Romeo and Juliet
Romeo + Juliet = the most wonderful love story in the world. It's about violence. It's about hate. And of course, it's about love -- of the teenage, on-first- sight, suicidal, mad variety, the kind that gets two kids wildly infatuated at a costume party, that gets them in big trouble with the folks and with the law, that drives them to, like, deadly ends. As such, Shakespeare's "Romeo & Juliet" is the stuff rock'n'roll dreams are made on (viz. that Dire Straits song), and more than any other classic text this tale is ripe for the fast- cut, guns-blazing, MTV treatment. For the most part, director Baz Luhrmann (of STRICTLY BALLROOM fame) pulls this off, with a glorious bang. The opening five minutes are an adrenaline rush -- the prologue being read out like a "60 Minutes" segment, the characters introduced to us in freeze-frames, Reservoir Dogs-style, and a plunge into the street brawl scene which fuses elements of gangster chic, matador-dancing grace and spaghetti western spoof. It all climaxes with a gas station up in flames (shades of Natural Born Killers). This sets the tone for Luhrmann's take on Shakespeare -- irreverent, campy, and great fun. The film effectively creates an alternate universe, where Montagues wear Hawaiia
His Caesar style robe also reflects his personality. All in all, this movie is well done. However, the movie is touching and surprising and deserves lots of credit although it may not be identical to the play. The Capulets and Montagues are now two rival gangs, whose members sport funky tatoos and wild hairdos. Paul Sorvino as Capulet played Juliet's over bearing and protective father quite well. It allows moviegoers of all ages to enjoy Shakespeare and proves that the ideas of Shakespeare may be ancient but the love remains timeless. Not only is he a teenage heartthrob, but he is a good actor. The fight scene (a turning point when the love story becomes tragic) becomes mired in cliches taken from a high-budget episode of Miami Vice. The undeniable star of the show is Claire Danes -- her Juliet hits just the right note of innocence and intelligence, vulnerability and exceptional guts. Typically played on stage and in previous film productions by adult actors, the innocent look and rawness of Whiting and Hussey resonated at the time with a burgeoning youth movement from San Francisco to Prague. The wordless moment when Juliet and Romeo stare shyly at each other through the glass of a fish tank, and the transmogrified 'balcony' scene which has Romeo and Juliet falling into a swimming pool, are wonderful. Claire Danes plays an angelic Juliet. Director Baz Luhrmann has transformed William Shakespeare's classic Romeo and Juliet into a modern and new aged love story. Obviously, some of the traditionalism of Shakespeare's original is lost in this movie.
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Acceptance Essays
