Academy Awards

34th Academy Awards

April 9, 1962Santa Monica Civic AuditoriumFilms from 196129 categories
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Best Picture Winner

West Side Story

West Side Story

Best Picture

Director: Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins

Studio: United Artists

Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love in this musical reimagining of Romeo and Juliet.

From the Worthy Podcast

Remakes: Hollywood’s Original Thought Problem

Expectations of a remake compared to the original?

Where is the emphasis put compared between the two?

Does newer technology and ways of filmmaking enhance the quality of the story/film itself?

Remake of an adaptation of a Broadway musical that is adapted from a Shakespeare play that is also adapted from an Italian poem

As noted in the December 1960 Daily Variety article, only a few changes were made to the theatrical script. Among them, the prologue was lengthened from four-and-one-half minutes to eight minutes. In the song “America,” which originally was sung only by the Puerto Rican women, the men’s point of view was added. Two numbers, “Cool” and “Gee, Officer Krupke,” were moved to other positions within the story; some of the lyrics of “Krupke” were altered slightly; and the character of Krupke is not seen onscreen during the song, as he was in the staged version.

All Categories (29)

Best Motion Picture

West Side StoryRobert Wise, Producer
Winner
FannyJoshua Logan, Producer
Judgment at NurembergStanley Kramer, Producer
The Guns of NavaroneCarl Foreman, Producer
The HustlerRobert Rossen, Producer

Actor

Maximilian SchellJudgment at Nuremberg {"Hans Rolfe"}
Winner
Charles BoyerFanny {"César"}
Paul NewmanThe Hustler {"Eddie Felson"}
Spencer TracyJudgment at Nuremberg {"Judge Dan Haywood"}
Stuart WhitmanThe Mark {"Jim Fuller"}

Actor In A Supporting Role

George ChakirisWest Side Story {"Bernardo"}
Winner
George C. ScottThe Hustler {"Bert Gordon"}
Jackie GleasonThe Hustler {"Minnesota Fats"}
Montgomery CliftJudgment at Nuremberg {"Rudolph Petersen"}
Peter FalkPocketful of Miracles {"Joy Boy"}

Actress

Sophia LorenTwo Women {"Cesira"}
Winner
Audrey HepburnBreakfast at Tiffany's {"Holly Golightly"}
Geraldine PageSummer and Smoke {"Alma Winemiller"}
Natalie WoodSplendor in the Grass {"Wilma Dean Loomis"}
Piper LaurieThe Hustler {"Sarah Packard"}

Actress In A Supporting Role

Rita MorenoWest Side Story {"Anita"}
Winner
Fay BainterThe Children's Hour {"Mrs. Amelia Tilford"}
Judy GarlandJudgment at Nuremberg {"Irene Hoffman"}
Lotte LenyaThe Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone {"Countess Magda Terribili-Gonzales"}
Una MerkelSummer and Smoke {"Mrs. Winemiller"}

Directing

West Side StoryRobert Wise, Jerome Robbins
Winner
Judgment at NurembergStanley Kramer
La Dolce VitaFederico Fellini
The Guns of NavaroneJ. Lee Thompson
The HustlerRobert Rossen

Writing (Screenplay Based On Material From Another Medium)

Judgment at NurembergAbby Mann
Winner
Breakfast at Tiffany'sGeorge Axelrod
The Guns of NavaroneCarl Foreman
The HustlerSidney Carroll, Robert Rossen
West Side StoryErnest Lehman

Writing (Story And Screenplay--Written Directly For The Screen)

Splendor in the GrassWilliam Inge
Winner
Ballad of a SoldierValentin Yoshov, Grigori Chukhrai
General Della RovereSergio Amidei, Diego Fabbri, Indro Montanelli
La Dolce VitaFederico Fellini, Tullio Pinelli, Ennio Flaiano, Brunello Rondi
Lover Come BackStanley Shapiro, Paul Henning

Cinematography (Black-And-White)

The HustlerEugen Shuftan
Winner
Judgment at NurembergErnest Laszlo
One, Two, ThreeDaniel L. Fapp
The Absent Minded ProfessorEdward Colman
The Children's HourFranz F. Planer

Cinematography (Color)

West Side StoryDaniel L. Fapp
Winner
A Majority of OneHarry Stradling, Sr.
FannyJack Cardiff
Flower Drum SongRussell Metty
One-Eyed JacksCharles Lang, Jr.

Music (Music Score Of A Dramatic Or Comedy Picture)

Breakfast at Tiffany'sHenry Mancini
Winner
El CidMiklos Rozsa
FannyMorris Stoloff, Harry Sukman
Summer and SmokeElmer Bernstein
The Guns of NavaroneDimitri Tiomkin

Music (Scoring Of A Musical Picture)

West Side StorySaul Chaplin, Johnny Green, Sid Ramin, Irwin Kostal
Winner
Babes in ToylandGeorge Bruns
Flower Drum SongAlfred Newman, Ken Darby
KhovanshchinaDimitri Shostakovich
Paris BluesDuke Ellington

Art Direction (Black-And-White)

The HustlerArt Direction: Harry Horner; Set Decoration: Gene Callahan
Winner
Judgment at NurembergArt Direction: Rudolph Sternad; Set Decoration: George Milo
La Dolce VitaPiero Gherardi
The Absent Minded ProfessorArt Direction: Carroll Clark; Set Decoration: Emile Kuri, Hal Gausman
The Children's HourArt Direction: Fernando Carrere; Set Decoration: Edward G. Boyle

Art Direction (Color)

