Hey folks! Once again, I've decided to break from blogging about Boston affairs, and blog about other things. Although I've written other diaries in the past about my alltime favorite film, West Side Story, here is my own synopsis of it. Here goes:

Loosely based on the renowned Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story is a beautiful movie-musical classic set on the finger-snapping, pulsating West Side of 1950's/1960's New York City.  It involves love and  romance that develops amid conflict between two warring NYC street gangs;  the white Ethnic American Jets and the newly-arrived Puerto Rican Sharks, only to be destroyed later.

The Jets claim and stake out their turf with a tough, macho bravado, and are determined to drive off the Sharks who're also vying for a piece of the small amount of turf that both gangs must share.  A melee between the Sharks and Jets erupts on the playground, which is broken up by Lt. Schrank and Officer Krupke. 

Tony, the founder and ex-Jets gangleader, who is looking for something beyond gang life and the streets but doesn't know what he's looking for, has been hired to work fulltime at Doc's Candy Store.  The elderly, kindly Doc attemps to mentor the kids, but to no avail.

Back on their turf, the Jets, under Riff's leadership, are now debating what to do, and ultimately decide to challenge the Shark gangleader, Bernardo, to a rumble.  Riff decides that Tony would be the best lieutenant and calls on his old friend to help .  He goes to Doc's Candy Store to enlist  Tony's help, but Tony turns Riff down several times.  Riff then persuades Tony to come to the dance at the gym that night,  with  "Who knows?  Maybe what you're lookin' for will be twitchin' at the dance tonight!"


  Reluctantly, Tony agrees to meet Riff  and the Jets at the dance, where Tony and Maria meet  and fall in love. The sparks really begin to fly, as steadily rising tensions between the Jets and Sharks worsen.



Maria, the sister of the Shark gangleader, Bernardo, is a pretty 17-year-old girl who has come to America to marry Chino, another member of the Sharks who  is Bernardo's friend and right-hand man and works as a delivery assistant .

At the Bridal Shop where Maria and Bernardo's girlfriend, Anita, both work as seamstresses, Anita is busy altering a white communion dress for Maria to wear to the dance.  Despite Maria's pleas that  the neck be lowered, her complaints that she'll be the only  one at the dance in white, and attempts to distract Anita by talking about other things, Anita continues with her work. Maria tries on the white dress, loves it, and is excited about coming to the dance.  The Sharks finally come to call.

That night, at the dance,  attempts by social worker, Glad Hand,  to engage the Jets and Sharks in a "get-together" dance,  which fails miserably.  The Jets and Sharks each rally with their own kind and the dance quickly becomes a fierce competition between the two gangs.  At that point, Tony arrives, and is greeted and embraced by his old friend Riff and his girlfriend, Graziella.



Tony and Maria see each other from across the room, meet,  fall in love and begin dancing together,  but are pulled up short by an angry Bernardo, who orders Chino to take Maria home despite her protests that it is only her first dance.

At this point, Riff intervenes and insists that he, the Jets, Bernardo and the Sharks meet at Doc's at midnight for a war council.  Bernardo agrees.

Meanwhile, after bringing Anita home from the dance, Bernardo, Anita, the other Sharks and their girls party on their tenament rooftop, where they argue about the virtues and vices of the American experience.  On the way down from the rooftop, Bernardo invites Anita to meet him on the roof later, to which Anita replies  "I'm an American girl now!  I don't wait!"

Tony goes to Maria's apartment, calls for her, and mounts the fire escape, where they introduce themselves to each other and agree to meet at the Bridal Shop at six o'clock the next evening.

Shortly before midnight, Riff, the Jets and their girls assemble outside Doc's Candy Store.  Officer Krupke arrives, warns the Jets against troublemaking, and is lampooned by the Jets when he departs.  The Jets and their girls enter the Candy Store and sit down, awaiting the Sharks' arrival.  Riff makes it clear to the girls that they don't belong at the war council, while Anybodys, a  tomboy and sort of a Jets "wannabe", tries to make herself invisible by hiding, only to be spotted by Riff, who gestures for her to go despite her giving him a "let me stay" look.  Unlike Graziella and Velma, who exit quietly,  however, Anybodys shoves the Sharks like a big tough guy. 

  Doc's pleas with the boys to talk it out instead of fighting fall on deaf ears.  Jet gangleader Riff then challenges Bernardo to a rumble, which is promptly accepted.  After a  spat that culminates in the exchange of racial and ethnic insults by both gangs, the war council begins  The Jets and Sharks agree to meet for the rumble the next night, after dark, under the West Side High way, after which Riff and Bernardo shake hands to seal the deal.

  As the Jets and Sharks are calling the weapons, Tony comes in, ignores Riff's entreaties for him to line himself with the Jets, and suggests that the Rumble be clinched by a fair fight...a fist fight involving the best man from each gang.  The fair fight is agreed upon and Ice is chosen by  Riff to take on Bernardo, despite Bernardo's obvious disappointment over the fact that he won't be fighting Tony.

In comes Lt. Schrank, who openly displays his prejudice against the Puerto Rican Sharks for their ethnicity and culture by roughly banishing them from the Candy Store.  He then asks the Jets where the rumble would be taking place, declaring  "I'm for you!  I'll even lend a hand if things get rough!"  When the Jets ultimately refuse to disclose where the rumble is taking place,  Lt. Schrank insults the Jets about their ethnic immigrant/family backgrounds, strongly revealing his dislike for the Jets as well as the Sharks.

