Wikipedia

Romeo + Juliet

This article is about the film. For Peter Martins' 2007 ballet, seeRomeo + Juliet(ballet).
"William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet" redirects here. For the original play by William Shakespeare, seeRomeo and Juliet.For other uses, seeRomeo and Juliet (disambiguation).
"Verona Beach" redirects here. For the park in Upstate New York, seeVerona Beach State Park.

William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet(stylized asWilliam Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet) is a 1996romanticcrime filmdirected, produced, and co-written byBaz Luhrmann.It is a modernized adaptation ofWilliam Shakespeare's tragedyof the same name,albeit still utilizingShakespearean English.The film starsLeonardo DiCaprioandClaire Danesin the title roles of two teenagers who fall in love, despite their being members of feuding families.Brian Dennehy,John Leguizamo,Miriam Margolyes,Harold Perrineau,Pete Postlethwaite,Paul SorvinoandDiane Venoraalso star in supporting roles. It is the third major film version of the play, following adaptations byGeorge Cukorin1936and byFranco Zeffirelliin1968.

William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBaz Luhrmann
Screenplay by
Based onRomeo and Juliet
1597 play
byWilliam Shakespeare
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyDonald M. McAlpine
Edited byJill Bilcock
Music by
Production
company
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release dates
  • 27 October 1996(1996-10-27)(Mann's Chinese Theatre)
  • 1 November 1996(1996-11-01)(U.S. & Canada)
  • 26 December 1996(1996-12-26)(Australia)
Running time
120 minutes[1]
Countries
LanguageEnglish
Budget$14.5 million
Box office$147.6 million[5]

The film was released on November 1, 1996, by20th Century Fox.It was met with generally positive reviews from critics and grossed over $147 million against its $14.5 million budget. At the47th Berlin International Film Festivalin 1997, DiCaprio won theSilver Bear for Best Actorand Luhrmann won theAlfred Bauer Prize.[6]At the69th Academy Awards,Catherine MartinandBrigitte Brochwere nominated forBest Art Direction/Set Decoration.[7]In 2005, the film was included on theBFIlist of the "50 films you should watch by the age of 14".[8]

The film was also re-released in Luhrmann'sRed Curtain TrilogyDVD box set in 2002 together withStrictly Ballroom(1992) andMoulin Rouge!(2001).

Plot

In Verona Beach, the Capulets and Montagues are two rival business empires. The animosity of the older generation—Fulgencio and Gloria Capulet and Ted and Caroline Montague—is felt by their younger relatives. A shootout occurs between MontagueBenvolio,Romeo's cousin, and CapuletTybalt,Juliet's cousin, creating chaos in the city. TheChief of Police,Captain Prince, arrests Benvolio and Tybalt before reprimanding the families, warning them that if such an event occurs again, their lives "shall pay the forfeit of the peace".

Benvolio and Romeo learn of a Capulet party that evening, which they decide to gate-crash. Romeo agrees on hearing that Rosaline, with whom he is madly in love, is attending. They meet their friend,Mercutio,who has tickets to the party, and Romeo takesecstasyas they proceed to the Capulet mansion. The effects of the drug and the party overwhelm Romeo, who goes to the restroom. There he sees and meets Juliet, and the two instantly fall in love, both unaware of who the other is. Tybalt spots Romeo and vows to kill him for trespassing into his family's home.

After Romeo leaves the party, he and Juliet each learn that they belong to feuding families, but Romeo returns to see her. He proposes. Juliet tells him that if he sends word by the following day, they will be betrothed. The next day, Romeo asksFather Laurenceto marry them, and he agrees. Romeo passes the word on viaJuliet's nurse,and they soon get married.

Tybalt encounters Mercutio and Romeo at the beach. Romeo attempts to make peace, but Tybalt assaults him. Mercutio intervenes and batters Tybalt, and is about to kill him when Romeo stops him. Tybalt takes the opportunity to fatally wound Mercutio, whocurses both housesbefore dying. Enraged, Romeo chases after the fleeing Tybalt and shoots him dead, avenging Mercutio’s death.

Captain Prince banishes Romeo from the city, and he goes into hiding with Father Laurence. The nurse arrives and tells him that Juliet is waiting for him. Romeo climbs Juliet's balcony and they consummate their marriage, with Romeo departing the next morning. Meanwhile, Fulgencio decides Juliet will marryDave Paris,the governor's son.

The next morning, Gloria informs Juliet that she is to marry Paris, and when Juliet refuses, Fulgencio physically assaults her and threatens to disown her. Juliet runs away and seeks out Father Laurence, imploring him to help her, while threatening to commit suicide. Father Laurence gives her a potion that will let her fake her own death, after which she will be placed within the Capulet vault to awaken 24 hours later. Father Laurence vows to inform Romeo of the plot via overnight letter, whereupon the latter will sneak into the vault and, once reunited with Juliet, the two will escape toMantua,a remote trailer park in the desert where Romeo has been hiding out. Romeo does not see the delivered letter, however, and, believing Juliet to be dead, buys a vial of poison from an apothecary.

Romeo enters the church where Juliet lies and consumes the poison just as Juliet wakes up. Distraught over Romeo’s death, Juliet picks up his gun and shoots herself in the head, falling down beside his lifeless body. Romeo's body is being taken inside an ambulance with a crowd of spectators and reporters observing the incident from behind the police line, when the parents of both Romeo and Juliet arrive on the scene. Captain Prince approaches their fathers, and berates them both for the deaths of their children that their foolish brawl has caused.

