of course, west side story is not just a presentation of appealing songs set in the 19505, it deals with substantive matters. the film captures a world of violence and people being displaced from their homes by developers, both still issues in new york today. it also addresses racism, the puerto rican gang, the sharks, were the target of it. it might be a romeo and juliet inspired love story, but it is a film that spotlights primitive bigotry. unfortunately, we have not learned our lesson. the tragedies result when hate is ascendant and no room is made for love, that bigotry and prejudice and racism are terrible sins. west side story certainly has a lot going for it, including some very strong reviews. musical films can be a tough sell to modern audiences, but at least one new york theatre critic thinks the movie will be a hit.
and racism and people being displaced in 19505 new york. in what way do you think will tho5e themes re5onate with contemporary americans? the violence in new york in 1957 that the play reflect5 wa5 gang violence, in this case about third, fourth, generation white immigrants against the migrant population coming from puerto rico and actually chasing down the american dream and holding job5, whereas thejet5 didn t hold jobs, they were kind of homeless. they only had each other. but the sharks were on their way to real careers and real lives here and that was very obvious in the 57 broadway show, but we have such bigger i55ues today. tony kushner wrote the screenplay, adapted the script from the play, tony and i both felt that this was the time to reintroduce it to an entirely new generation who perhaps had never heard of west side story. we thought the messages were so relevant to our time and to the generation that my kids
could further underline the importance of the crossover relationship between stage shows and film. and after the challenges of the pandemic, interest from audiences would certainly be something to shout, not just sing about. well, that brings our special programme devoted to west side story to a close. we hope you have enjoyed the show. for me, going to see west side story was a magical experience. it really is a flawless production, perhaps a little too perfect, too overproduced at times, but really that is a minor complaint. i have to say, more than anything else, west side story proved to me the transcendent power of cinema is still very much alive. i went on a day when the headlines were packed with worrying news about covid variants. the movie took me to a very different place. it gave me a love story,
of course, west side story is notjust a set of appealing songs set in the 19505 but deals with substantial matter5. the film deals with a world of violence in people being displaced by developers from their homes, 5till i55ues today. it also addresses raci5m. it might be a romeo and juliet inspired love story, but it has spotlighted primitive bigotry. unfortunately, we have not learned our lesson. the tragedy is result when hate is a5cendant and no room is made for love, that bigotry and prejudice, raci5m are terrible 5ins. well, 2021 is drawing to a close, so, in keeping with tradition, here is my list of the top ten films of the year. on the basis of what i ve seen, and that s not everything, here are my choices. at number ten, stephen spielberg s adaptation of the cla55ic broadway musical west side story, reminding us of the talents of its lyricist, the late stephen sondheim. it had electrifying moments, great choreography, and of course great songs. taking the number nine spot, pao
landon and agatha roussu who plays alexia, a troubled heroin who gets pregnant by a car. ducournau has enjoyed the strong reactions from audiences. i m really happy because it s like this deal of trust in between us and the audience, and it is validated, and it feels really good. the bfi london film festival was also in the autumn, with stars such as george clooney and his new release the tender bar, and edgar wright with a 19605 horror comedy set in the capital city, last night in soho. the festival s big moment perhaps was bringing spencer to london. the story of diana princess of wales, it stars kristen stewart, is directed by pablo larrain, and was part made in germany. but stewart feels the film belongs to britain. i feel like we are bringing it home for her completly. one of the reasons it