Pre-Order BVHE Press Release: West Side Story (2021) (4k UHD) (Blu-ray) (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

“★★★★★”

– Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

Nominated for 7 Academy Awards® including Best Picture!

Bring Home Steven Spielberg’s Masterful Reimagining of West Side Story

on Digital March 2 and 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™ and DVD March 15​

LOS ANGELES, CA (February 22, 2022) –Acclaimed filmmaker Steven Spielberg presents an inspired reimagining of the beloved musical West Side Story. The film that critics celebrate as “electrifying” (Alonso Duralde, The Wrap) and “a total triumph” (Matt Goldberg, Collider) has been nominated for 7 Academy Awards® including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress and 11 Critics’ Choice Awards.



West Side Story is also Certified-Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes™. Rejoice in the spectacular new choreography alongside the iconic songs – plus see astonishing all-new footage of Spielberg at work in documentary filmmaker Laurent Bouzereau’s revealing “The Stories of West Side Story” – by adding 20th Century Studios’ West Side Story to your musical collection on Digital March 2 and 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™ and DVD March 15.



West Side Story will also be available on Disney+ starting March 2.



Film Synopsis

Directed by Academy Award® Steven Spielberg, from a screenplay by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award® winner Tony Kushner, “West Side Story” tells the classic tale of fierce rivalries and young love in 1957 New York City. This reimagining of the beloved musical stars Ansel Elgort (Tony); Ariana DeBose (Anita); David Alvarez (Bernardo); Mike Faist (Riff); Brian d’Arcy James (Officer Krupke); Corey Stoll (Lieutenant Schrank); Josh Andrés Rivera (Chino); with Rita Moreno (as Valentina, who owns the corner store in which Tony works); and introducing Rachel Zegler (Maria.) Moreno – one of only three artists to be honored with Academy®, Emmy®, GRAMMY®, Tony® and Peabody Awards – also serves as one of the film’s executive producers.



Bringing together the best of both Broadway and Hollywood, the film’s creative team includes Kushner, who also served as an executive producer; Tony Award® winner Justin Peck, who choreographed the musical numbers in the film; renowned Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor and GRAMMY Award® winner Gustavo Dudamel, who helmed the recording of the iconic score; Academy Award®-nominated composer and conductor David Newman (“Anastasia”), who arranged the score, Tony Award®-winning composer Jeanine Tesori (“Fun Home,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie”), who supervised the cast on vocals; and GRAMMY®-nominated music supervisor Matt Sullivan (“Beauty and the Beast,” “Chicago”), who serves as executive music producer for the film. The film is produced by Spielberg, p.g.a., Academy Award®-nominated producer Kristie Macosko Krieger, p.g.a. and Tony Award®-winning producer Kevin McCollum. “West Side Story” has been adapted for the screen from the original 1957 Broadway show. Original choreography by Jerome Robbins, based on the stage play, book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, play conceived, directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, music by Leonard Bernstein.



Bonus Features*

The Stories of West Side Story

• Opening – Director Steven Spielberg begins the journey of one of his career goals – to direct his own cinematic version of the iconic musical. Doing so means he will embrace enormous challenges.
• Prologue – From the iconic finger snaps to the complex choreography, we are introduced to the film’s opening scene and explore its setting. We begin to see Spielberg's vision take shape.
• Sharks & Jets – Meet the actors who play the Sharks and the Jets. Go behind the scenes of "La Borinqueña," the song of the Puerto Rican Revolution, which was added into this vision of the story. Discover the deeper meaning of “Jet Song.”
• Dance At The Gym – Mambo your way through “The Dance At The Gym” and Justin Peck’s choreography, as it leads to the pivotal moment when Tony and Maria meet for the first time.
• The Romance – Explore the budding romance of Tony and Maria with the songs “Maria” and “Tonight” as Rachel Zegler (Maria) and Ansel Elgort (Tony) talk about the casting process, and what led them to this career-defining film.
• America – During a sweltering New York heat wave, the cast and crew take the production to the streets for one of the biggest dance numbers in the film, "America," featuring Ariana DeBose, who plays Anita.
• Gee, Officer Krupke – Spielberg and the Jets make "Gee, Officer Krupke" their own through a new setting, vocal direction and choreography, while they explore the meaning of Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics. Get to know Iris Menas (Anybodys) and the significance of their role.
• Cool – During the first week of production, Spielberg and the cast nervously jump into filming on the elaborate and challenging set of the musical number "Cool."
• From Quintet to The Rumble – Spielberg and his team navigate the intertwining scenes of “The Quintet” and "The Rumble." Once there, they take a scene that is traditionally stylishly choreographed, and instead bring a more visceral authenticity to the fight between the two gangs.
• I Feel Pretty – Screenwriter Tony Kushner sheds new light on “I Feel Pretty.” We see how, in Spielberg’s film, the beloved song by lyricist Stephen Sondheim is given new vision, as it is set and performed within Gimbel’s department store.
• Somewhere – Hollywood Legend Rita Moreno, who won acclaim for playing Anita in the 1961 film, returns as Valentina, a shopkeeper’s widow, as well as an executive producer. She brings extraordinary experience and emotion to the film and sings the song “Somewhere.”
• Finale – In a moving testament to the talented cast and crew of WEST SIDE STORY, Spielberg reluctantly wraps “one of the best filmmaking experiences” of his career.
• Tribute – The late Stephen Sondheim reflects on his career and experience making WEST SIDE STORY in this dedication to the esteemed lyricist.

