First of all, why the need to call it "William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet"?
I mean, was there a danger of the public confusing it with Barbara Cartland's or Edgar Allen Poe's Romeo & Juliet?
Are the producers of this piece of tripe so supercilious that they feel the viewing public wouldn't know who wrote Romeo & Juliet? Are they? Are they?
As to the film itself, little more need be said about the performances (uniformly terrible), the music (annoying) and the "modern" updating (ludicrous).
August 11, 2008Amazing Actors, wonderful cinematography, this movie is a great update of Shakespeare. It keeps with the original language of the play, (which may sound suprisingly modern to some at certain points). The only thing that disapointed me was that it contains only about 1/3 of the original play, But what else can you expect in the age of A.D.D.?
July 2, 2008Love this version of Romeo & Juliet. I call it "in your face Shakespeare." It is a good introduction to Shakespeare for teenagers. It shows them that the themes of older literature are still relevant today in their world.
June 30, 2008Director Baz Luhrman is quite a brazen salesman, pretentiously coining the term "Red Curtain Cinema" to describe his artistic rape of several noble stories and themes. It seems that the defining cultural influences in his life were Sergio Leone Westerns, Hong Kong martial arts films, and Looney Toons cartoons. The latter influence is particularly evident; it influences his editing and even his sound effects (look at his Moulin Rouge if you doubt it). I've seen his "Romeo + Juliet" shown to impressionable high school students many times (their teachers thought that teens wouldn't appreciate the story without an anachronistic Verona Beach setting). What they fail to understand is that Shakespeare's beautiful Elizabethan English is what hinders the student's comprehension. Simply placing the story in a lurid cartoon of contemporary America doesn't help matters - particularly when actors rush through their lines, racing with the mad editor.
May 31, 2008This is one of Leo's best. The combination of 1st: Baz Luhrmann(director), who is more cool than words; 2nd: Shakespeare, need I say more; 3rd: The Cast: De Caprio; Danes, Leguizamo, Perrineau, Postlewaite, Curtis-Hall, on & on. The language of the times is used in an updated setting. Except not really. It takes place in no place in time. Because there is no such duplicate place on this planet; regardless of language. If you love Shakespeare, you will appreciate his universal themes and timeless appeal. A big "Thumbs-up".
May 5, 2008More reviews at Amazon.com ...
Daily Birthdays
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