I noticed an interesting similarity between West Side Story and The Brother from Another Planet. In both movies there were two groups that could be classified as “marginal immigrants” that joined forces when confronted with representatives of those in the country possessing a level of authority and a sense of belonging that the two groups could not seem to attain.
This clearly fits for The Brother from Another Planet but what about West Side Story? One need only examine one particular scene from West Side Story to determine that the two warring groups had an alliance of sorts. While it seems that the Sharks are the ones who aren’t given a place in the country, the Jets are shunned just as much. Their parents were immigrants and thus they are relegated to a lower status as well despite the fact that they were born in America. This common bond causes the groups to come together when faced with Americans who they see as those truly holding them back from having a place in the country. While the two groups are fighting over physical space in the country, both groups are fighting with society in general for acceptance. For example, after the first row between the two groups in the playground, the police drive up, breaking up the fight. While the two groups stand on opposite sides, they speak in a way that makes them seem as a single group. For example, each gang greets one of the two policemen in a sing song way, almost as if they were speaking collaboratively. In addition, despite having obtained injuries by the hands of the Sharks, Baby John, the Jet most likely to confess to the cops, refused to tell the police who attacked him. In fact, the other Jets even suggested that a policeman was the one who did the damage. This could be seen, symbolically, as the Jets expression that it was discriminatory men like the police in that precinct that were harming them in ways that really mattered. Upon further reflection, it would seem that the two groups weren’t standing on opposite sides, but were rather acting together to surround the police, presenting a united front. In Florez-Citizens vs. Citizenry, the author gives several examples of how documented immigrants assisted the undocumented in opposing the authorities. We can clearly see a very similar situation in West Side Story, and, as I will now prove, The Brother From Another Planet.
Again, two underprivileged groups join forces against those who discriminate against them. The people of Harlem, specifically those in the bar, all go out of their way to help the Brother. A lot of the divisions between blacks and whites in The Shadow of Slavery can still be seen in The Brother from Another Planet. For example, when the two white men get lost in Harlem, they become fearful and stand out like sore thumbs. This scene is meant to demonstrate the enduring division between some black and white communities. The aliens searching for the brother clearly represent both his oppressors and the oppressors of black individuals for they are portrayed as being white. In the bar fight scene, it is interesting to note how bravely and determinedly the individuals in the bar fight for the Brother. First of all, three rounds of fighting occur involving different individuals of all ages and personalities. None of the individuals flee and despite seeing previous allied combatants defeated, they resolutely join the fray. Its even more impressive that they keep fighting considering the strength of the aliens. I mean really, one of them snapped a baseball bat with his bare hands but the drunk patron and elderly man joined in the fight!!!!! Why did these men risk so much for a man they barely knew? Because of the common bond they had, the hardships the Brother faced elicited a great amount of sympathy in those in the bar, and those in Harlem in general.
