William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet
(B or 3/4 stars)
Never did I ever think I'd see an interpretation of 'William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet' that was this ... different. Baz Luhrmann (Strictly Ballroom) has directed quite the divisive film, here. From the tradition of Shakespeare's 16th c. to the hip, modern suburbs of 'Verona Beach', this film retains most of the original dialogue, but updates everything from the surroundings to the costumes to the cultures & customs. Daggers become guns. Duels become car races, etc. Our story is timeless: the Montagues & Capulets are 2 feuding families (now gangs) whose teen children, Romeo & Juliet (Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes) meet & fall in love. But the 2 star-crossed lovers must hide that love because they know that their parents will not allow them to remain together. Obstacles include Juliet's cousin, Tybalt (John Leguizamo), & Romeo's drag queen friend Mercutio (Harold Perrineau). Fights commence. R + J marry. And as they say their vows, violence breaks out btwn. the families. But their loved is doomed (by way of morbid, ironic fate). And so goes one of the most tragic & romantic stories of all time.
Luhrmann's film is pretty radical; this version paying homage to the old work, while trying to make the material visually fresh. But I can't say that I love all of this 'R + J'. The beginning is so frenetic, so exhausting, so goofy - that I didn't know if I could stick it out. And I find myself praising the film for its audacity more so than its actual execution. Don't get me wrong, the editing (in some sequences) is electric. I loved the scene where R + J first meet face-to-face (through an aquarium). It's a quiet, beautiful, & poetic moment amid this mostly brassy affair. The cinematography is interesting (odd cuts, camera tricks, off-angles, & use of vibrant colors). The locales, costumes, sound, music ... stellar. And the production design? It will contend for Best Art Direction at the Oscars.
The performances: well, some are great, some are pretty bad. Miriam Margolyes (as Juliet's nurse), Pete Postlethwaite (as Father Lawrence), & Vondie Curtis-Hall (Capt. Prince) are okay. Brian Dennehy is given little to do as Lord Montague. Paul Sorvino & Diane Verona (no pun intended) are fairly horrid as Mr. & Mrs. Capulet. And both Paul Rudd & Jesse Bradford's roles (Paris, Balthasar) are poorly handled. Leo DiCaprio is fine as Romeo; though he's little more than a pretty face. He gives it his all, but sometimes goes over-the-top (near the end). And I don't think he nailed the delivery of the Shakespearean dialogue too well; the cadence of it. Claire Danes is pretty good as the pretty, somewhat aloof, unpretentious Juliet. It helps that she & DiCaprio have some chemistry. They don't have the burning intensity of Leonard Whiting & Olivia Hussey (in Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 version). But, more or less, I did believe them in these roles.
The biggest problem with the film is its overall feeling of messiness. It's a bold, inventive, beautiful, but strange mess; full of thrilling positives & jarring negatives. It's also not as passionate, or as subtle, or as psychologically deep as the original work (and subsequent 1968 film). I found it hard to follow the dialogue, at times. But that comes with the territory. As mentioned, there's plenty to praise here, but so much of the movie tries to shock & amaze us that the actual story gets lost.
Luhrmann's film is pretty radical; this version paying homage to the old work, while trying to make the material visually fresh. But I can't say that I love all of this 'R + J'. The beginning is so frenetic, so exhausting, so goofy - that I didn't know if I could stick it out. And I find myself praising the film for its audacity more so than its actual execution. Don't get me wrong, the editing (in some sequences) is electric. I loved the scene where R + J first meet face-to-face (through an aquarium). It's a quiet, beautiful, & poetic moment amid this mostly brassy affair. The cinematography is interesting (odd cuts, camera tricks, off-angles, & use of vibrant colors). The locales, costumes, sound, music ... stellar. And the production design? It will contend for Best Art Direction at the Oscars.
The performances: well, some are great, some are pretty bad. Miriam Margolyes (as Juliet's nurse), Pete Postlethwaite (as Father Lawrence), & Vondie Curtis-Hall (Capt. Prince) are okay. Brian Dennehy is given little to do as Lord Montague. Paul Sorvino & Diane Verona (no pun intended) are fairly horrid as Mr. & Mrs. Capulet. And both Paul Rudd & Jesse Bradford's roles (Paris, Balthasar) are poorly handled. Leo DiCaprio is fine as Romeo; though he's little more than a pretty face. He gives it his all, but sometimes goes over-the-top (near the end). And I don't think he nailed the delivery of the Shakespearean dialogue too well; the cadence of it. Claire Danes is pretty good as the pretty, somewhat aloof, unpretentious Juliet. It helps that she & DiCaprio have some chemistry. They don't have the burning intensity of Leonard Whiting & Olivia Hussey (in Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 version). But, more or less, I did believe them in these roles.
The biggest problem with the film is its overall feeling of messiness. It's a bold, inventive, beautiful, but strange mess; full of thrilling positives & jarring negatives. It's also not as passionate, or as subtle, or as psychologically deep as the original work (and subsequent 1968 film). I found it hard to follow the dialogue, at times. But that comes with the territory. As mentioned, there's plenty to praise here, but so much of the movie tries to shock & amaze us that the actual story gets lost.