Rica Angelica Adarlo: Textual Analysis: Romeo + Juliet

Textual Analysis: Romeo + Juliet

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I have recently re-watched Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s: Romeo and Juliet as it . And throughout my multiple viewings of the film, my overall opinion on it has not changed at all.

Film: Romeo + Juliet (1996)

Director: Baz Luhrmann

Genre: Drama, Romance

Writer: William Shakespeare (play), Craig Pearce and Baz Luhrmann (screenplay)

Premise (taken from IMDB): Shakespeare’s famous play is updated to the hip modern suburb of Verona still retaining its original dialogue.

*Image from Google Images*

With that being said, some of my favorite scenes are when the actors and actresses are speaking in Shakespearean language whilst portraying the characters’ true emotion in a modern setting. I really love Baz Luhrmann’s spin on this film as it really brings out the quirkiness and creativeness of his world. For example, the first opening scene of the film introduces the Capulets and Montagues at the gas station, when Mercutio (Harold Perrineau) convinces Romeo (Leonardo DiCaprio) to attend the Capulet’s party. Also, when Juliet (Claire Danes) asks Nurse (Miriam Margolyes) about Romeo’s proposal for marriage. Furthermore, I feel that the reason for the success of his adaptation is because it is a film many would not expect; but it still managed to capture subtle references to Shakespeare’s original play, only with a more modern twist to it.

WHAT I’VE LEARNT FROM THIS

I think that Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet is very unique as his creation of a fictitious world where Shakespearean language and modern settings combined showed that Luhrmann was not afraid to step out of the box and put a twist to a story that so many know of. As well as this, it puts Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in a different light as this movie had a lot symbolism within the characters and certain scenes.

The craft of this film definitely puts into perspective the different components I would need to include in a film I may produce in the future. Originality is of course a crucial aspect of film-making, but I’ve also learnt that different camera angles, close-ups, slow motions etc, are very important features because each scene could represent a different event taking place. For example, the way everything slows down when Romeo and Juliet first meet and their entire interaction is so full of small details and moments brings the romance to life.