Published april 15th 1990 by pocket books first published 1961. West side story is a 1961 american musical romantic drama film directed by robert wise and jerome robbins. Browse essays about west side story and find inspiration. On the other hand, in the rise and fall of the broadway musical, mark grant concentrates on the growth of the musical in light of changes in technology and music, and in writing the book and lyrics. Analysis of west side story west side story came out in 1961 as a.
The leader of the first ones decided on the next dance to challenge bernardo, the leader of the second. In addition to the storyform, youll also find any additional analysis or media related to the story in question more analysis whale rider. The production keeps the original book by arthur laurents with music. An analysis of the west side story with romeo and juliet. Having said that, it still pulls off the odd trick or two that deviates from our. About west side story west side story, which opened on september 26, 1957, is a landmark in american musical theatre history.
The music was composed by leonard bernstein, and the lyrics were written by stephen sondheim. West side story has an incredibly complex score and therefore any worthw. Analysis of west side story west side story came out in 1961 as a melodramatic musical that took place in new york. In west side story, love at first sight between tony and maria set. How does west side story question the idea of what it means to be an american. West side story has three main themes, love, tragedy, and justice, which are brought to light throughout the course of the movie. It is nearly impossible to take on west side story, a musical adapted into. Youve reached the hub for any and all dramatica analysis of west side story. This 39page guide for west side story by irving shulman includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 2 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. Welcome to the dollhouse west side storys somewhere published on 22nd october 2015 the film musical, west side story, 1961 is a film adaptation of the 1957 broadway musical of the same name, and the story itself is a modern adaptation of william shakespeares romeo and juliet, a timeless love story that is here placed in the contemporary setting of n.
West side story, a musical adaptation of shakespeares romeo. The story is set in the upper west side neighborhood in new york city in the mid 1950s, an ethnic, bluecollar neighborhood in the early 1960s, much of the. Essay about analysis of west side story 1161 words bartleby. The jets, a white gang of teenagers led by riff, and the sharks, the puerto ricans who recently came to the west side, are the two gangs vying to rule the same area on their block. Nov 28, 2010 four dances from west side story features some of the highlights of these dance sequences transcribed for band. Four dances from west side story by leonard bernstein wind.
Heres what we know so far about the steven spielberg remake of the classic musical and film west side story, including the premiere date, casting news, and changes to the plot. A proyouth strategy in much the same way as it is presented in the movie. The musical about rival new york gangs, the jets and the sharks, added an injection of teenage cool to the tragedy, dispensing with shakespeares words while emphasising the storys emotion. Listen for examples of how the composer leonard bernstein used rhythm. Parents need to know that west side story is an updated romeo and juliet story that explores race relations and immigration within a musical format. Essay about analysis of west side story 1161 words. It stars natalie wood, richard beymer, russ tamblyn, rita moreno, and george chakiris, and was photographed. How accurately does the song america, from the musical. Free shipping get free shipping free 58 day shipping within the u.
West side story simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The rivalry between the gangs is in place from the beginning, but it reaches a fever pitch when maria falls for tony, the founder of the jets, at a local dance. West side story is a musical with a book by arthur laurents, music by leonard bernstein and. He is the author of ten books, including the novels the amboy dukes, cry tough, and the square trap, which were all adapted into movies. The musical explores the rivalry between the jets and the sharks, two teenage. West side story is a 1957 american musical west side story may also refer to. West side story has been added to your cart add to cart. The book west side story written by arthur laurents is set in the mid 1950s, created as modern version of shakespeares romeo and juliet.
