture, every little movement is fitting perfectly with the music - suggesting the Jets comfort in this environment, they are in-sync with everything or rather - everything is in-sync with them.
Another clean cut and the Jets are once again entrapped in a wire fence with obvious prison connotations. With every shot the action continues seamlessly through it also, for many this whole scene might seem drawn out - after all to some it may seem that almost a minute has passed and little has been done on screen. But most audiences will realise the quiet, powerful story that is being curated here and the suspense that builds as spectators wait for movement or even dialogue. This movement, of course, comes with a slow, controlled walking pace of the Jets, continuing their ominous clicking.
The camera cuts are quick and contrast to the long, drawn out shots. They move the camera quickly from here to there and allow spectators to walk through the streets of New York with the Jets as the action continues seamlessly through every cut. Suddenly there comes the first snippet of dialogue as the Jets pass by two boys playing basketball, yet the dialogue doesn't actually come from the Jets. They don't need to even speak to present their power. It's all so menacing and sinister, audiences are used to excessive dialogue from the very start of a film and yet West Side Story's opening ten minutes basically doesn't feature a word of dialogue.
The music builds to something happier, lighter (and certainly less sinister) and we cut to the Jets moving down the pavement with a lighter step, Robbins sprinkling in a few more dance moves and a little of his charming choreography. More questions are being answered here, there are more people on the streets (not just menacing shadows looking on), more colour in the surroundings and the audience find something familiar about the transformation. Another long take allows the tension to subdue before cutting to a much brighter, easy sequence of dancing by the Jets. The spectators are eased into what seems to be a lighter, more friendly film - such a contrast from the ocean of grey and mystery the film began in. This contrast depicts the contrast in the film also between the violent mind-set of the gangs and the romantic plot that marks the film.
The editing is also key to the withholding of information as it places everything a specific order key to creating such a sinister atmosphere. To ensure high levels of tension, the film reveals very little about the gang until this moment (above) when spectators finally understand they are the Jets. The editing has allowed the film to move from withholding almost all information with that initial menacing shot of Riff, to revealing a context and the relationship between the Jets and others. Now audiences understand who they are, there needs to be a conflict - something to push the narrative forward and hold our interest as there is little tension left due the fact seemingly all has been revealed.
This is why in a following shot we see Bernardo, interrupting the slick, smooth editing of clean shots and little interruptions to a cold and jarring stop. There is an instant conflict here - Bernardo has cut-short the fluid, free movements of the Jets and audiences feel instant suspense once more. Who is this and why are the Jets so concerned with him?
There is a sharp cut to the reactions of the Jets, and only moments later we return to focusing on Bernardo instead of the Jets. This begins a constant 'back-and-forth' between the two gangs and depicts the conflicts audiences later see spill over into horrifying violence. The camera also stays with the one-hundred-and-eighty-degree rule, staying, (just about) on one side of the action.
This relates back to the theatre origins of film where audiences stay on one side of the action as in
a literal theatre. This ensures the action is still slick and stylised and although the cuts could be seen as
jarring, they are perhaps more clean.
The audience are also positioned to be in the eye-line of the Jets and paired with the over-the-shoulder
shot of Bernardo, spectators feel they are really part of the action and being 'stared down' by the Jets
just as Bernardo is. So despite editing the footage so we have spent so much time with the Jets, they
still appear intimidating and spectators may be positioned to be on the 'side' of Bernardo - someone
who is being victimised by the Jets.
Once again the action returns to face Bernardo, the editing ensuring the action alternates between the two gangs. Bernardo is also seen from a slightly low angles to perhaps depict his stance on the moral high-ground and is frames by the two members of the Jets - conveying his entrapment in the Jets society he has become a part of.
There is another clean cut to the reaction of the Jets again, audiences see their menacing nature once more and in this medium close-up range, the reactions of all characters in frame can be seen. The audience is also positioned to be slightly below the eye-line this time, ensuring all characters seem equally threatening - they are all physically on the same level.
The Jets members leave Bernardo and the editing allows for Bernardo to be alone for just a second before more movement ensues. There is almost a sigh of relief for audiences - there was a real moment of impending doom for Bernardo and audiences are now interested in his reaction to the almost-collision. Editing-wise it is important to sequence the footage so Bernardo begins weak, alone and intimidated and builds up to being just as powerful as Riff surrounded by his own gang - the Sharks. There is a constant play of power throughout the entire film and these moments of silence and jarring tension build this up.
