just a presentation of appealing songs set in the 1950s, 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. i think this is going to do extremely well and i see