The girls who sing in this song are singing about how much they hate puerto rico and love america. Analysis the tonight ensemble from west side story. Need reed 1 book from west side story sax on the web forum. In addition to the storyform, youll also find any additional analysis or media related to the story in question. West side story by irving shulman, 1967, pocket books edition, in english west side story 1967 edition open library. She falls in love with tony and finds herself at the center of the violent conflict between the two gangs. Laurents ultimately invented what sounded like real street talk but actually was not. Irving shulman 191995 was a novelist and screenwriter, known for his depictions of urban life. Learn by example and become a better writer with kibins suite of essay help services. The movie, filled with exhilarating dance sequences choreographed by jerome robbins and memorable songsincluding tonight, maria, and somewhereby leonard bernstein music and stephen sondheim lyrics, won 10. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of west side story 1961 film by robert wise.
What do you think the musical says about american national identity. The plot of the film involves two racebased gangs fighting to rule the same strip of street on the west side of new york city in the late 1950s. To ask other readers questions about west side story, please sign up. For example, it was said that the school gym was neutral ground so when the. Although west side story was named the best picture of 1961 and won 10 academy awards, it is not much mentioned by movie fans these days, and the old warhorse singin in the rain is probably more seen and certainly better loved.
On the contrary, the boys are singing about wanting to go back to puerto rico. Swain spend an entire chapter on the analysis of west side story. West side story is a musical with a book by arthur laurents, music by leonard bernstein and lyrics by stephen sondheim. The further we get in time from when west side story was written, the more the musicals mythic dimensions come into focus. One of the most famous film adaptations is west side story. West side story is a tragic love story set in new york city in the mid1950s on the west side of the city. West side story musical by bernstein and sondheim and. The musical is a 20thcentury american adaptation of the shakespearean tale of romeo and juliet. A comparison of the power struggles in romeo and juliet and west side story.
Jun 16, 2017 west side story chapters 15 quiz 17 questions by zaberk last updated. For example it talks about them raping or allowing others to rape women at several points. West side story, american musical film, released in 1961, that was inspired by shakespeare s romeo and juliet. The 1957 musical west side story was a collaboration among composer leonard bernstein, lyricist stephen sondheim, and choreographer jerome robbins. Directed and choreographed by jerome robbins, the show was written by composer leonard bernstein, librettist arthur laurents, and lyricist stephen sondheim. A literary analysis of anything goes, she loves me and the west side story.
Essays for west side story 1961 film west side story 1961 film essays are academic essays for citation. West side storys somewhere published on 22nd october 2015 the film musical, west side story, 1961 is a film adaptation of the 1957 broadway musical of the same name, and the story itself is a modern adaptation of william shakespeares romeo and juliet, a timeless love story that is here placed in the contemporary setting of n. Setting compare and contrast plot the book west side story takes place on the west side of new york city in the 1950s. He is the author of ten books, including the novels the amboy dukes, cry. The scherzo is a lighthearted, carefree movement that comes from the dream ballet of the musical, in which tony imagines a world of peace and harmony to which he can take maria. There are some nice solo lines for alto in the first book, lots of flute playing including some exposed passages in the third octave, and two fun spots. The setting is the upper west side of new york city in the late 1950s with conflict. For example, focusing on the diverse opposing groups between the two texts. Stephen spielberg west side story news, premiere date.
West side story and romeo and juliet have a number of similarities and differences in many ways. Analysis the tonight ensemble from west side story essay. There is a door between the bedroom and the parlor. West side story original broadway cast, a 1957 recording west side story, an adaptation directed by robert wise and jerome robbins. The story revolves around quarrelsome families of two new york city gangs the white jets led by the riff and the puerto rican sharks, led by bernardo. The powerful, swiftly moving plot is driven by turbulence. With a screenplay by ernest lehman, the film is an adaptation of the 1957 broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was inspired by william shakespeares play romeo and juliet. West side story and romeo and juliet film studies essay. Tonight ensemble maria, tony, anita, riff, bernardo, jets and sharks in this number, all the. It was inspired by william shakespeare s play romeo and juliet. Crazy to think that what happens takes place in that time frame. Romeo and juliet, the classic piece of literature, and west side story, the iconic.