When the Jets leave the Candy Store, Lt. Schrank remains vitriolic, promising the Jets  "I'll find out where the rumble's gonna be!  But be sure to finish each other off before I get there!  'Cause if ya don't, I will!"

  After bitterly  mouthing off to Doc and lifting a cigar from the counter, Schrank angrily leaves the Candy Store.

When the Jets have left, Tony, who has been cleaning up the store, tells Doc not to let it get him, and that he's very much in love.  Doc, however, is not reassured.

The next afternoon, at the Bridal Shop, Maria gaily prepares for her upcoming meeting with Tony, and the other girls who work with her make fun of Maria for acting so vain.

That evening is the big evening, which will mean different things and have markedly different results for different people.  The Jets and Sharks prepare for the rumble. Tony and Maria meet at the Bridal Shop as planned,  and Anita, who has made plans for a big evening out with Bernardo after the rumble, and clearly disapproves of Tony and Maria's romance, admonishes Maria to "be Home in 15 minutes", and then leaves the shop. Tony and Maria then pledge their love among the
shop mannequins.

Despite Tony's decision not to go to the rumble that night, Maria makes Tony promise to go and stop it.  Tony agrees, despite knowing that his efforts to stop the rumble will have disastrous results.

That night, the Jets and Sharks meet at a deserted place under the West Side Highway for the rumble.  After encouragement and support by their respective gangs, Ice and Bernardo begin to fight.  Just as the rumble is getting underway, Tony arrives, ignores Riff's command for him to get with the Jets, and gets between Ice and Bernardo.  He attempts to shake hands with Bernardo, and tries to assure both men that there's "nothing to fight about".

Thoroughly enraged at Tony's interest in his sister, Bernardo angrily pushes Tony away, slaps him around, roughs him up and insults him for his trouble.  Despite Riff's warning Bernardo to cease and desist, Bernardo refuses.  Losing patience, Riff hauls off and hits Bernardo.  The forbidden switchblades appear and the two gangleaders, Riff and Bernardo, begin the knife fight.

Just as Riff is about to decimate Bernardo, Tony, who has been held back by Ice and Tiger, breaks free and tries to stop Riff.  Bernardo ultimately stabs Riff to death, and, Tony, to avenge his old friend Riff's death, stabs Bernardo.  After a brief free-for-all, the Jets and Sharks, stunned by the killings, flee the police and go into hiding, leaving behind Riff and Bernardo's bodies.  Tony, in a state of grief and bewilderment, calls Maria's name, until Anybodys appears and drags Tony away from danger. The Jets, now led by Ice, and hiding out in a garage, are advised to keep cool.  Baby-John, the youngest member of the Jets, moved to tears by the killings, is comforted by his buddy, A-Rab. Graziella, also moved to tears by Riff's death, is comforted by Velma and some of the Jets. Despite learning that Tony has killed her brother, Bernardo, Maria  still loves Tony, who comes and hides out in her bedroom as she prays that Bernardo's death  not be true.  Tony then advises Maria to meet him at Doc's Candy Store so they can elope together, and then exits out the bedroom window.  Anita knocks on Maria's door, figures out that Maria has been hiding Tony in her bedroom, and severely upbraids Maria for allowing Tony to come near her.

Meanwhile, Tony has been found and sent over to Doc's by Anybodys, who has been spying around in the shadows.  Learning that Tony is in love with Bernardo's sister and is presently being hunted by Chino, who is gunning for Tony to avenge Bernardo's death, Anybodys reports what she's heard back to the Jets, who are determined to protect Tony from Chino.

Meanwhile, Lt. Schrank stops by Maria and Anita's and questions them about the dispute that occurred at the dance the night before.  Under questioning, Maria tells Lt. Schrank that she'd danced with a Puerto Rican boy named Jose.  Anita, who has learned that Chino is hunting down Tony with a gun, warns Maria.

.  At Maria's request, Anita reluctantly goes to Doc's Candy Store to warn Tony about Chino.

At the Candy Store, Anita encounters the Jets.  Due to prejudices against Anita because of her cultural and ethnic background, and their determination to protect Tony from Chino, the Jets refute Anita's appeals that  she wants to help them protect  Tony, and begin to  harass and rough her up.  Enraged, Anita retaliates by spitting out the message that Chino has learned about Tony and Maria and shot Maria dead.

Meanwhile, Tony is still hiding in the cellar, awaiting Maria's arrival.  Instead, Doc comes downstairs and relays  the message that Anita has given him to give to Tony:  that Chino has learned about him and Maria and killed her.  Devastated by the message, a disbelieving Tony  runs from the cellar into the street, calling for Chino to come get him too.  Despite Anybodys warnings to Tony to leave, Tony refuses, continuing to call for Chino.  Meanwhile, Maria appears and she and Tony fall, briefly, into each others' arms.  Chino suddenly appears from behind a building and shoots Tony dead.  Tony dies in Maria's arms. 

The remaining Jets and Sharks, who seem on the verge of clashing once again, are held back by Maria who intervenes, aiming at several Jets and Sharks with Chino's gun, but, overcome with grief, is unable to fire, and collapses on Tony's body.  Loudly, Maria states the message that they all killed Bernardo, Riff and Tony with their hatred.  Several Jets and Sharks converge to carry Tony's body off,  united, at least for a fleeting moment, in understanding of tragedy.