west side story movie analysis
TRANSCRIPT
West Side Story1961
Five Fast Facts Winner of 10 Academy Awards
Soundtrack was No 1 on the Billboard Charts for 54 weeks
94% on Rotten Tomatoes
Based on Romeo and Juliet, which is based on a poem by Arthur
Brooke called The Tragic Historye of Romeus and Juliet, which is
based on a poem by the Roman poet Ovid called Pyramus and
Thisbe
Actors worked over 16 hours a day and Natalie
Wood begged to be fired at one point
Two rival gangs are constantly at odds on the streets of New York,
the Jets, composed of European Americans and the Sharks, Puerto
Ricans.
Maria meets Tony at a dance in which both are at, Tony is a Jet and
Maria is the sister of the Shark’s leader, Bernardo.
Maria and Tony see each other from across the room and it is love
at first sight, they steal a dance and a kiss while everyone else is
dancing, when the lights come on Maria’s brother Bernardo says,
“Maria let’s leave!”
Tony finds out Maria’s name after Bernardo says it and Tony
leave’s the dance singing a song about how beautiful the name is.
Tony finds out where Maria lives and he then climbs up her fire
escape. He tells her to be with him he says, “I’m not one of ‘em
Maria.”, Tony. “But you are not one of us, and I am not one of you,”
Maria.
Tony convinces the gangs to only have a fight between one man
from each gang instead of the rumble they were going to have.
Maria tells Tony to stop the rumble altogether, she says any fight
is no good for them.
Maria and Tony have pretend wedding in the bridal shop Maria
works at.
At the rumble Tony tries to stop it but ends up killing Bernardo.
One of the Sharks tells Maria that Tony killed Bernardo.
Tony shows up at her house and she hits him and calls him a killer. Tony explains he didn’t mean to hurt Bernardo and he was going to turn himself in. Maria says he cannot turn himself in. Then Tony says he will take her away to a place where no one can find them, and they sing a song about how there’s a place for them somewhere and they will go together.
Tony is shot by a Shark right before Maria and him embrace as
they are about to leave town, as both gangs witness.
Tony then dies in her arms.
Maria tells people are dead because of your hate.
Type of Relationship
A couple who meets and falls in love instantly
Cultural Background of Characters
Maria is a Puerto Rican Maria is the sister of the Shark leader Tony is Italian Tony is a former founding member of the Jets
Context of the Conversation Throughout the movie the love of Maria and Tony
is forbidden because they are from separate cultures.
They must hide their love and meet in secret. They ask what will people think. They both love each other so deeply that culture
does not matter, even though it is forbidden. Maria seeks to understand Tony’s culture by
asking what Tony is short for.
Communication Competence They communicate competently, signing songs
together that show they know each other’s thoughts and feelings.
Tony attempts to bridge the cultural gap by speaking some Spanish, although Maria’s friend corrects him and is not impressed