The bedroom as a window opening onto the fire escape, a bed on a wall, a small shrine to the virgin, and a curtained doorway, rear. West side story 1961 film literary elements gradesaver. West side story 1961 film study guide contains a biography of robert wise, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. West side story mass market paperback april 15, 1990. West side story is a romantic tragedy about two characters that are supposedly completely different and arent accepted when they fall in love. An analysis of the romeo and juliet in comparison to the west side story, a play by william shakespeare. Whenever i see a movie or stage production of a play, i am always interested to read the actual book to have a different perspective on the characters and overall plot. He proposed that the plot focus on the conflict between an irish catholic family and a jewish family living. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. West side story is a musical tragedy film, directed by robert wise and jerome robbins, which is an awardwinning and adaptation of the classic romantic tragedy, romeo and juliet. It is said to be a rendition of shakespeares romeo and juliet.
West side story 1961 film study guide contains a biography of robert wise. West side story opened on broadway at the winter garden theatre on 26 september 1957, and on the west end at her majestys theatre on 12 december 1958. The show continues to seduce in a theatrical language that remains universal. See all 41 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. West side story anaylsis essaysas a contemporary musical, west side story differs from romeo and juliet in form and detail, but stays true to the tragedy of innocent love caught in a complex social web that predestines its demise. Tonight ensemble maria, tony, anita, riff, bernardo, jets and sharks in this number, all the participants talk about the eventful evening they feel is ahead, each with their own thoughts on what will happen.
After owning their miserable little neighborhood for years, the jets, the fingersnapping street gang led by riff russ tamblyn, find themselves in a turf war with the upstart puerto rican sharks, led by bernardo george chakiris. West side story, theatre music by american composer leonard bernstein that premiered august 19, 1957, in washington, d. In my book club we took the comparison between this and the outsides. Read analysis the tonight ensemble from west side story free essay and over 89,000 other research documents. It takes the same theme as shakespeares, romeo and juliet, in that it is about two lovers whose relationship is not accepted by others because of conflicting backgrounds. Oct 10, 2014 an analysis of the success of west side story by howard goodall, extracted from the tv show twentieth century greats. This quiz has been developed to test your knowledge about the.
He is the author of ten books, including the novels the amboy dukes, cry tough, and the square. The scenes in the book mostly take place at a drugstore, a playground and on the streets. Jan 31, 2014 the song lyrics by stephen sondheim is meant to show the clash of cultures not just between different ethnic groups but also within a group. America is a fantastic example of the use of this literary tool. Peter n the song america is sung by the puerto rican sharks. Romeo and juliet is the most filmed shakespeare play and has often been relocated to different settings around the world. West side story is an american musical written by arthur laurents, music by leonard bernstein, lyrics by stephen sondheim, and choreography by jerome robbins. West side story was the kind of musical people thought was good for them, a pious expression of admirable but unrealistic liberal sentiments, and certainly its.
This classroom supplement is meant to accompany the materials in the soundfly course and to open. Racism is a factor in the storyline of west side story and is analyzed in the selected articles, the code of the street and reframing gang violence. West side story summary and study guide supersummary. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published.
It was inspired by william shakespeares play romeo and juliet the story is set in the upper west side neighborhood in new york city in the mid 1950s, a multiracial, bluecollar neighborhood. Need reed 1 book from west side story i dont have a copy of the book but ive played the show. An analysis of west side story with the audio attached for some of the key features that bernstein uses. Film music analysis west side storys somewhere matt joyce. Very interesting to compare contrast on that side of the. West side story 1961 film symbols, allegory and motifs. For example, fourths appear twice in the phrase to him alone as the. West side story is groundbreaking in a lot of ways, but when it comes to delivering the information, it tends to rely on the triedandtrue technique of moving to the character we need to see when we need to see him or her, then moving back as the story demands. Additionally, an activity encourages readers to compare the 1961 film version west side story directed by robert wise with the 1996 film version of romeo and.
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