One of the most famous Hollywood musicals of all time has been reclassified after a number scenes were considered ‘triggering’ for younger viewers.
The original 1961 film West Side Story is a classic, award-winning adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet set in 1950s New York City.
Following the tragic romance between Tony and Maria, the film is renown for its iconic music and stunning choreography as it also tackles themes of race, immigration and cultural clashes amidst a violent gang rivalry.
However, despite its lasting popularity, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has reclassified it as a 12 certificate after 40 years of being a PG.
Explaining the reasoning behind raising the age rating for the home entertainment release, one warning was for sexism and ‘occasional transphobic marks’.
This is thought to centre around ‘tomboy’ Anybodys, a character who would now be accepted as transgender.
Another concern relates to ‘moderate violence, sexual threat [and] discrimination’.
The BBFC also noted that ‘characters occasionally smoke cigarettes and there are verbal references to alcohol addiction’.
Meanwhile, people are being ‘stabbed with clear sight of knife impact, though there is no blood’, and somebody being shot.
Originally a Broadway musical, the 1961 film was directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, with the iconic music and lyrics created by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim.
In 1986 it was classified by the BBFC as a PG, which stands for parental guidance and means viewers of any age can watch.
However, after being given the same classification in 1994, 2003 and 2005, this year it was upped to a 12.
This comes after the BFFC also recently raised the age classification for Wicked: For Good.
The UK body highlighted trigger warnings, including characters who ‘cast magical spells on one another’.
A statement said: ‘Occasional threatening scenes include people caught by falling debris in a cyclone and fantastical creatures rampaging through a crowd.
The BBFC updates its classification guidelines every four or five years after public consultation.
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