Music with West Side Story

American Centre's film screening for November highlights musicals and this Tuesday, November 13 at 6 pm it will show 'West Side Story' which bagged major awards at 1961 Academy awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted or Musical Song/Score and Best Cinematography.

The retelling of Romeo and Juliet updates the story to contemporary city life, focusing on street gangs the Sharks and the Jets. Rival New York City gangs affect the love of a young man (Richard Beymer) and woman (Natalie Wood) from each side. The Sharks and the Jets are two feuding street gangs in 1950's New York, the Jets being White and the Sharks being Puerto Rican. At a dance at a gym, Jet Tony falls in love with a Shark's sister, Maria. They know they can't be together because of the gang's war, but that doesn't stop them.

Meanwhile, the two gangs prepare for a rumble, and Tony tries to stop it out of love for Maria. In the process, his best friend and Jet leader Riff is killed by Maria's brother, Bernardo. In anger, Tony kills Bernardo. He then realizes his mistake. Directed by Cast Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins it stars Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno, Russ Tamblyn, George Chakiris and Simon Oakland.