West Side StoryArt Direction: Boris Leven; Set Decoration: Victor A. Gangelin
Winner
Breakfast at Tiffany'sArt Direction: Hal Pereira, Roland Anderson; Set Decoration: Sam Comer, Ray Moyer
El CidArt Direction: Veniero Colasanti, John Moore
Flower Drum SongArt Direction: Alexander Golitzen, Joseph Wright; Set Decoration: Howard Bristol
Summer and SmokeArt Direction: Hal Pereira, Walter Tyler; Set Decoration: Sam Comer, Arthur Krams

Special Effects

The Guns of NavaroneVisual Effects by Bill Warrington; Audible Effects by Vivian C. Greenham
Winner
The Absent Minded ProfessorVisual Effects by Robert A. Mattey, Eustace Lycett

Film Editing

West Side StoryThomas Stanford
Winner
FannyWilliam H. Reynolds
Judgment at NurembergFrederic Knudtson
The Guns of NavaroneAlan Osbiston
The Parent TrapPhilip W. Anderson

Sound

West Side StoryTodd-AO Sound Department, Fred Hynes, Sound Director; and Samuel Goldwyn Studio Sound Department, Gordon E. Sawyer, Sound Director
Winner
Flower Drum SongRevue Studio Sound Department, Waldon O. Watson, Sound Director
The Children's HourSamuel Goldwyn Studio Sound Department, Gordon E. Sawyer, Sound Director
The Guns of NavaroneShepperton Studio Sound Department, John Cox, Sound Director
The Parent TrapWalt Disney Studio Sound Department, Robert O. Cook, Sound Director

Costume Design (Black-And-White)

La Dolce VitaPiero Gherardi
Winner
Claudelle InglishHoward Shoup
Judgment at NurembergJean Louis
The Children's HourDorothy Jeakins
YojimboYoshiro Muraki

Costume Design (Color)

West Side StoryIrene Sharaff
Winner
Babes in ToylandBill Thomas
Back StreetJean Louis
Flower Drum SongIrene Sharaff
Pocketful of MiraclesEdith Head, Walter Plunkett

Documentary (Feature)

Le Ciel et la Boue (Sky Above and Mud Beneath)Arthur Cohn and Rene Lafuite, Producers
Winner
La Grande Olimpiade (Olympic Games 1960)dell Istituto Nazionale Luce, Comitato Organizzatore Del Giochi Della XVII Olimpiade

Documentary (Short Subject)

Project HopeFrank P. Bibas, Producer
Winner
Breaking the Language BarrierUnited States Air Force
Cradle of GeniusJim O'Connor and Tom Hayes, Producers
KahlDido-Film-GmbH
L'Uomo in Grigio (The Man in Gray)Benedetto Benedetti, Producer

Foreign Language Film

Through a Glass DarklySweden
Winner
Harry and the ButlerDenmark
Immortal LoveJapan
PlacidoSpain
The Important ManMexico

Honorary Award

To William L. Hendricks for his outstanding patriotic service in the conception, writing and production of the Marine Corps film, A Force in Readiness, which has brought honor to the Academy and the motion picture industry.
Winner
IRVING G. THALBERG MEMORIAL AWARD
Stanley Kramer
To Fred L. Metzler for his dedication and outstanding service to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
To Jerome Robbins for his brilliant achievements in the art of choreography on film.

Scientific Or Technical Award (Class II)

To SYLVANIA ELECTRIC PRODUCTS, INC., for the development of a hand held high-power photographic lighting unit known as the Sun Gun Professional. [Lighting]
Winner
To 20TH CENTURY-FOX RESEARCH DEPARTMENT, under the direction of E.I. SPONABLE and HERBERT E. BRAGG, and DELUXE LABORATORIES, INC., with the assistance of F.D. LESLIE, R.D. WHITMORE, A.A. ALDEN, ENDEL POOL and JAMES B. GORDON for a system of decompressing and recomposing CinemaScope pictures for conventional aspect ratios. [Laboratory]
To JAMES DALE, S. WILSON, H.E. RICE, JOHN RUDE, LAURIE ATKIN, WADSWORTH E. POHL, H. PEASGOOD and TECHNICOLOR CORP. for a process of automatic selective printing. [Laboratory]

Scientific Or Technical Award (Class III)

To HURLETRON, INC., ELECTRIC EYE EQUIPMENT DIVISION, for an automatic light changing system for motion picture printers. [Laboratory]
Winner
To WADSWORTH E. POHL and TECHNICOLOR CORP. for an integrated sound and picture transfer process. [Laboratory]

Music (Song)

"Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany'sMusic by Henry Mancini; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Winner
"Bachelor In Paradise" from Bachelor in ParadiseMusic by Henry Mancini; Lyrics by Mack David
"Love Theme From El Cid (The Falcon And The Dove)" from El CidMusic by Miklos Rozsa; Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster
"Pocketful Of Miracles" from Pocketful of MiraclesMusic by James Van Heusen; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
"Town Without Pity" from Town without PityMusic by Dimitri Tiomkin; Lyrics by Ned Washington

Short Subject (Cartoon)

Ersatz (The Substitute)Zagreb Film
Winner
AquamaniaWalt Disney, Producer
Beep PreparedChuck Jones, Producer
Nelly's FollyChuck Jones, Producer
The Pied Piper of GuadalupeFriz Freleng, Producer

Short Subject (Live Action)

Seawards the Great ShipsTemplar Film Studios
Winner
Ballon Vole (Play Ball!)Ciné-Documents
Rooftops of New YorkRobert Gaffney, Producer
The Face of JesusDr. John D. Jennings, Producer
Very Nice, Very NiceNational Film Board of Canada
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The breakdown of every Best Picture winner from past to present.

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