West Side Story (1961)

 Robert Wise's "West Side Story"

Based on the acclaimed 1957 Broadway Musical of the same name, the 1961 film adaptation of "West Side Story" is one of the most memorable movie musicals in history. The original story is based on William Shakespeare's famous play "Romeo and Juliet," but updated for a 'modern' New York City. While it remains a classic of Hollywood history, to me, it does little to distinguish itself from the other colorful musicals of the time.

The best aspect of the film's impact, beyond its critical recognition, is its timely politics on civil unrest and race relations. In the film, two teenage gangs rival for control over of the Upper West Side. One gang is white, the other Puerto Rican. While the representation of some of the Puerto Ricans by white actors is a bit undermining of its main point, I still feel its central thematic focus was an important social commentary at a time when civil rights were heating up in the 1960s.

I felt that this social commentary was somewhat unique for a big studio production. In my voyages into American films of the late 1950s, early 1960s, I tend to find more propagandic works that do little to empower civil unity. Rather, most American films at the time were more focused on propagating an 'All-American' lifestyle, with harkens to traditional family structures, patriotic messaging, and respect for social norms. 

However, "West Side Story's" affirming socio-political concerns does very little for me in the arena of thematic engagement or even entertainment value. While some aspects of the film I found partially entertaining, its merely caresses greatest and doesn't quite embrace it. Even so, the film merits my respect.