Similarities have been found between the new and the old versions although they have been made in different societies and times. The film West Side Story that was made in 1961 has got a common theme of forbidden love like the 1996 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. In both the movies families acted as a great barrier between the lovers getting close to each other. The main difference lies in the topics like race relations and obstacles managed by interracial couples as portrayed in the West Side Story.