The Making Of West Side Story

"The making of the recording"

1985 1h 29m EN

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8.2

BANGER

★8.2TMDB · 8

DocumentaryMusic

Synopsis

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A documentary which shows, in great detail, the making of the 1985 Bernstein-conducted recording of the entire score of "West Side Story", featuring operatic stars.

“The making of the recording”

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Cast

Leonard Bernstein
Self / Conductor
José Carreras
Tony
Kiri Te Kanawa
Maria
Tatiana Troyanos
Anita
Kurt Ollmann
Riff

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Christopher Swann
Languages: English
Countries: Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

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Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

89 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

41 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

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International production across 3 countries: Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Howard Billingham shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Leonard Bernstein and José Carreras and Kiri Te Kanawa carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The making of the recording".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0308495 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Christopher Swann directs. Howard Billingham cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

189 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
241 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3International production across 3 countries: Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Editor Howard Billingham shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Leonard Bernstein and José Carreras and Kiri Te Kanawa carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The making of the recording".
8IMDB entry: tt0308495 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 8 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.