WEST SIDE STORY

Here is a partial list of the distinctions bestowed upon the film classic.

Acadamy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

West Side Story is named Best Picture of 1961. A near-record ten Oscars go to the musical, plus a special award for the choreography of Jerome Robbins.

Golden Globe Awards

Best Comedy or Musical of 1961. Rita Moreno and George Chakiris are also honored.

New York Film Critics

Best Motion Picture of 1961.

United States Library of Congress

West Side Story is added to the National Film Registry in 1997.

American Film Institute (1998)

West Side Story places #41 in AFI's list of The Hundred Best Films: "100 Years...100 Movies." Heading the list, and boasting Robert Wise as film editor, is Citizen Kane.

American Film Institute (2002)

West Side Story runs a respectable third in a list of AFI's 100 Greatest Love Stories ("100 Years...100 Passions"), behind first-place Casablanca and runner-up Gone with the Wind.

Entertainment Weekly (2003)

The pre-eminent show-biz magazine lists The Fifty Greatest Tearjerkers of All Time. By virtue of the closing scene, West Side Story takes #31, a full twenty places behind Old Yeller but passing the venerable Imitation of Life by a nose. Winner of the weepstakes is Terms of Endearment.

American Film Institute (2004)

AFI's all-time top 100 film songs are announced in "100 Years...100 Songs." The West Side Story score makes an impressive triple-showing at Number 20 ("Somewhere"), Number 35 ("America") and Number 59 ("Tonight"). Top honors go to "Over the Rainbow," with "As Time Goes By" and "Singin' in the Rain" taking the silver and bronze, respectively.

American Film Institute (2006)

The masterwork places second in AFI's list of 25 all-time greatest musicals. West Side Story and third-place The Wizard of Oz stand proudly in place behind the top winner, Singin' in the Rain.

American Film Institute (2007)

Ten years after the first list of Best Films was compiled by the American Film Institute, the voters went back to the polls to compile an "anniversary edition." The juggling and jockeying finds West Side Story dropping ten places down to #51. Citizen Kane retains its enviable lead, with The Godfather and Casablanca switching places, respectively second and third in the new poll.

Entertainment Weekly (2008)

The magazine's poll of "Movie Musicals: The 25 Best of All Time" finds West Side Story once again bringing home the silver, in second place behind perennial favorite The Wizard of Oz.