West Side Story became an instant classic upon its release in 1961. The adaptation of the 1957 Romeo and Juliet-inspired stage musical, which starred Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer as star-crossed lovers Maria and Tony, was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won 10. That year, Rita Moreno became the first Latina ever to win an Oscar, for her role as Anita, Maria’s brother Bernardo’s girlfriend. But for all its successes, more recent reassessments of the movie point to the ways in which its casting fell short.