Movies at Mechanics' Presents West Side Story (1961)
Join us for fresh popcorn and lively discourse following a film screening of West Side Story, hosted by our film curator - Lara Gabrielle.
Two rival gangs, the Jets and the Sharks, battle for territory and power, while love blossoms between two members of their gang families. In this Shakespearean tragedy updated to the streets of New York, we are witness to what happens when hate overtakes reason.
West Side Story began as a stage musical, first conceptualized in 1949 by New York City Ballet choreographer Jerome Robbins. He wanted to create a modern Romeo and Juliet, set among sparring gangs in a poor neighborhood in New York. Robbins partnered with composer Leonard Bernstein, up-and-coming lyricist Stephen Sondheim, and librettist Arthur Laurents to craft a story that not only brought Shakespeare into the 20th century, but touched on modern cultural issues such as racism, prejudice, and classism. The play became one of the most popular productions of the 1957 Broadway season, and the winner of two Tony Awards. But it wasn’t until the 1961 film version that the story became immortalized as one of the great musical achievements of the 20th century.
The “star-crossed lovers” in West Side Story are Maria (Natalie Wood) and Tony (Richard Beymer). Maria is associated with the Puerto Rican Sharks and Tony with their local white counterpart, the Jets. The plot centers on Tony and Maria’s unlikely love–but it is Anita, the girlfriend of Maria’s gang leader brother Bernardo, who holds the story together. Rita Moreno’s fiery and sensual performance as Anita garnered her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress of 1961, the first win ever by a Hispanic actress.
Due to its interweaving of dance, story, and song, West Side Story fundamentally changed the face of the American musical, harnessing the grit and prejudice of the era to tell a story that resounds through the ages. The masterful technique of its two directors, Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, have created a unique cinematic experience, leading Roger Ebert to call West Side Story “a landmark of musical history.”
Join us for this phenomenal film on April 10, and stay for a thoughtful salon discussion afterward.. As always, be sure to come early for popcorn and snacks, as well as a lively pre-show filled with vintage clips, newsreels, and interviews!
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Movies at Mechanics' has welcomed film enthusiasts for classic cinema screenings and salons on Friday evenings for over 20 years. Join us for fresh popcorn, lively discourse, and your favorite films the first three Fridays of the month. Hosted by Lara Gabrielle, film writer and author of Captain of Her Soul: The Life of Marion Davies.
“Author Gabrielle has given us a gift: an honest biography of a woman whose life and career have long been misunderstood. . . . In short, this is the book Marion Davies has always deserved.”-Leonard Maltin, film critic and historian
Join us for fresh popcorn and lively discourse following a film screening of West Side Story, hosted by our film curator - Lara Gabrielle.
Two rival gangs, the Jets and the Sharks, battle for territory and power, while love blossoms between two members of their gang families. In this Shakespearean tragedy updated to the streets of New York, we are witness to what happens when hate overtakes reason.
West Side Story began as a stage musical, first conceptualized in 1949 by New York City Ballet choreographer Jerome Robbins. He wanted to create a modern Romeo and Juliet, set among sparring gangs in a poor neighborhood in New York. Robbins partnered with composer Leonard Bernstein, up-and-coming lyricist Stephen Sondheim, and librettist Arthur Laurents to craft a story that not only brought Shakespeare into the 20th century, but touched on modern cultural issues such as racism, prejudice, and classism. The play became one of the most popular productions of the 1957 Broadway season, and the winner of two Tony Awards. But it wasn’t until the 1961 film version that the story became immortalized as one of the great musical achievements of the 20th century.
The “star-crossed lovers” in West Side Story are Maria (Natalie Wood) and Tony (Richard Beymer). Maria is associated with the Puerto Rican Sharks and Tony with their local white counterpart, the Jets. The plot centers on Tony and Maria’s unlikely love–but it is Anita, the girlfriend of Maria’s gang leader brother Bernardo, who holds the story together. Rita Moreno’s fiery and sensual performance as Anita garnered her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress of 1961, the first win ever by a Hispanic actress.
Due to its interweaving of dance, story, and song, West Side Story fundamentally changed the face of the American musical, harnessing the grit and prejudice of the era to tell a story that resounds through the ages. The masterful technique of its two directors, Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, have created a unique cinematic experience, leading Roger Ebert to call West Side Story “a landmark of musical history.”
Join us for this phenomenal film on April 10, and stay for a thoughtful salon discussion afterward.. As always, be sure to come early for popcorn and snacks, as well as a lively pre-show filled with vintage clips, newsreels, and interviews!
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Movies at Mechanics' has welcomed film enthusiasts for classic cinema screenings and salons on Friday evenings for over 20 years. Join us for fresh popcorn, lively discourse, and your favorite films the first three Fridays of the month. Hosted by Lara Gabrielle, film writer and author of Captain of Her Soul: The Life of Marion Davies.
“Author Gabrielle has given us a gift: an honest biography of a woman whose life and career have long been misunderstood. . . . In short, this is the book Marion Davies has always deserved.”-Leonard Maltin, film critic and historian
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Highlights
- 2 hours 30 minutes
- In person
Refund Policy
Location
Mechanics' Institute
57 Post Street
San Francisco, CA 94104
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