First there was the musical, then the film. In 1961, the intensely romantic West Side Story was a box-office sensation after having previously taken the theatres by storm. As in the musical, two Manhattan gangs, the Jets and the Sharks, fight for power in 1957; the police has its hands full with this eternal war between these lanky adolescents. Tony and Maria, who each belong to a different gang, fall madly in love with each other. Theirs is an impossible love, like the story’s main inspiration Romeo and Juliet. The wonderful dance scenes and songs still stand untarnished 40 years later as does the Leonard Bernstein soundtrack, which became a huge success. West Side Story was partially shot in Technicolor and has been viewed by millions of fans around the globe; often again and again, and always tearful because of the heart-rending ending. The film became cultural heritage almost immediately after it was released and was rewarded with no less than 10 Oscars in 1962.
