The scene is set in the 50's/60's in Manhattan, New York City. It deals with 2 feuding gangs: the Jets who are native-born American versus the Sharks who are from Puerto Rico.
Tony, one of the leaders of the Jets falls in love with one of the Skarks' sister, Maria. They know they can't be together because of the gangs' war, but that doesn't stop them. West Side Story ends in a bloodshed, so we can conclude that it is a tragedy.
In West Side Story and in Romeo and Juliet (by Shakespeare) there are some similarities such as the conflict which opposes the 2 lovers' families: Maria and Tony on the one hand and Romeo and Juliet on the other hand.
1) In the 2 works, the 2 lovers fall in love at a ball.
2) Then, Tony declares his love to Maria below the fire escape whereas Romeo tells Juliet that he loves her under the balcony .
3) Finally, in Romeo and Juliet the 2 lovers react by committing suicide because of the separation and in West Side Story Tony reacts by killing himself.
To my mind, even if someone is not a fan of musicals, he should not deprive himself of the cinematic pleasure that is West Side Story. It is one of the best musicals ever made. It’s one of the best films . However I really did not like the fact that there were too many songs so we can not take advantage of the action.
My favourite song in West Side Story is "America". Indeed, I like the Puerto Rican accent. Besides, what they are saying is true as well as very comical. I enjoyed their dance. In addition, I love Anita's character.
What a pity that the 2 loving couples can not fulfill their dreams ! But in my opinion, it is the key element which makes the magic of the plot.
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