The Songs

Go directly to your favorite musical numbers from WEST SIDE STORY.

• Prologue
• La Borinqueña
• Jet Song
• Something's Coming
• The Dance At The Gym
• Maria
• Balcony Scene (Tonight)
• America
• Gee, Officer Krupke
• One Hand, One Heart
• Cool
• Tonight (Quintet)
• The Rumble
• I Feel Pretty
• Somewhere
• A Boy Like That/I Have A Love

*bonus features vary by product and retailer



Cast

Ansel Elgort as Tony

Rachel Zegler as María

Ariana DeBose as Anita

David Alvarez as Bernardo

Mike Faist as Riff

Josh Andrés Rivera as Chino

Ana Isabelle as Rosalía

Corey Stoll as Lieutenant Schrank

Brian d’Arcy James as Officer Krupke

Rita Moreno as Valentina



Directed by

Steven Spielberg



Produced by

Steven Spielberg, p.g.a

Kristie Macosko Krieger, p.g.a

Kevin McCollum



Executive Produced by

Tony Kushner

Daniel Lupi

Rita Moreno

Adam Somner



Screenplay by

Tony Kushner



Based on the Stage Play by

Arthur Laurents



Music By

Leonard Bernstein



Lyrics By

Stephen Sondheim



Play Conceived, Directed and Choreographed by

Jerome Robbins



Lyrics by

Stephen Sondheim



Music By

Leonard Bernstein



Product Specifications

U.S. Street Date

Digital: March 2, 2022

Physical: March 15, 2022



Product SKUs

Digital: 4K UHD, HD, SD

Physical: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital Code), Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + Digital Code) & DVD



Feature Run Time

Approx. 156 Minutes



Rating

U.S. Rated PG-13

* Bonus Material Not Rated



Aspect Ratio

Digital: 2.39:1

Physical: 2.39:1



U.S. Audio

4K Ultra HD: English 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos, English AD 2.0 Dolby Digital, French-Canadian 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus

Blu-ray: English 7.1 DTS-HDMA, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, French-Canadian 5.1 Dolby Digital, English AD 2.0 Dolby Digital

DVD: English 5.1 Dolby, Spanish 5.1 Dolby, French-Canadian 5.1 Dolby, English AD 2.0 Dolby

Digital: English 5.1 & 2.0 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 & 2.0 Dolby Digital, English Descriptive Audio 2.0 Dolby Digital (some platforms). English 7.1, English Atmos, French 7.1, Latin Spanish 7.1 (Apple Domestic including Canada)



U.S. Subtitles

4K Ultra HD: English SDH, Spanish, French-Canadian

Blu-ray: English SDH, Spanish, French-Canadian

DVD: English SDH, Spanish, French-Canadian

Digital: English SDH, French, Spanish (some platforms)



Best Buy Steelbook

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/west-side-story-steelbook-includes-digital-copy-4k-ultra-hd-blu-ray-blu-ray-only--best-buy-2021/6496898.p?skuId=6496898

Amazon preorder should go live shortly. This is a placeholder

 

[Todd Erwin]

Odd that Amazon used the original film page as a placeholder for these two versions...

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Odd that Amazon used the original film page as a placeholder for these two versions...

I had expected an official press release today. Perhaps tomorrow.

 

[Jake Lipson]

In addition to the Best Buy steelbook that Ron linked, there is also a Target exclusive "art edition" featuring "two foil-embossed prints" and a fancy slipcover.

That one is available here.

West Side Story (2021) (Target Exclusive) (4K/UHD + Blu-ray + Digital)

Read reviews and buy West Side Story (2021) (Target Exclusive) (4K/UHD + Blu-ray + Digital) at Target. Choose from contactless Same Day Delivery, Drive Up and more.

www.target.com

Disney used to do digipacks for their Target exclusives. But for the last couple of years, they have just been fancy slipcovers that slide over the regular 4K release. So with this version you're essentially paying a $5 premium for what is most likely a fancy variant slipcover and two art cards.

I elected to go with the steelbook from Best Buy myself.

I'll also put my usual reminder in here that because this is a Disney title, Amazon delivery may not be reliable. Disney titles are the only ones I do not order with HTF referral links for this reason.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

In addition to the Best Buy steelbook that Ron linked, there is also a Target exclusive "art edition" featuring "two foil-embossed prints" and a fancy slipcover.

That one is available here.

West Side Story (2021) (Target Exclusive) (4K/UHD + Blu-ray + Digital)

Read reviews and buy West Side Story (2021) (Target Exclusive) (4K/UHD + Blu-ray + Digital) at Target. Choose from contactless Same Day Delivery, Drive Up and more.

www.target.com

Disney used to do digipacks for their Target exclusives. But for the last couple of years, they have just been fancy slipcovers that slide over the regular 4K release. So with this version you're essentially paying a $5 premium for what is most likely a fancy variant slipcover and two art cards.

