Lavish images of Fifth Avenue and the Upper East Side lay claim to the title "New York City," filling the mind with descriptions of great wealth and well-dressed gentlemen strolling on the crowded streets filled with a wide variety of people. Like everything, however, there is more than meets the eye. In the belly of the city, wrapped in neon-splattered subway trains that coil like snakes around Project Housing clusters and a simmering, rich cultural contrast. Although its story takes place on artificial stages and sets, West Side Story manages to capture the experience of the neighborhood and the city, especially for immigrants, particularly Puerto Rican immigrants. Before the Upper West Side, where West Side Story is set, was stripped of its original character at the hands of gentrification, it was a diverse melting pot of ethnicities and cultures, considered by the general public to be a "blue-collar" neighborhood. . We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Although the film features some minor historical errors (the main Puerto Rican enclave was the Bronx, not the Upper West Side) and a dramatic, musical retelling that obscures much of the depth of the underlying story, West Side Story offers a legitimate look to the lifestyles encountered by Puerto Rican immigrants, including the discrimination and racism they faced, as well as the general struggles they encountered. A more modern retelling of William Shakespeare's most famous work, Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story is inevitably chock-full of dramatic flair, plus additional musical and dance numbers. The story is set on the Upper West Side, a former working-class ethnic neighborhood before its gentrification. The plot of West Side Story is at the center of a conflict between two gangs, the Jets and the Sharks, respectively representing the House of Montague and the House of Capulet (the two families in conflict in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet). As Julia M. Klein of the Philadelphia Inquirer expresses it, "The two gangs' sharp antagonisms are, of course, juxtaposed with Tony and Maria's otherworldly, fairy-tale love." While the story centers on these conflicts, representative of the same warring dispute in the timeless work, a deeper meaning lies beneath the more superficial tale of romance as West Side Story presents itself. The conflict between the Jets, a gang of white American thugs, and the Sharks, a gang of Puerto Rican immigrants, is further highlighted by the film's musical numbers; songs like "America" ​​sardonically discuss the opportunities the fateful land should have, while also mocking the inconveniences and hardships they faced (West Side Story). As previously identified, West Side Story manages to both entertain audiences with spectacular acting and performances, and inform about the dramatic and dark struggles of immigrants, particularly Puerto Rican immigrants in New York's working-class neighborhoods. As Pia Calton describes, “The musical, West Side Story, was ahead of its time, and the movie was in the crosshairs of the zeitgeist.” While the History.com article refers primarily to themes depicted in musical production, the plot, with themes considered the defining mood of the time, remains cross-media. The film's opening scene also discusses such issues; in more detail, a clear prevalence of racism and stereotypes is introduced; The Jets, dressed in cuffed jeans, worn sneakers and white T-shirts, are presented in stark contrast to the tan-skinned, dark-haired Sharks, dressed in dark tones of black and red. Remember: this is.