I was writing my blog post on bullying, and I made an analogy that a false accusation of bullying was like bringing a nuclear weapon to a knife fight.
Before that went to print, though, I had a thought in my head that there was something in West Side Story about something similar to that happening in the movie. Well, not with a nuclear weapon, but like a gun. Turns out that wasn't the case, according to Wiki. It would have made the movie a lot more interesting.
Here's what actually happened:
The gangs meet each other under the highway, and as the fight between Bernardo and Diesel is just beginning, Tony arrives and tries to stop the rumble. Though Bernardo taunts Tony, ridiculing his attempt to make peace and provoking him in every way, Tony keeps his composure. When Bernardo pushes Tony, Riff punches him in Tony's defense. The two draw their switchblades and get in a knife fight ("The Rumble"). Tony warns Riff to back away, but Riff shakes him off and continues the fight. In an important moment of the show, Riff has an opportunity to stab Bernardo, but Tony holds him back leaving Riff vulnerable. Bernardo stabs Riff. Tony then kills Bernardo in a fit of rage. The two gangs then go into a free-for-all. The sound of approaching sirens is heard, and everyone scatters, except Tony, who stands in shock at what he has done.
I think the real problem is that my brain database (v1.0) is trying to make an analogy out of a repository that includes:
- Sean Connery's famous quote from The Untouchables (at 0:35)
- The toxic waste scene from Robocop (it's kinda graphic at the end, so stop it early if you don't want to see a 'sploding criminal)
- The classic Michael Jackson knife fight/dance off music video.
- The Outsiders rumble.
- Oh, and apparently my love for classic musicals about New York rival gangs.
