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Romeo and Juliet in Film
Romeo and Juliet has been performed throughout the years by different people and it has been adapted in different ways.
1968: Romeo and Juliet. Italian director, Franco Zeffirelli, produced a masterpiece in this adaptation. The costumes are brilliant, the actors are wonderful, the music is perfect, and the lines are delivered beautifully. Starring Olivia Hussey and Michael York, this film is still popular today and it's no wonder why. Apart from Hussey's semi-annoying cry, I can find nothing wrong with it. Personally, I enjoy this version much better than the 1996 version of Romeo and Juliet. 138 min.
1996: Romeo and Juliet. The newest Twentieth Century Fox version of the play, directed by Baz Luhrmann. Of course, this is the Leonardo DiCaprio (Romeo) and Claire Danes (Juliet) version. This adaptation is modern, taking place in Verona Beach, California, though the Elizabethan language is kept. Rolling Stone writes, "Shakespeare has never been this sexy on-screen." You get it.. For some movie reviews, click here or here. 120 min.
A Film Review by Jacqueline Sudano.
Romeo and Juliet (1996) William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes
Romeo is in a gang. And not only is he is a gang; he packs a gun. Father Laurence has a large tattoo of a cross on his back. The famous balcony scene takes place in a swimming pool. These are just a few of the changes in the 1996 Twentieth Century Fox adaptation of William Shakespeare's classic play Romeo and Juliet. Directed by Australian director Baz Luhrmann, it is one of the most liberal adaptations of the play to date. What is unique about this new hip version is that the original Shakespearean language is retained. This is a strange aspect of the movie because it is set in a present-day fictional city called Verona Beach, California.
Casting Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo and Claire Danes as Juliet was definitely a wise choice. These two young, talented actors bring the story to life, truly feeling the emotion of the lines they are speaking. The first time I saw the movie I had not even read the actual play (let's just say that a certain male actor was enough of an incentive to drag me to the theater), yet sitting there listening to the sometimes confusing Shakespearean dialogue was not very difficult with such great delivery. The Shakespearean dialogue seemed to be so much more conversational than I had ever heard before, with the lines naturally spoken and not overdone (as some actors tend to do).
The movie is also very visually stunning. Many vivid colors appear in the wardrobe and around the city. Instead of a boring black suit, Romeo opts for a stylish blue Prada suit in the wedding scene and sports a colorful Hawaiian-print shirt given to him by the priest in other scenes. The nurse is seen wearing bright red. One of the Montague boys (played by actor Jamie Kennedy) has pink hair. Perhaps the most beautiful costumes appear in the party scene at the Capulet mansion, where Juliet, dressed as an angel, and Romeo, dressed as a knight, first meet. You get the picture.
Be sure to check out the scene at the party when Romeo is drugged. It's got to be one of the most wacked-out things that I have ever seen in a movie.
I definitely recommend this movie to anybody, regardless if you read Shakespeare or not. I do, however, suggest that you read the play beforehand because you will get more out of the movie. Rent Romeo and Juliet today to see what everybody is talking about!
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