This is Shakespeare? (Romeo And Juliet [1996] (DVD))

Member Name: victoriahathaway

Product:	Romeo And Juliet [1996] (DVD)
Date:	14/04/09 (153 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Highly original and far more appealing to a wider audience

Disadvantages: Some weak acting from the main roles

Directed by Baz Luhrman, known prominently for his vivid musical masterpiece 'Moulin Rouge', this modernised version of Shakespeare's classic love story is bold, striking and very ambitious.

I'm sure we all know the general plot of Romeo and Juliet, but to reiterate, it involves Romeo, from the House of Montague, and Juliet, from the House of Capulet falling in love, despite the tyranny between their respective Houses. It's a moving and beautiful love story which speaks volumes about being true to oneself and focuses on the themes of love, tragedy and forgiveness.

Too often, however, Shakespeare is dismissed as 'boring'. But there's no chance of being bored here. This is a bright, heavily stylised adaption, which manages to maintain all of the Bard's original language, yet delivering it in such a way that makes it easier to understand and far more accessible to a general audience. Those familiar with 'Moulin Rouge' will recognise Luhrman's energetic directing style, filled with fun sound effects, sudden speeding up, and a fantastic soundtrack.

So, welcome to 'Romeo and Juliet: Modernised'. Instead of duels with swords, we are treated to gun fights, with each gun engraved with the name of a sword. Mercutio dresses up as a drag queen for the Capulet's party. Juliet wanders around in a baggy t-shirt. Everything has been adapted to suit a younger audience, with the exception of the language, and it works fabulously.
It's a visual treat - the setting of Verona is both beautiful and brutal, as gang fights between the houses of Capulet and Montague erupt, as are the characters, most notably Tybalt, played by John Leguizamo, whose flamboyant gun fighting required the actor to learn flamenco dancing.

The cast are good, especially Harold Perrineau as Mercutio, although I do think Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes as the 'star crossed lovers' were slightly weak, although they certainly looked the part. Another slight blip is that it could be slightly too busy. The insanely quick cuts that suited 'Moulin Rouge' to a tee is slightly distracting here, when the audience also has to focus on the language.

The special features include commentary by the Director and other crew members, and some short but sweet videos focused on different aspects of production. There's also some music videos, a trailer and a gallery. The DVD is available for a very resonable £3.99 on play.com, and there's also a DVD and Soundtrack option for the same price. (I'm not sure if the special features are included in this package though!)

Overall, this is a potent, vibrant and original re-imagining of a classic love story, definitely worth a watch if only for the visual genius and great contemporary twist.

Summary: Vibrant and exciting, a really nice twist on the Shakespeare we are familiar with.