West Side Story (1961)
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Two rival gangs in New York City clash over territory while a forbidden romance develops between members of each group.
The story
In New York City in 1957, two teenage gangs compete for control on the Upper West Side. The Jets, a group of whites led by Riff, brawl with the Sharks, Puerto Ricans led by Bernardo. Lieutenant Schrank and Officer Krupke arrive and break it up. The Jets challenge the Sharks to a rumble to be held after an upcoming dance. Riff wants his best friend Tony, a co-founder and former member of the Jets, to fight at the rumble. Riff invites Tony to the dance, but Tony says he senses something important is coming. Riff suggests it could happen at the dance. Tony finally agrees to go.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In New York City in 1957, the Jets and the Sharks are rival gangs fighting for territory. Tony, a former Jet, falls in love with Maria, the sister of the Sharks' leader, Bernardo. Despite the tensions, they plan to elope. During a planned rumble between the gangs, a fight breaks out and Riff and Bernardo are killed. Tony and Maria are left devastated. Later, after a series of complications involving the other gang members and a misunderstanding about their whereabouts, Tony and Maria attempt to flee together. However, they are caught in a tragic confrontation where Tony is shot and killed by Bernardo's friend, Chino. The film ends with the two gangs uniting to carry Tony's body in a funeral procession.
- First release year
- 1961
- Runtime (minutes)
- 152
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Robert Wise; Jerome Robbins
- Writers
- Ernest Lehman · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Natalie Wood · Maria; Richard Beymer · Tony; Russ Tamblyn · Riff; Rita Moreno · Anita; George Chakiris · Bernardo
- Genres
- musical; romantic drama
- Themes
- forbidden love; gang rivalry; prejudice
- Tone and mood
- dramatic; romantic
- Setting
- New York City, Upper West Side, 1957
- Premise and plot tags
- musical; romance; drama; gangs
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1957 Broadway musical, inspired by Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet
- Reception
- The film is regarded as one of the greatest musical films ever made and received praise from critics and viewers, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1961.
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Picture · win; Academy Award · Best Film Editing · win
- Production trivia
- It was the first film to share the Academy Award for Best Director between two people.; The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1997.; A second film adaptation by Steven Spielberg was released in telling December 2021.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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