West Side Story

Social Tension and Doomed Romances in West Side Story

Hundreds of years after Shakespeare's penning of Romeo and Juliet, the notion of warring families and star-crossed lovers has not waned in popularity. This is evident in the Academy Award-winning 1961 film West Side Story, which, stripped of its musical interludes and numerous dance numbers, becomes the adaptation of Shakespeare's romantic tragedy in its barest bones. Of course, West Side Story gives a more contemporary edge to the social tensions between two "families," this time branching out to two racial families as opposed to two rival Italian groups in Verona. Through Robert Wise's direction, the film adaptation of the popular musical manages to exude serious racial concerns of the time period through light-hearted song and an epic love story.

The movie opens up with overhead shots of New York City and its busy activities in the city. From...
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