William
Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet (1996)
I
remember when I was in High School, someone talked about
a local college theater professor who staged a "punk
rock" "Romeo and Juliet." This idea was astounding to
me. I wished I could have seen it. I had read the book;
Well, we had read it as a class in Jr. High. The teacher
"interpreted" it for us by, as we read aloud, stopping
to explain what the words and phrases meant.
I am no big fan of the bard, but this is surely one
of his best works. There are moments of pure beauty
in his poetry. So many of the "phrases" in the
piece have become "slogan." And his story of star-cross'd
love is surely one of the most universal plots ever
to unfold. No wonder it has been turned into musicals
and set in every time period and setting imaginable.
Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo + Juliet," as this should rightly
be called, is an MTV inspired, alt_rock spectacular
that combines the bard's poetry (retained with very
few alterations) with flashy visuals, quick cut editing,
brilliant colors, modern music and Hollywood's teen
idols. Who better to play the titular pair that Leonardo
DiCaprio and Claire Danes? Each one is already a facade
of teen isolation and sexuality. DiCaprio is a bit whimpy
for the part but his desire to take on the piece at
full throttle makes him explode from the screen. Danes,
conversely, demurs her way through the piece with the
utmost of restraint, ever propelling the film, in her
moments, at her leisurely, sensorial pace. Even DiCaprio
must conform to her cadence.
The acting here is superb. Luhrmann calls upon his actors
to emote in unusual ways at times (there is quite a
bit of screaming) but it only accentuates his slap-dash
pace. It's as if Sam Peckinpah had made music videos.
Dash Mihok, John Leguizamo, Jesse Bradford, and Harold
Perrinreau work well within this framework of Luhrmann's,
as does DiCaprio. Their performances are stunning.
But it is the look and the sound of this version that
is all the thunder. Luhrmann does so much here. To call
it an MTV inspired version or an extended music video
is to do this film a disservice. It is stunning, stylized,
sweet, poetic, heartbreaking and beautiful. It is made
so much more with it's modernization. The story becomes
high art and the film becomes mythic. And, if nothing
else, it will surely get young people interested in
the classic story. They will be dazzled by the film;
Much, in the way, that young people have been dazzled
by the words of Shakespeare, throughout the modern age.
Note: There have been over 20 filmed versions of the
story.
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