I used to watch it with my 2 year old grandson when I was looking after him. We rarely got to the end of it but once or twice he saw the ‘ife fight’ as he called it until his mother thought that was unsuitable. Today he still listens to the music. My other grandkids often ask to listen to the cd in my car.

The themes of immigration, youth violence, poverty and illicit love are as timeless as ever. Music written by Leonard Bernstein whose Ukrainian Jewish parents immigrated to America from Rivne (a city I visited in one of my trips to Ukraine – see “Jews Milk Goats”, Amazon). Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim – a grandson of Jewish immigrant grandparents.

I first saw the film at the cinema with my maternal grandparents and I loved it (and them) always.

They don’t make them like that anymore !