West Side Story however, has always been one of my favorite musicals, and I really like the story. I think it has to do with the fact that the movie took the story of Romeo and Juliet and adapted it to fit a modern setting, not just by reciting the play over. I actually felt that I got more from the story watching the musical than I did from watching the movie.
There were certain parts of West Side Story that stuck out to me this time because it reflected ideas of the play more then I had noticed before.
The moment that stuck out to me was the song Officer Krupke. I think this scene shows the mockery that the young men have for authority, and the disrespect they have for the law even if they are a little foolish about it.
The second moment is the war meeting between the Sharks and the Jets at Docs. This is similar to the idea that they are making a mockery out of the law system shown by them pretending to get along, but what really is striking to me about this scene is how easy it looks for them all to get along. They are in this battle with each other, but in a strange way protective of each other against the law.
Lastly is the image after Bernardo kills Riff. The shock that he actually has taken his life is upsetting. He reminds me of Tybalt killing Mercutio. It looks like he never believes that their action would have gone that far, and everything before was just talk.
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| All the images were from West Side Story |
The scene between the Sharks and the Jets at Docs is an very tense scene. I agree that it shows their disrespect for the law, but I think it also shows their disrespect for each other in a way. The end of the scene, when the Sharks are walking out of the store, is when we see the pinnacle of racial tension in the movie. The Sharks also show their disappointment with America in general by whistling a patriotic song as they walk out the door.
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