Crime · Drama · Romance
American
1961 · Directed by Jerome Robbins & Robert Wise · 153 min
On the streets of New York's Upper West Side, two teenage gangs fight over territory: the Jets, born in America, and the Sharks, newly arrived from Puerto Rico. A romance across that line begins while the tension grows. The story is told through song and dance.
Why it matters in cinema history
A defining film of the late studio-era roadshow musical, and the point where the genre moved from fantasy and backstage stories towards urban realism and social conflict.
Watch with intention
Watch how movement does the storytelling: who dances, who walks, and how the camera and the space shape each group.
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