Loosely based on Shakespeare's play, Romeo & Juliet and set on the finger-snapping, pulsating West Side of 1960's New York City, West Side Story is a beautiful golden oldie-but-goody movie/musical classic that combines a neat story of urban gang warfare, racial/ethnic tensions, juvenile delinquency and conflict with the law, the breaching of taboos as love between two sides developes amid hatred and conflict, with richly colored costumes, photography and cinematography, talented actors/actresses (except Richard Beymer as Tony), beautifully choreographed dancing by Jerome Robbins, and a brilliant musical score by Leonard Bernstein. It is a wonderful example of how various emotions can be expressed through dance, not have too much gore or sex scenes that're too explicit and steamy. Moreover, West Side Story, unlike many, if not most other movies about gang warfare, etc, that seem to kind of glorify gang violence and prejudice, West Side Story delivers a different message: How deadly gang violence and prejudice often have dire, destructive consequences, as is indicated by the destruction of Tony and Maria's romance, after both gangleaders Riff and Bernardo go down for the final count in the ensuing rumble, and so does Tony, in the end. Yet, there's a ray of hope, too, at the end of the long, dark tunnel: When several Jets and Sharks come together to carry Tony's body off, in at least a momentary understanding in tragedy.
West Side Story is a great movie to see in a real movie theatre, with the lights down low, on a great big, wide movie screen. Played on a great big movie theatre screen, West Side Story seems to take on a magical, almost 3-dimensional quality to it. The brilliant Bernstein musical score, along with the richly-colored costumes and photography, the beautifully-choreographed dancing all seem much more brilliant and intense The various characters, from the warring Jets and Sharks, to the bigoted, cynical Krupke and Schrank, to the romancing Tony and Maria, as well as Bernardo and his girlfriend, Anita, all seem to move much more fluidly and in a much larger, much more open space. To those who've never seen West Side Story, or have only seen it on television, the next time it comes to a movie theatre in your area, I say--jump at the chance. It's an enriching experience that you'll never forget. The MGM phrase "Unlike other classics, West Side Story grows younger", imho, carries a strong, strong element of truth to it.