Romeo + Juliet is a 1996 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. is an 1996 in film and the 10th on-screen adaptation of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It was directed by Australian Director Baz Luhrmann and star Leonardo DiCaprio in the eponymous roles.
The film is a modernization of Shakespeare's play, designed to appeal to a younger modern audience. The warring families are represented as warring business empires and swords are replaced by guns. Despite the adaptation, the film retains Shakespeare's original dialogue, albeit edited down for modern cinema audiences.
Overview[]
The plot has some changes from the original script:
- At times whole scenes are omitted, such as Romeo's killing of Paris, but this scene is often cut from stage productions as well.
- Romeo buys the poison from the "Apothecary" in Verona instead of in Mantua.
- Abra (originally known as "Abram" in the play) is a Capulet instead of a Montague. Much of the film's story takes place in the fictional Greater Los Angeles Area town or suburb called "Verona Beach", which is based on the real life in Venice, Los Angeles, California. Verona Beach is the Center of a Competition between two leaders of industry, "Montague" and "Capulet", rather than just a mere family. Prince Escalus is renamed "Captain Prince", and instead of being Prince of Verona, he is the Chief of the Verona Beach Police Department. His relationship to Paris (called "Dave Paris" in the movie) is removed from the film. Romeo and Juliet's parents are given names here too, the names in this case being Ted and Caroline Montague and Fulgencio and Gloria Capulet. Dave Paris is stated as being the Governor's son rather than a nobleman, and throughout the film he speaks in a conceited and pompous manner around Juliet and her father. He only wants to marry her for wealth and ego rather than real love.
In addition to the characters being updated, many of the props were replaced with analogous contemporary props. In place of swords, the characters wield with fictional brand names like "Sword (which was used in the beginning gas station shootout, "Dagger" (which Mercutio throws to the ground before using his fists, or "Rapier" (Romeo uses it to shoot Tybalt); Lord Montague's "Longsword" is a MAG-7 shotgun. Romeo and Tybalt engage in a car chase. Romeo crashes out Tybalt's car by the central fountain of the city. Romeo kills Tybalt with his own custom handgun and finally avenged Mercutio's death. Romeo takes before attending the Capulet party. Friar Lawrence gives the letter for Romeo in Mantua to a postal service called "Post Haste".
Production[]
Most of the film was shot in California, United States of America.
Cast[]
- Claire Danes as Juliet Capulet
- Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo Montague
- Brian Dennehy as Ted Montague
- Christina Pickles as Caroline Montague
- Dash Mihok as Benvolio Montague
- Jesse Bradford as Balthasar Montague
- Zak Orth as Gregory Montague
- Jamie Kennedy as Sampson Montague
- Paul Sorvino as Fulgencio Capulet
- Diane Venora as Gloria Capulet
- John Leguizamo as Tybalt Capulet
- Vincent Laresca as Abra Capulet
- Carlos Martín Manzo Otálora as Petruchio Capulet
- Miriam Margolyes as Nurse
- Harold Perrineau as Mercutio
- Pete Postlethwaite as Father Lawrence
- Paul Rudd as Dave Paris
- Vondie Curtis-Hall as Captain Prince
- M. Emmet Walsh as Apothecary
- Quindon Tarver as Choir Boy
- Edwina Moore as Anchorwoman (Narrator)
Leonardo DiCaprio was Luhrmann's first choice to play Romeo, while the casting of Juliet was a lengthy process. According to Portman, they felt that the footage looked like DiCaprio was "molesting" her.
Sarah Michelle Gellar, Kate Winslet, and Jennifer Love Hewitt were the front-runners to replace Portman. Gellar couldn't take the part because of her commitments to the soap series All My Children. Hewitt was then cast in the role, but during rehearsals Luhrmann began to feel that she didn't look "modern" enough. Reese Witherspoon was then offered the role, but couldn't take it because of prior commitments. Alicia Silverstone was another actress who turned down the role of Juliet Jodie Foster suggested that she audition.
Response[]
Financially, the film was very successful, grossing $147 million worldwide at the box office on a USD$14.5 million budget. The film premiered in the United States in 1,276 Theaters and grossed $11.1 million its opening weekend, ranking #1 at the box office. It went on to gross $46.3 million in the United States. Romeo + Juliet (1996) - Weekend Box Office
Critics gave the film generally positive reviews. According to the review aggregator, 100% of critics gave the film positive reviews.
The film won several awards. At the Berlin International Film Festival in 1997, Leonardo DiCaprio won Silver Bear Award for Best Actor.
Leonardo DiCaprio won Favorite Actor in a Romance at the 1997 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards.
Music[]
Romeo + Juliet (soundtrack)[]
The film made use of modern alternative rock and pop music coupled with a dramatic symphonic score by Nellee Hooper, Craig Armstrong, and Marius De Vries. The film's soundtrack was also noted for featuring choral renditions of the songs "When Doves Cry" and "Everybody's Free To Feel Good" performed by Quindon Tarver.
The Romeo + Juliet soundtrack album to the film was issued in two volumes, with the first release containing most of the songs from the film and Volume 2 containing the original score.
Although the film featured the Radiohead song "Exit Music" in the closing credits, the song did not appear on Volume 1; "Talk Show Host", a different Radiohead song. "Talk Show Host" featured heavily in the film overall, the entire song playing during a montage and the main riff playing at several pensive moments throughout the film.
A number of hit singles resulted from the soundtrack, including "Lovefool" by The Cardigans, "Kissing You" by Des'ree, "Young Hearts Run Free" covered by Kym Mazelle, "#1 Crush" by Garbage and Quindon Tarver's remixed version of "When Doves Cry". Tarver's rendition of "Everybody's Free To Feel Good" was later used in Luhrmann's "Everybody's Free To Wear Sunscreen".
Choral arrangements were performed by Metro Voices.
The final scene in the film contains the final bars from Wagner's music-drama Tristan und Isolde.
The soundtrack was a popular and solid seller, and was especially successful in Luhrmann's native Australia, where it was the second highest selling album in Australia in 1997, going five times platinum in sales.
|| title =Top 100 Albums 1997
|| publisher =Australian Recording Industry Association
|| A 10th anniversary release of the soundtrack with bonus tracks also eventuated.
Gallery[]
Clips[]
TBA
Further reading[]
- Lehmann, Courtney. "Strictly Shakespeare? Dead Letters, Ghostly Fathers, and the Cultural Pathology of Authorship in Baz Luhrmann's 'William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet'." Shakespeare Quarterly.
External links[]
- http://www.romeoandjuliet.com/ Official website
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- amg title|id=1:136681
- rotten-tomatoes
- mojo title