Another clean cut with the action, as always, following through. For every quick cut, there is another long, drawn out take that juxtaposes it. Drawn out sequencing of walking, clicking and doing very little else are the ultimate way to build tension - so little is going on, on-screen and yet so much suspense is being mounted through sharp music and withholding of information. The shots of the Sharks walking also mirror those previous moments of the Jets - perhaps suggesting that the two gangs are incredibly similar and function in very similar ways. Yet the choice to place the footage of the Jets first ensures that there dominance is understood by spectators, the shot of the playground before introducing them furthermore promotes this idea that New York is their territory. It is theirs to own and suddenly Bernardo cuts through this merry, content dance sequence - just as the Jets believe the Puerto Ricans have interfered with their territory.
Consequently, this all begins displaying the conflict between the two gangs and the power of being surrounded by your own gang. Alone, Bernardo knows not to initiate conflict, but as he walks and other members of the Sharks join him - he becomes more powerful and less victimised. I love the way the editing has created such conflict, mystery and tension by doing very little besides a few clean cuts and placing the footage in a very specific order.
The entire film is arguably all about movement and music and nobody can disagree that this scene doesn't display that perfectly.
Suddenly the Sharks are now trapped inside an alleyway - depicting their emotional containment as the Jets seek to annihilate them. The Jets are seen more often in wide open spaces, the streets and settings animated behind them to convey their comfort in their setting. However in the shots with the Sharks the streets are deserted and the locations filmed are dull and grey, a bleak and obvious contrast to the Jets to emphasise to spectators the separation between the Sharks and society - they are unwanted. The sequence of shots focusing on the Sharks is also incredibly interesting as they mirror the previous shots of the Jets, seen below as the Sharks dance over the Jets iconography scrawled on the street. The two sequences mirror one another perfectly - portraying that actually these two gangs are very similar.
Throughout, the Jets are filmed from eye level or higher, and the Sharks are usually filmed from below eye level. The Jets are presented as bullies exploiting their position of power, and the Sharks are shown in a more heroic light because of this. The following shots (below), show the similar shots that alternate constantly between the two gangs.
The sharp cuts also ensure the pace of the sequence continues, to create tension there are lulls of long, lengthy shots of dance contrasted with short - sharp bursts of tension when the characters freeze. As I mentioned, the film is all about movement and when the characters stop moving - there is signified tension, in this case between the two gangs. The cutting back and forth, back and forth, creates this conflict between the smooth, timeless sequences of choreography when the gangs are separated and the gritty, stunted movement and cuts when they are in shot together.
The choice to edit the footage in this way (Jets, then Jets and Sharks, then Sharks, then Sharks and Jets etc.) illuminates spectators to this conflict and creates wild peaks of tension in-and-amongst the fluid, beautiful moments of dance. Simply put, the rhythm created through drawn-out, unedited shots are interrupted when the gangs are together and an atmosphere of tension ensues.
There is one edit throughout the entire sequence that is not a clean and simple cut - there is one wipe (seen above) that is used to bring the Jets from one setting to another. The music is seriously building here and so is the drama of the film, the wipe is still a stylish and reasonably simplistic choice, additionally creating further visual interest for the spectator - almost bombarding them with noise and movement.
The intended effect of this stunning editing is, of course, to bring audiences into the action - it has been filmed in a completely immersive way and the editing of simple cuts does not disrupt this but enhances it. (I also love the shot above so much and the constant movement throughout the piece.)
The action on-screen is continuous, there is always movement from the characters or camera and to use complex editing techniques would only confuse the audience and disrupt such a stylish sequence. The continious motion mirrors the continuous rivalry between the two gangs, there is constant drama and action in the gangs lives and this is mirrored on screen, building throughout the sequence and ending a long way from the sinister shot of Riff clicking his fingers in the playground. The main success of editing here is the choice of which order to position the film.
Overall, I believe the editing to be incredibly successful in West Side Story - the editing in this film proves that 'less is more' and that just by placing the footage in a specific sequence and using clean, stylised cuts ensures that the pace and rhythm of the sequence can continue. The movement and music continue throughout the sequence and carry the piece, there is no need for dissolves, fades or any other dramatic editing as the story, choreography and music is enough to seriously engage audiences. It is in the ingenious choice to cut back and forth between the two gangs and used these (sometimes jarring, sometimes clean) cuts to bring the piece together.
~Grace~
Richly detailed. Accurate terminology throughout. Keenly observed discriminating remarks on editing, and especially at first, other elements of film form. Well balanced overview across the whole range of purposes behind the editing. A*
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