Romeo + Juliet

Baz Luhrmann, USA 1996, 120 minutes

There have been many attempts in recent years to remake Shakespeare for a modern audience. These attempts have usually taken the route of simply transcribing a basic plot from a Shakespearean play to a modern American high school. Whilst Baz Luhrmann’s William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet is made for the same audience it is undoubtedly a cut above the rest. The film takes the bard’s most famous tragedy and sets it in a modern setting of Verona Beach, a fictional suburb of Mexico City. The most noticeable difference between this film and the other recent teen Shakespeare films is that Luhrmann has chosen to retain Shakespeare’s original words, though it is edited into a faster, clearer form. The result is a highly entertaining, visually stunning work that is a paragon of the creativity of Luhrmann, as well as demonstrating how different and creatively versatile Shakespeare can be in the right hands.

The most important single word to the success of this film is ‘cool’. This film is one of the coolest teen films ever made. With a hugely talented cast of young actors led by the hottest young stars of the time in Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, this film was a marketing executives dream. Add to this Luhrmann’s wonderful visual style and some of the best production design you will see and the initial gamble taken in retaining the original dialogue which certainly pays off in the dramatic scenes compared to what a modern teen would blurt out. Luhrmann, who went on to revitalise the Hollywood musical with Moulin Rouge, certainly revitalised Shakespeare with this film, even if no-one else has had the balls to follow it up with a Macbeth remake starring Sean William Scott.

Review by Peter Thompson
Written for EUFS Programme Autumn 2003

The 1600s bard Shakespeare gets the 1990's renovation by the cult director Baz Luhrmann - from fair Verona to the beach, replete with some hideous shirts (remember yours for our "worst shirt" competition!) As most of us should be aware, the story centres around two "families", the Montagues and the Capulets. Whilst these two households are constantly fighting, Romeo (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Juliet (Clare Danes) meet up and fall in love. Unfortunately, life is not as simple as fall-in-love-and-get-married in this city. Much trouble ensues, with deaths, curses and classic lines abound, before the climax of the film.

You can either try reading it (it's in Middle English and it rhymes, sound like fun?) or you can watch it in glorious Technicolor, including the original dialogue, for all the purists out there. The soundtrack is incredible as well, even if you have your eyes shut for two hours, the music guides you through the film with a mix of classical and popular setting the tone perfectly. Everyone knows this film is better than Moulin Rouge, so skip going to the video store and come on down to the Pleasance!

Review by Niko Ovenden
Written for EUFS Programme Autumn 2003

OK, so its Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet through Baz Luhrmann's eyes however, is as far removed from that kind of Shakespeare as it gets. This brings that old school curriculum favourite gloriously up to date.

Set slightly futuristically, in a senario resembling something like present time, the Montagues and Capulets have become Mafia-style family-based gangs. The territory is distinctly West Coast US complete with guns, drugs and serious gang tension. Timeless a tale as Romeo and Juliet is, watching this, you realise a serious updating was needed. It feels like Shakespeare as it was meant to be watched: Challenging, vital and with an immediately apparent modern relevance.

Luhrmann never tires the eye; from beginning to end Romeo and Juliet looks amazing. Each frame could be frozen and be somehow pleasing to the eye. The colours are vibrant, reflecting the tension, violence and youth of the story. The costumes are equally stunning, carefully marking out Juliet and Romeo from the crowd (witness Juliet as an angel) and the two families as clashing rivals.

The acting is top class. Claire Danes (Little Women) and Leonardo Di Caprio (Basketball Diaries) are simply captivating; youth helps but it is the air of purity, innocence and utter passion the two convey that light up the screen. Miriam Margoyles and Pete Postlethwaite are equally, if not more, impressive playing roles that appear perfectly cast.

This is altogether a deeply stylish film; soundtrack, visuals, pace, dialogue (obviously) and the most astounding, profound lovestory of a plot ever conceived blend to produce a film that could not dare to fail. I really can't recommend this film enough. I know it's been said time and time again, but this really is absolutely unmissable.

Review by Melanie J Baker
Taken from EUFS Programme 1997-98