As I sat down to watch West Side Story, I must admit that I was very skeptical. I don’t watch musicals a lot and when I heard that a requirement for my class was to watch one that was 2 1/2 hours I groaned. My skepticism deepened as I began watching and I saw the tough guy gangs snapping, singing and dancing. This was particularly hard for me because, like most American men, I have been raised on a film diet of Braveheart, Gladiator, Jason Bourne, and 300, among others. So when I saw these gangs portrayed as nothing more than singing and dancing actors with costumes I groaned again. Loudly.
Little did I know that by the end of the film I would be absolutely captivated by the story. As the tale unfolded, the seemingly simple things that had distracted me earlier faded away and the beautiful tragedy that is West Side Story emerged. I didn’t believe that I would be so moved by this tale, which closely resembles Romeo and Juliet, but I was.
The core message is the musical is delivered in the vehicle, that nearly all viewers can relate to. The vehicle is a love story. In this case it happens to be a forbidden love. This adds a dimension to the film that brings deep emotions up in people as the film reaches it's dramatic and tragic end. It did so for me. Without the love story attached the deeper message wouldn't have been nearly as profound or poignant.
The aforementioned message presented in this musical was to remove hate from your life. It illustrates to it’s views to forsake ideas of revenge and it promotes beautifully the idea of forgiveness. No other message is as relevant to humanity as this. I am very grateful that I was forced to watch this movie. The message will stay with me for the rest of my life.
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