West Side Story was one of the biggest musicals of the 1960s. Inspired by Romeo and Juliet, the original stage musical was conceived by Jerome Robbins, who went on to co-direct the film adaptation with master technician Robert Wise. It tells of star- crossed lovers who reach across the racial/ethnic divide as rival teenage gangs the Jets (second- generation Americans from white European immigrant families) and the Sharks (newly arrived Puerto Ricans) fight for dominance on the streets of New York’s Upper West Side. Robbins created something fairly radical by depicting juvenile delinquency and other inner-city problems in a mainstream musical. His brilliant choreography is a truly spectacular combination of ballet, acrobatics and jazz especially adapted for the camera. The score by Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein has become a much-loved classic.
Please note that this film will be shown in Cinema One at the early time of 6.00 p.m.