West Side Story (1961) - 45 mistakes

Audio problem: During the opening overture, right when the orchestra starts "Maria", you can hear someone sneeze in the background. It's easier to hear on the soundtrack but you still can hear it in the movie.

Continuity: In the fighting scene between the "Jets" and the "Sharks" towards the beginning, when Bernardo cuts Baby-Jon on the cheek, the cut clearly switches from one cheek to the other between the time of him being cut, to when speaking to the police officers.

Continuity: Near the end of the movie, when Maria (Natalie Wood) is kneeling over Tony's (Richard Beymer) dead body, watch the cross around her neck. first it's sort of tucked into the top of her dress, then it is on the outside. it goes back and forth several times.

Continuity: When Maria is hitting Tony while saying "Killer," her hair is across her left cheek. In the next shot, it is completely away from her face.

Continuity: In the prologue, when the Jets are talking about Tony, Ice goes, "Man, remember them fists the day we clobbered the Emeralds." you can see A-Rab with his arms crossed. In the next shot they're uncrossed and he crosses them.

Other: When Nardo is piercing John's ear, it's obviously just him and the Sharks, but then in the shot from above, you can see all the Jets running to the rescue. Also, Ice is already there, throwing a Shark off of John.

Continuity: While Maria sings "I feel pretty", she leaves the pink cloth next to the edge of a table. When the angle changes its position differs.

Continuity: When Bernardo catches the basketball, the Jets are divided on two separate groups. Half a second later the next angle shows a closed single group.

Continuity: In the begining, when the Jets are snapping their fingers, the guy with the blue t-shirt has his arm against the fence. In the next shot he doesn't.

Deliberate "mistake": The knives at the rumble bend EVERY time they move.

Continuity: The blonde guys snapping fingers, one with a violet t-shirt and the other with a red shirt, stand close to each other, but half a second later stand further apart.

Continuity: In the scene right before "cool" when the two girls are crying, when they enter the garage their clothes are different.

Continuity: In the "Dance at the Gym" scene, while everyone is doing a pelvic swivel with their partners, Riffs arm is around Graziella's waist. In the next shot, his arm is down.

Continuity: During the rumble, Riff slashes at Nardo's shirt with his knife and he spins away, but you can't see any tear in his shirt. Then in the next shot, when Riff is running toward him again there's a noticeable cut in his shirt (on the back).

Other: During "Cool," there's a shot where they're doing a sort of knee turn, and you can see Tucker Smith in the background spinning too many times (you can see him start to stick out his arms to stop himself).

Continuity: In the beginning, an overview shot of the playground and the Jets is shown, the movie then cuts to a closeup of Tony snapping his fingers. In the closeup, there is a boy riding his bike past Tony that was no where to be seen in the previous shot from above.

Continuity: At the gym during the dance, Baby John tells Riff, "Pick up" when Nardo and the Sharks come into the gym, and all the Jets stop dancing - except for Ice and Velma. Then in the next shot, Ice is suddenly in the big Jet mob, and Velma is off to the side with Graziella.

Continuity: Toward the end of the movie when Doc slaps Tony, Tony grabs his face. Then they show a behind shot of Tony and you can see his hand moving slowly away from his face. But when they show a front shot of Tony his hand is back on his face.

Audio problem: During the "Officer Krupke" song, when Riff is sent to the analyst, just before the start of the verse, someone says "whoops" and it isn't part of the song.

Continuity: During the scene when the Jets and the Sharks are chasing each other around, when the jets are in shark territory, 4 boys get splashed with yellow paint. When all the boys are back on the playground nobody is covered in yellow paint.

Continuity: In the playground, when the Jets stand up, the guy with the violet t-shirt stands up twice.

Other: In the prologue, after Riff stands up and signals to the other Jets to follow him, they all stand up, then in the next shot you can see Baby John stand up again.

Continuity: During the number, "Gee, Officer Krupke," Ice is standing right behind Riff, right before he sings "Dear kindly judge your honor..." then suddenly he's in the doorway of Doc's candy store.

Revealing: In the dance scene, when the two gangs are "battling," if you look in the background at the Sharks side, you can see Maria among others mouthing the rhythms of the songs.

Revealing: In the final scene, if you look in the background that is completely opposite of the gate where the characters exit, there are two cars obviously made of cardboard. Many times they can be seen by looking over Maria's shoulder.

Continuity: Maria prays that her brother's death is untrue, she says "Le suplico no puede ser." Her fingers are woven between each other. When they show the back shot of her, her hands are cupped and then she goes back to the previously mentioned position.

Other: When Anita sings, "and the natives steaming" her fingers get caught in the fringe of her dress.

Continuity: When Glad Hand is telling them about the get-together dance at the gym, you can see A-Rab putting his arm on Action's shoulder, then in the next shot he does it again.

Continuity: When the camera zooms into the basketball field, the shadow of the Jets points in a 8 o'clock direction. In the close ups it's a 2 o'clock.

Continuity: When Maria finishes singing "I feel pretty" the purple fabric rests around her left shoulder. A frame later, from a new angle, it's resting around her arm.

Continuity: After the Jets and the Sharks have challenged themselves, Tony takes his right hand to his tie, but the immediate shot shows the hand by his side.

Continuity: A spider web drawn by a girl appears on the close-ups but disappears in the aerial shots.

Continuity: In the bar, when the cop is asking where the fight is going to take place, he addresses a guy in the back. His position and that of his tie changes in half a second when the angle changes.

Continuity: In the basketball field, the guy with the white t-shirt and pink vest is laying against the fence. In the next shot he is slightly turned to the right.

Continuity: When the camera is zooming towards the playground, there's a guy on the right climbing the fence. He disappears from the fence half a second later.

Continuity: When Riff is talking with Bernardo at the bar, the first shot shows one hand bent over the table. A frame later both arms are crossed together.

Continuity: At the bar, Riff's tie when challenging Bernardo swaps from tight to loose between shots.

Continuity: At the bar, 2 of the darts are very close together in one shot, and farther apart in the next.

Audio problem: When the sharks are singing "We're going to hand them a surprise tonight" in the quintet version of Tonight, someone sings the wrong note on the word "Tonight".

Audio problem: After Anita discovers Tony and Maria's tryst, Maria says "Now you know." She completely botches her Puerto Rican accent. She practically sounds British.

Continuity: At the dance, when everyone is swaying with their partner, you can both of Ice's hands on Velma's back, then in the next shot when it's following baby John, you can see Ice put his hands on her back again.

Continuity: When the Jets are playing basketball and Bernardo catches the ball, the position of the legs of the guy in the violet shirt differ between the first and second shot.

Revealing: When Maria is cradling the dead Tony you can see Tony's chest heave as the actor takes a breath.

Other: During "Cool," Baby John spins around and when he stops with his arms spread out, his right foot stumbles a little.

Continuity: In the bar, when the cop is asking where the fight is going to take place, he addresses a guy in the back. His position and that of his tie changes in half a second when the angle changes.