A 1961 American musical updating Romeo and Juliet to 1950s Manhattan, where rival white and Puerto Rican street gangs collide around a love affair.
Production
Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise co-directed the film adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical, with songs by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer played the leads, with Rita Moreno and George Chakiris in supporting roles.
Reception
The film opened in October 1961, earned around $44 million domestically, and won 10 Academy Awards, still the record for a movie musical. Both Moreno and Chakiris took home acting Oscars.
Legacy
The film helped fix the screen musical’s New Wave-inflected location aesthetic. Steven Spielberg directed a 2021 remake that returned to the original musical for source material.