The screen achieves one of the great entertainments in the history of motion pictures.
In the slums of the upper West Side of Manhattan, New York, a gang of Polish-American teenagers called the Jets compete with a rival gang of recently immigrated Puerto Ricans, the Sharks, to "own" the neighborhood streets. Tensions are high between the gangs but two romantics, one from each gang, fall in love leading to tragedy.
immigrant
showdown
street gang
slum
love at first sight
puerto rico
highway
forbidden love
musical
based on play or musical
rivalry
feud
interracial relationship
tragic love
attempted rape
policeman
obsessive love
lifting female in air
young love
modern day adaptation
shakespeare in modern dress
romeo & juliet
romantic
tragic