A movie made in 1961. It was the modern day Romeo and Juliet. The movie is set in the late 1950's on the streets of New York City. There are two street gangs that fight over turf in the area where the movie takes place, the Jets and the Sharks. The Jets are an all white
gang, and the Sharks are a peurto rican
gang. The Jets had fought away many over gangs over the years to keep their turf, and the peurto ricans moved to the united states and took their claim to it, so the two gangs are constinatly fighting over it. The Jet's leaders best friend gets Romantically involved with The Sharks leader's
sister. The two fall in
love, but can not live in
peace for the
gang rivalvry is driving them apart. At one point the two
gang leaders engage in a knife fight and the Jet's leader is slain by the sharks leader (as mercutio is slain by tybalt in romeo and juliet) and the best friend kills the sharks leader in anger for the killing of his best friend (
romeo slaying tybalt) and this causes more problems. In the end the two cannot be together with all the hatred and the boy is shot and killed, but all the deaths of both leaders and him caused the gangs to
stop the fued.
