Romeo + Juliet (1996)

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

Director:

Baz Luhrmann

Writers:

William Shakespeare (play), Craig Pearce (screenplay)

Stars:

Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, John Leguizamo

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 15 wins & 27 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

The classic story of Romeo and Juliet, set in a modern-day city of Verona Beach. The Montagues and Capulets are two feuding families, whose children meet and fall in love. They have to hide their love from the world because they know that their parents will not allow them to be together. There are obstacles on the way, like Juliet's cousin, Tybalt, and Romeo's friend Mercutio, and many fights. But although it is set in modern times, it is still the same timeless story of the "star crossed lovers".

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Plot Keywords:

blood | cigarette smoking | mixed martial arts | stylized violence | pistol | 

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Taglines:

Hope & Despair. Tragedy & Love. Romeo & Juliet.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA Mexico

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 November 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet

Filming Locations:

Alameda, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$14,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,133,231, 3 November 1996

Gross USA:

$46,351,345

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$151,841,661

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bazmark Films, Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

DTS (as dts) (DTS HD Master Audio 5.1) (5.1 Surround Sound) (5.1) Dolby Digital (as Dolby Digital) (Dolby Digital 5.1) (5.1 Surround Sound) (5.1) SDDS (as Sony Dynamic Digital Sound) (8 channels) (5.1 Surround Sound) (5.1) D-Cinema 48kHz 5.1 (D-Cinema prints) (5.1 Surround Sound) (5.1) Dolby Atmos (Dolby Atmos) (5.1 Surround Sound) (5.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Baz Luhrmann sent British alternative-rock band Radiohead a videotape containing the last 20 minutes of the movie and asked them to make a song for the end credits. They composed the song "Exit Music (for a film)", which appeared on their 1997 album "OK Computer" (the director has said in the DVD commentary that he believes it's one of the best exit themes ever written).

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Goofs

In the church, the nurse and man in the long shot are sitting down. In the next shot, they're in the aisle again.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Anchorwoman: Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona, where we lay our scene. From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life, whose misadventured piteous overthrows doth, with their death, bury their parents' strife. The fearful passage of their death-marked love and the continuance of their parents' rage, which, but their children's end, naught could ...

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Connections

Version of Roméo et Juliette (1994)

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Soundtracks

Angel
Performed by Gavin Friday
Written by Gavin Friday and Maurice Seezer
Produced by Tim Simenon with Gavin Friday and Maurice Seezer
Gavin Friday appears courtesy of Island Records, Ltd.
by arrangement with PolyGram Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

Shakespeare Worthy

Very underrated modernization of the classic Shakespeare play. This movie has been pretty heavily criticized for the directors outlandishness in cinematography, but he understands when to tone down the often frantic pace of the storytelling during the dramatic scenes, and in fact this relationship tends to amplify their potency. Beautifully choreographed and shot, wonderfully acted by both the supporting cast and the main 2 stars, Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, and extremely sly modernization techniques to the dialogue. All the elizabethan dialogue remains intact, yet it all seems coherent in the modern atmosphere. mostly due to good imagery and double meaning in the phrases (ex: their swords being a gun model, or the flash of money while quoting gold.). One of the best shakespeare adaptations in the multitude of which have entered the cinemas in the past few years.