As anyone who has read or performed one can vouch for, a play by William Shakespeare leaves itself wide open for interpretation. For many reasons, many directors are drawn to Shakespeare’s work, and everyone seems to want to interpret it in a different way.
“Romeo and Juliet” is perhaps the best example of this, and Baz Luhrmann’s most recent version shows exactly how far an interpretation can go without losing the story in the embellishment.
Recently, it has seemed to become fashionable to revamp Shakespeare for a modern audience, most easily proven by browsing a bookstore. There are numerous annotations, translations, and even satires of nearly all of his plays, and there has been a constant flow of Shakespeare adaptations on the big screen.
While some might criticize Luhrmann’s silver screen “Romeo and Juliet” for being so adventurous, those viewers with a slightly open mind can take the opportunity to better understand the timeless love story, and be entertained as well.
One thing that “Romeo and Juliet” successfully avoids is the haughtiness other adaptations seem to show towards the general public. When directing this film, Luhrmann obviously realized that the average movie viewer would be thoroughly confused and disappointed if given a straight reading of the Shakespeare classic.
To realize his stylized vision of the work, Luhrmann enlisted Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes to play the title roles. Many people are calling the pair the two most talented actors of their generation, and in this movie, this opinion was given merit.
DiCaprio and Danes show impressive maturity in this film, as they both have in previous roles. The task of playing Romeo and Juliet in the way they were intended, and including the modernized setting in which they were placed could not have been easy, but they made it look that way.
The chemistry between the two, obviously an important facet of the film, was also fantastic. The idea of two teens rebelling against their parents through their love for each other is not an original theme, but somehow the pair makes it seem that way.
The cinematography, though, is what makes this version of “Romeo and Juliet” as great as it is. It has no rival that I can remember is this regard, and its nearly excessive dramatics make the film extremely powerful.
Some might criticize this movie as being an incoherent mishmash of different filming styles and genres, but to criticize the film in this way would also be a slap in the face of the original. Shakespeare’s play is full of comedy, action, and romance, and all three elements are brought to light in this version.
All these elements coupled with the fabulous acting and cinematography make for two hours of nonstop, unbridled power. It’s difficult to comprehend everything in this film while watching it, but it isn’t the slightest bit challenging to be entertained by every minute of it.
Grade: A