Romeo + Juliet (1996)

Director:

Baz Luhrmann

Writers (WGA):

William Shakespeare (play)
Craig Pearce (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

1 November 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Two households both alike in dignity, In fair Verona where we lay our scene. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life.

Plot:

Shakespeare's famous play is updated to the hip modern suburb of Verona still retaining its original dialogue.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Shakespeare | Star Crossed Lovers | Romeo And Juliet | Shot In The Head

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 13 wins & 20 nominations

Cast

Leonardo DiCaprio	...	Romeo
Claire Danes	...	Juliet
John Leguizamo	...	Tybalt
Harold Perrineau	...	Mercutio
Pete Postlethwaite	...	Father Laurence
Paul Sorvino	...	Fulgencio Capulet
Brian Dennehy	...	Ted Montague
Paul Rudd	...	Dave Paris
Vondie Curtis-Hall	...	Captain Prince
Miriam Margolyes	...	The Nurse
Jesse Bradford	...	Balthasar
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Apothecary
Zak Orth	...	Gregory
Jamie Kennedy	...	Sampson
Dash Mihok	...	Benvolio

Also Known As:

Romeo and Juliet
William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for scenes of contemporary violence and some sensuality.

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Brazil:14 | Hungary:16 | Iceland:12 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 (cut) | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Alameda, California, USA

Company:

Bazmark Films

Trivia:

Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Kate Winslet and Christina Ricci were considered for Juliet. Gellar's commitment to "All My Children" (1970) interfered, and Hewitt was considered too youthful-looking. Natalie Portman was also considered and even flew to director Baz Luhrmann's hometown, Sydney, to film scenes with Leonardo DiCaprio, when 20th Century Fox couldn't quite visualize the director's off-the-wall concept. Luhrmann says, "Although she's a fantastic young actor, she's a tiny little girl and Leonardo's six feet tall. He's 21, but can look 18. She made him look all of 21, and it just became obscene." Portman's version is this: "They said it looked like Leonardo was molesting me when we kissed. It was really disappointing, but I wouldn't have wanted to be in the movie and have it look wrong. If I was in the film, I would have wanted it to be perfect."

Goofs:

Continuity: At the gas station, the Montagues never put the gas hose in the car. One of them is about to but is so scared of Tybalt that he puts it back. But when the Montagues pull away, it is shown in the tank, breaking the hose, and leading to the fire.

Quotes:

Sampson: [singing] A pretty piece of flesh I am!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Home and Away: Hearts Divided (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

When Doves Cry

Beautiful Modernization of Shakespeare's Classic Play

The amazing thing about this movie is that it has managed to re-do Shakespeare's famous tragedy in a modern setting while still retaining its original dialogue. What's even more amazing is it works. I admit that I was a little apprehensive about seeing this movie, fearing that Luhrman had either destroyed the play's beauty and power by setting it in modern times, or had butchered Shakespeare's eloquent words by making them sound more modern. I was wrong. Almost everything about this movie is just incredible.

Luhrman brilliantly casted Claire Danes as fourteen-year-old Juliet. The actress certainly looks the part, with her youthful features and innocent eyes. More importantly, she acts the part. Ms. Danes almost flawlessly captures Juliet's distressing journey from childhood to womanhood, beautifully showing her dramatic transition which had taken toll on her during her five day relationship with Romeo. When the story begins, Juliet is a naive girl, having not yet experienced true love, and by the end we can clearly see just how much her love for Romeo has deepened in passion, and how dramatically her character has developed.

Leanardo DeCaprio's Romeo was almost equally impressive. Some of his recitations of Shakespeare made me cringe, but for the most part he was perfect. One of Romeo's most important characteristics in the play is the intensity of his emotions, and DeCaprio captures this feature incredibly. Romeo is brash and impulsive, with a tendency to act on the heat of the moment rather than to first consider the situation like the more levelheaded Juliet. This unfortunate characteristic, which played a huge role in leading up to the lovers' tragic fate, is wonderfully mastered by DeCaprio and retained throughout the film. But we also, like with Juliet, get a glimpse of his character's development. At the beginning of the play Romeo is a hopeless romantic who fantasizes of love, and seems to dwell more in his daydreamed world than actually on earth. At this point he has no idea what true love really is, he only thinks he does. It is not until he meets Juliet that he can begin to comprehend the true depth and passion of love. DeCaprio triumphs in this area as well.

The other actors are superb, and wonderfully portray their characters as Shakespeare intended. But what really impressed me was, as I stated earlier, the keeping of Shakespeare's original dialogue in Luhrman's modern setting. I know some people criticize this film for destroying the romance and beauty of Shakespeare's words by setting the story in modern day Verona, but I feel that it only made the film more romantic. What Luhrman did was both bold and brilliant, and he succeeded wonderfully.

I won't speak any more of the brilliance of this film, I just highly recommend you see it as soon as possible. If you're a fan of Shakespeare like me, I think you will enjoy this hip, yet still lovely, modernization of his most famous play ever.