Romeo & Juliet - The Music Edition (1996)

Baz Luhrmann's dazzling and unconventional adaptation of William Shakespeare's classic love story is spellbinding.Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes portray Romeo and Juliet the youthful star-crossed lovers of the past. But the setting has been moved from its Elizabethan origins to the futuristic backdrop of Verona Beach.This brilliant and contemporary retelling of the world's most tragic love affair makes this wildly inventive Romeo + Juliet unforgettable.System Requirements:Run Time: 120 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: PG - 13 UPC: 024543403623 Manufacturer No: 2251564 Product Description

Shakespeare Rocks

Love 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, 2008

Tragic and touching and beautiful

Not a promotion of teen suicide, but a tragic story of how acting on impulse can conclude. Beautiful and haunting. One of the best movies ever. April 12, 2008

Catches your eye.

Romeo & Juliet is a great take on Shakespeare's classic play. The dialogue stays true to the original but the movie is set in modern time which makes this film modern, edgy, and fresh. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes make the perfect star-crossed lovers, their chemistry is very intense and breathtaking. This film is so colorful, imaginative, and makes your head spin (in a good way), and the music is just outstanding, you have to pick up the soundtrack as well. I highly recommend this spacey but delicious rendition of the ultimate love story. March 7, 2008

This is pretty shocking

I can't believe that in this day and age that such a tawdry film could be made -- why, it totally promotes teen suicide! Shocking, simply shocking. (Axton) February 5, 2008

Crisp, fresh and breathtaking; this reimagining stands at the head of the pack...

William Shakespeare's classic `Romeo + Juliet' is probably one of the most influential pieces of literature ever recorded. You can feel its presence and influence breathing life into just about everything we read, watch or listen to these days. With a tale this classic, this important to modern cinema it becomes something a bit wary to tackle it at its core and `remake' it from scratch. One may be a tad hesitant to embrace its new shape and form and rightfully so. When you look at the track record for remakes it becomes apparent that in general what was once golden should be left well enough alone. In Romeo + Juliet's case though this is a reimagining so magical it surpasses the original and becomes a momentous piece in the history books of cinema. Yes, Baz Luhrmann single handedly breathes a whole new life into this adaptation, handing to his audience a masterful and experimental film that never lets us out of its grasp.

The first thing that Luhrmann did right was stick to the original text. A lot of people initially balked at the fact that the dialog was not updated along with the setting but I felt that artistically it was a much grander feat to have the original dialog kept intact. The fact that each and every actor slips into this way of speaking fluently and without issue is an ode to some great talent indeed. No one seems out of place of phoning it. Each and every actor handles the difficult wording marvelously. The next thing Luhrmann did right was trashing his setting. What I mean by this is that he didn't go the easy route and make this posh and beautiful but rather he played everything down, creating an almost gritty and dirty feeling to the surroundings. This is the future and the future is bleak.

The best thing that Luhrmann did though was casting Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in the lead roles. At the time DiCaprio was slowly becoming a credible actor and Danes was just becoming known. Neither of them were quote-unquote household names or completely bankable yet but they both had proven they could act. Here though we get to see how well. To this day I still firmly believe that this is Leonardo's finest performance. Both he and Danes masterfully command their characters. Never has Romeo or Juliet felt so alive, so real and so relatable. Their tragic love affair is so enthralling, so captivating and so breathtaking. There are moments between them of pure beauty and strength that I'm appalled their performances didn't garner more awards attention.

The rest of the cast is equally as impressive, especially the likes of Harold Perrineau (of `Lost' fame) who plays Romeo's best friend Mercutio. His performance is outlandish and flamboyant and adds a lot to the atmosphere of the film. John Leguizamo is memorable as Tybolt, Juliet's cousin, and Pete Postlethwaite is wonderful as Father Laurence. Paul Sorvino stands out for me as Juliet's father Fulgencio Capulet. His performance is brutal and intense and sends chills down my spine in scenes.

`William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet' has never looked as good as it does here, telling the story of forbidden love and tragic circumstance that brings two families to their knees and teaches us a valuable lesson about forgiveness and tolerance. Baz Luhrmaan outdoes himself here, delivering a modern twist on a genuine classic complete with a beautiful color palate and an impressive soundtrack that adds layers of emotion, whether soft and touching or crisp and exciting (one reason this `Music Edition' is so worth the upgrade). It's not very often that the remake stands above its source material but Luhrmann's masterpiece is just that film. January 31, 2008

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