Never was a story of more woe
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo
Source: nessymon.com
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, John
Leguizamo, Paul Rudd
Year: 1996
Running Time: 130 minutes
The
classic story of star-crossed lovers caught in the middle of an ancient grudge is
given a Baz Luhrmann make-over with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in the
lead roles. Luhrmann chooses to retain
the Shakespearean dialogue but uses contemporary images, costumes, music and
settings to highlight the fundamental themes and characters of the original
Shakespearean tragedy.
The
opening scene in the play takes place in a public place in the city Verona
whereas the same scene in the film takes place at a gas station in Verona Beach. The gasoline itself is hazardous and it only
takes a spark for it to ignite.
Similarly, the action-filled public fight between the Montagues and
Capulets is ignited by a mere insult.
Therefore the gasoline represents the potentially explosive outcome of
the clash between the Montagues and the Capulets and sets the tone for the underlying
tension that pervades the rest of the film.
Luhrmann
enables modern audiences to relate to Romeo by creating the film version of the
character as a kind of James Dean figure: a rebel without a cause but still a
romantic at heart. Luhrmann describes
his Romeo as a combination of “Byron [the poet] and Kurt Cobain” which he
maintains creates a universal anti-hero as well as the idea of Romeo as a
believable, troubled youth. Juliet, on
the other hand, is portrayed as somewhat isolated; it is clear that she lives
in an “ivory tower”. According to James Berardinelli
Claire Danes makes a breath taking Juliet, “merging strength and fragility into
one” which reflects the character of Juliet in the original version of the
play. Although Juliet is an innocent and
obedient girl at the beginning of the play, she develops into a strong and
determined young woman. Danes manages to
encapsulate this character development in the film.
In
addition, the costumes that she and Romeo wear to the Capulet party – without a
doubt one of the best scenes in the film - are appropriate for their respective
characters. Juliet dresses as an angel,
representing her initial purity and naïveté.
Romeo, on the other hand, is dressed as a knight, symbolic of his impulsive
and charming personality. If the two
images are juxtaposed, we see a “knight in shining armour” rescuing Juliet from
the confines of her tower.
The
character of Mercutio is portrayed as a charismatic drag queen at the Capulet party,
which is in line with the character’s flamboyant and cheeky persona in the
play. This scene features two of the
best songs on the film’s soundtrack, namely Kym Mazelle’s Young Hearts Run
Free, used in Mercutio’s epic lip synch, and the love theme Kissing You by
Des’ree who makes a cameo appearance as a singer at the party. This song provides the musical backdrop for
Romeo and Juliet’s initial meeting, through the glass of a huge fish tank, there
love-at-first-sight connection and subsequent first kiss.
Another
striking scene in the film is Romeo and Juliet’s marriage, which is definitely
more detailed in the film than it is in the play. Juliet is shown walking down the aisle of the
church, dressed in a simple but elegant white dress and carrying a bouquet of
flowers, while altar boys are singing a “hymn” (which is actually a reworked interpretation
of Prince’s When Doves Cry). The couple
then exchange rings, a modern symbolic gesture which is absent in the play.
The
film then follows the a familiar plot dominated by miscommunication, death,
revenge, more death, banishment and desperate measures. Once Romeo hears of Juliet’s supposed death,
he rushes to Verona to be at her side.
In the film, Romeo’s return to Verona Beach is marked by a car chase as
the police attempt to capture Romeo, the fugitive. The chase ends at the church in which
Juliet’s body lies. At this point Romeo
takes a priest hostage in order to get inside the church, illustrating Romeo’s
desperation and the lengths to which he is prepared to go in order to see
Juliet one more time. Once inside the
church, he sees her body on an altar, surrounded by hundreds of candles which
make for a beautifully tragic end to the film.
The
audience is on the edge of their seats as they watch helplessly as Juliet’s
fingers move almost imperceptibly and her eyes begin to open. But Romeo drinks the poison before she can
stop him. Rather than face the prospect of life without Romeo, Juliet shoots
herself and, no matter how many times I watch the scene, I jump every time I
hear that gun shot. The silence that
follows is deafening.
John
Murphy is convinced that Shakespeare would have loved the film adaptation of
one of his most famous plays. According
to Murphy, Luhrmann’s recreation of a timeless tragedy “has the spirit of the play—the tempestuous
first love, the overbearing parents, the head-on collision with fate…it’s
aggressive and passionate and full of tumbling forward-moving energy”. The transition of the play to Baz Luhrmann’s
film received glowing reviews from many critics, a testament to Luhrmann’s
ability to capture the underlying essence of the characters and the themes of
the original play using modern day imagery and music.
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