In association with

Romeo And Juliet [1996]
from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, Brian Dennehy, John Leguizamo, Pete Postlethwaite
directed by Baz Luhrmann

Features:

• Anamorphic
• PAL
• Special Edition
• Widescreen

Editorial Review:

While perhaps not the defining moment in the making of Leonardo DiCaprio’s career, his appearance in this dazzling take on William Shakepeare’s Romeo & Juliet back in 1996 did the careers of both Clare Danes and himself no harm at all. Perhaps the real star of the show here though is director Baz Luhrmann, who employs a frenetic, at times downright-brilliant style to the age-old tale of tale of star-crossed lovers. Luhrmann would go on to make Moulin Rouge a few years’ later.

From the off, his take on Romeo & Juliet explodes unpredictably onto the screen, bubbling with vision and originality, accompanied throughout by an excellent score and soundtrack that rightly spawned two spin-off CDs. There are sacrifices made along the way to support Luhrmann’s vision though, with the text being stripped down to leave the core of the story in tact, and that’s just one of a number of complaints that Shakespeare purists may have.

And yet, perhaps more than any other attempt to bring the work of the Bard to the screen of late, this is an extremely accessible entry-point to Shakepeare’s work. That it’s also by turns breathtaking, dazzling and a sheer joy to watch doesn’t harm its cause either. The two leads are charming, the support cast backs them up superbly, and the end result is one of the most interesting visual treats that Hollywood mustered up throughout the 1990s.--Simon Brew

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

• If you love Shakespeare - AVOID THIS!
  Some of the most atrocious acting even committed to celluloid. Just awful, awful, awful!
  I watched 15 minutes before I could stand no more.
  Save yourself the hassle & buy Zeffirelli's version instead. You won't regret THAT!

• Too brash and too American
  I usually enjoy Shakespeare "done modern" but this was awful! It was Shakespeare meets Westside story, Moulin Rouge and greasy was the word that came to mind. The film kept to the traditional language of Shakespeare but it does not suit American accents. The words grated, uttered thoughtlessly for the most part from the mouths of Hawaiian shirted American gang youth. Even Peter Postlethwaite seemed preoccupied with maintaining his American accent over what he was saying.
  Dicaprio and Clare Danes... more info

• Not Bard At All
  So Shakespeare, boring or not boring? Definitely NOT in my opinion and this adaptation of a classic play proves it beyond doubt. Were the bard himself alive today, I have absolutely no doubt this would be how he would like to see his plays represented on film.
  At the time the play was written, Shakespeare was limited to a wooden, prop-starved theatre stage. Baz Luhrmann, four hundred years later, has a vast cinemascope on which to depict his story. Consequently, he floods the screen with panoramic... more info

• a modern take on classic tale
  In an adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragic love story, Romeo falls for Juliet, a beautiful woman born in the Capulet family, a family which his Montague family is destined to hate.
  Baz Luhrmann brings a modern feel to this romantic drama with guns, drugs and cars replacing all classic props used in the playwright's time.
  Though this doesn't always work during the film, there is a good motive to use these particular props and is executed well. During the opening sequence in a petrol station... more info

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