I elected to go with the steelbook from Best Buy myself.

I'll also put my usual reminder in here that because this is a Disney title, Amazon delivery may not be reliable. Disney titles are the only ones I do not order with HTF referral links for this reason.

Thanks, Jake!

That's nice artwork that Target is offering.

I think I am going to do the unheard of and go with the Best Buy steelbook. I normally don't buy them, but this title is an important one.

When preordering from BestBuy do they immediately charge you or upon shipping?

 

[Jake Lipson]

When preordering from BestBuy do they immediately charge you or upon shipping?

Best Buy will place a hold on the funds on your credit card immediately so that you can't spend the money on anything else. However, they won't actually complete billing until the item is ready to ship.

 

[Rob W]

Wonder if the closed-captioning will feature the Spanish dialogue in Spanish, translated into English, or nothing at all ??

My guess is it will be in Spanish for those sequences.

 

[B-ROLL]

Just FYI...

The blu-ray description at Disney Movie Club is SOOO informative ...

...NOT

 

[Jake Lipson]

The blu-ray description at Disney Movie Club is SOOO informative ...

That summary is the same one as on the back cover.

Also, it's interesting that it says there will be "Disney Movie Club Exclusive Cover Art" because the artwork that is shown is the same as the general release Blu-ray.

 

[Jake Lipson]

While we wait for the press release, the official Amblin Entertainment Facebook page posted this:

There will be much dancing in the streets this March, as Steven Spielberg's WEST SIDE STORY comes to physical home media on UHD 4K and Blu-ray on March 15! The UHD features the film in 4K HDR with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack, while the Blu-ray features a 7.1 DTS-HDMA soundtrack, plus 90 minutes of behind-the-scenes bonus material. The set also comes with a code for a Digital copy of the film via Movies Anywhere."

I'm curious to hear what those 90 minutes of bonus features entail.

 

[B-ROLL]

Zavvi has a steelbook 4K (only $44.99 +$4.99 Shipping!)
"Over 90 minutes of behind-the scenes bonus extras including the stories of west side story & the songs" ...
Subtitle Languages:

4K: English HOH, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish

Blu Ray: English HOH, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish

But there's only one disc...

 

[Josh Steinberg]

But there's only one disc...

Look close at the right side of the case, it’s a double hub to hold two discs, one overlapping the other.

 

[B-ROLL]

Look close at the right side of the case, it’s a double hub to hold two discs, one overlapping the other.

I was looking at the description under "Number of Discs: 1" ...

But you are still correct ...

!

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I rarely trust the metadata in website product descriptions especially preorders - it’s usually a guess or default setting by whoever is entering the product into the database. The actual product description is usually more accurate

 

[Jake Lipson]

The Zavvi steelbook for the UK (I think - I've never ordered from them?) market is the same as Best Buy will have in the United States. It has both the UHD and the standard 1080p Blu-ray discs. I am getting this version despite the fact that I don't have a UHD player because I love the look of it. That being said, I would not do this if it did not contain a 1080p Blu-ray copy that I can actually watch.

Even the front artwork on Zavvi's site says UHD + Blu-ray.

There should be no reason for United States residents to import it from Zavvi because (at least as of right now) it is still available through Best Buy without the added cost of importing.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/west-side-story-steelbook-includes-digital-copy-4k-ultra-hd-blu-ray-blu-ray-only--best-buy-2021/6496898.p?skuId=6496898

 

[SFMike]

Ordered from Best Buy as the case looks great.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Best Buy has sold out of steelbook pre-orders.

It is possible that they might put up another batch on the release date. Dune steelbook pre-orders sold out, too. I got one of those by staying up late on the night before the release date and refreshing the website several times an hour until it showed as in stock. Then I grabbed it immediately. It was sold out again within an hour or so. If they do add another batch of West Side Story ones before the release date, I would not count on them being available for long.

Incidentally, the steelbook of Eternals is still available for both shipping and store pickup at my local location, and it's been out for about a week. So this isn't affecting all steelbooks. Of course, we don't know how many copies were made available for West Side Story versus Eternals, but I still find it interesting that West Side Story sold out before a Marvel title did. Especially given the disparity between their respective theatrical performances, that's odd.

Anyway. hopefully, anyone here who really wants one pre-ordered already. If not, perhaps Zavvi is still taking pre-orders for the UK edition?

 

[Robert Crawford]

The Amazon links for "West Side Story" are now active so people can pre-ordered it now.

 

[Malcolm Bmoor]

I would be grateful for technical information. I have a Sony player that plays 4K but don't yet have any discs or a 4K display. If I begin buying the 4K versions of discs will the machine give me a good picture on the non-4K Panasonic tv and Epson projector? Many thanks.

Sony UBP-X800M2 MULTIREGION 4K Ultra HD ICOS Multi Region All Zone Code Free Blu-ray Player. Blu-ray zones A, B and C, DVD regions 1-8​

​

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Amazon preorders live in first post