Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet

Sorry that this is a long one, but I love this movie and this play in general. I have taken my main blog entry for this time from something else I had written once upon a time (and yes I shortened it for this blog) because I figured it still said everything that I would want to say...so here goes:

Baz Luhrmann’s (1996) interpretation of this classic story of teenage love and tragedy modernizes the story while still providing the flowing Shakespearean language of the Elizabethan era. The affect this film has on the audience is created by the juxtaposition of the Shakespearean language with familiar images. The actors’ believability, dramatization of events, and music contributions also add to the effect. The constant reference to media and advertisements helps the audience understand the language of the Elizabethan era while allowing the language to be unaltered. The film opens with a news report in which the news anchor reads the prologue originally written by Shakespeare; the prologue is repeated immediately with jumping camera shots while the characters are being introduced. This clash of words and images adjusts the audience to the language while making associations so that the film is easier to understand for the “average” person.

The opening fight scene between the “Montague Boys” and “Capulet Boys” is another example of introducing the audience to the contemporary process of the film.
The background signs give the audience clues into what is happening and what will happen by saying things like “light the fire!” and “add fuel.” The words in this scene are almost not important because one follows the actions more than anything: the actions are easier to understand than the words because the scene is set up to mimic a western duel, a widely known activity. At this point the audience is also really aware of the busyness of the Verona Beach, Florida setting vs. the actual city of Verona in Italy, which is very calm. The actors are fairly believable in this scene, however some of the Shakespearean language seems forced given the juxtaposition of language and scenery.

The scene in the pool hall where Romeo finds out about the Capulet party was very inventive. In a modern society people do not go around handing out invitations that could be intercepted by the wrong people, so again Luhrmann turned to the use of the media. It is creative thinking such as this that makes the classic story believable in a contemporary setting. The idea that the Capulets would invite the entire city to their party, excluding only the Montagues, adds emphasis to their wealth. Also, details such as the guns being named swords justify the use of the unaltered Shakespearean language.

In keeping with the play, Romeo and Juliet have their first meeting at the Capulet party. Their first view of each other through the fish tank invokes a magical quality to the relationship. Des’ree’s song “Kissing You” plays in the background supplying a small amount of foreshadowing and making the audience enter a relaxed state after the “high” they were feeling from the “Queen Mab” drug taken by Romeo. No words are shared during their initial meeting but their eyes say it all. This is a moment in the movie when the visual chemistry between Claire Danes (Juliet) and Leonardo DiCaprio (Romeo) is very apparent and very appropriate. These two actors were cast perfectly; at times DiCaprio has trouble making the Shakespearean language flow naturally, however it does not distract terribly from the film and the chemistry with Danes makes up for it.

Having actors with good chemistry is imperative to having a successful version of Romeo and Juliet; if the actors’ love connection is not believable then the entire production will lose the impact it is meant to have. The actors’ chemistry combines with the music to make for an even more powerful impact on the audience.

Arguably the most dramatic scene of Romeo and Juliet is the scene in which both
Romeo and Juliet die. Luhrmann creates a more intense scene than most film versions
I’ve seen. After Romeo sips the poison and begins to die he sees Juliet open her eyes. No words are shared between the two but again onscreen chemistry and music create a passionate moment. The connection between the eyes of the two is intense and makes the audience feel the emotions of the characters; the audience is brought into the scene and share in the pain. The song “Kissing You” is repeated in this scene allowing viewers to subconsciously connect the magic of their first meeting to their deaths.

This version does not portray the story the way that Shakespeare originally wrote it. The changes Luhrmann made tend to create confusion for people who enjoy a more “classical” portrayal of the play. This is not to say that the unique adaptation does not deserve respect: it did make the story more accessible to those who would have otherwise stirred away from Shakespeare.