Cast

Main article:Characters inRomeo and Juliet

Natalie Portmanhad been cast as Juliet but, during rehearsals, it was thought that she looked too young for the part, and the footage looked as though DiCaprio was "molesting"her.[10]Luhrmann stated that Portman was too young at the time, and made DiCaprio look older than intended. He was 21 at the time of filming and Portman was only 14.[11][12]

AfterSarah Michelle Gellarturned down the role due to scheduling conflicts, DiCaprio proclaimed that Danes should be cast, as he felt she was genuine in her line delivery and did not try to impress him by acting flirtatious.[13]

Christian Baleread for the role of Mercutio, but the production crew decided to go with an African-American actor for the role instead.[14]

Differences between the film and the original play

While it retains the original Shakespearean dialogue, the film represents theMontaguesand theCapuletsas warringmafiaempires (with legitimate business fronts) and the Capulets were "a Latin family, sort of,"[15]played by Latin-American and Italian actors.[16]It is set in contemporary United States, where swords are replaced by guns[17](with model names such as "Dagger", "Sword", and "Rapier" ), and with aFedEx-style overnight delivery service called "Post Haste".[18]

Some characters' names are also changed: Paris, Lord and Lady Montague, and Lord and Lady Capulet are given first names (in the original, their first names are never mentioned);Friar Laurencebecomes Father Laurence; and Prince Escalus is rewritten as thepolice chiefof Verona Beach, being renamed Captain Prince.[19]

The adaptation eliminates the character of Friar John, and some characters change families: in the original, Gregory and Sampson are Capulets, but in the film, they are Montagues; conversely, Abram, as Abra, is shifted from the Montague to the Capulet family.[19]

Production

The film was an international co-production involving principals from the United States, Mexico, Australia, and Canada. After the success of his earlier filmStrictly Ballroom(1992), Baz Luhrmann took some time deciding on his next project:

"Our philosophy has always been that we think up what we need in our life, choose something creative that will make that life fulfilling, and then follow that road. WithRomeo and Julietwhat I wanted to do was to look at the way in which Shakespeare might make a movie of one of his plays if he was a director. How would he make it? We don't know a lot about Shakespeare, but we do know he would make a 'movie' movie. He was a player. We know about the Elizabethan stage and that he was playing for 3000 drunken punters, from the street sweeper to the Queen of England – and his competition was bear-baiting and prostitution. So he was a relentless entertainer and a user of incredible devices and theatrical tricks to ultimately create something of meaning and convey a story. That was what we wanted to do. "[20]

Luhrmann obtained some funds fromFoxto do a workshop and shoot some teaser footage inSydney.Leonardo DiCaprio agreed to pay his own expenses to fly to Sydney and be part of it. Once Fox sawfootageof thefight scene,they agreed to support it.[20]

All of the development was done in Australia, with pre-production in Australia and Canada and post-production in Australia. While some parts of the film were shot inMiami,most of the film was shot inMexico CityandBoca del Rio,Veracruz.For instance, the Capulet mansion was set atChapultepec Castle,while the ballroom was built on Stage One ofChurubusco Studios;the church exterior was the Templo del Purísimo Corazón de María ( "Immaculate Heart of Mary" ) in theDel Valleneighborhood.[21]

Reception

Box office

The filmpremieredon November 1, 1996, in the United States and Canada, in 1,276 theaters, and grossed $11.1 million its opening weekend, rankingnumber one at the US box office.It went on to gross $46.3 million in the United States and Canada.[22]

In Australia, the film opened onBoxing Dayand wasnumber one at the Australian box officewith a gross of A$3.3 million (US$2.6 million) for the week.[23]It remained number one for a second week and returned to the top in its fourth week.[24][25]It was the ninth highest-grossing film in Australia for 1997 with a calendar year gross of A$12.9 million.[26]Overall, it has grossed US$12.6 million in Australia and US$147,554,998 worldwide.[5]

Critical response

Review aggregatorRotten Tomatoesreported 74% of 69 critics gave a positive review, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Baz Luhrmann's visual aesthetic is as divisive as it is fresh and inventive."[27]Metacriticgives the film a weighted average score of 60 out of 100 based on 20 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[28]Audiences polled byCinemaScoregave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[29]

James Berardinelligave the film three out of four stars and wrote, "Ultimately, no matter how many innovative and unconventional flourishes it applies, the success of any adaptation of a Shakespeare play is determined by two factors: the competence of the director and the ability of the main cast members. Luhrmann, Danes, and DiCaprio place thisRomeo and Julietin capable hands. "[30]

Conversely,Roger Ebertgave the film a mixed review of only two stars out of four, saying, "I've seenKing Learasa samurai dramaandMacbethasa Mafia story,and two differentRomeo and Juliets about ethnic difficulties in Manhattan (West Side StoryandChina Girl), but I have never seen anything remotely approaching the mess that the new punk version ofRomeo & Julietmakes of Shakespeare's tragedy. "[31]

Accolades

Romeo + Julietcompeted for theGolden Bearat the47th Berlin International Film Festival,winning theAlfred Bauer Prizefor Luhrmann and theSilver Bear for Best Actorfor DiCaprio.[32]It received seven nominations at the51st British Academy Film Awardsand won in four categories, includingBest DirectionandBest Adapted Screenplay.[33]The film received a single nomination forBest Art Directionat the69th Academy Awards.[34]

Other notable ceremonies where it received much recognition included audience oriented award shows, such as theBlockbuster Entertainment Awards,and theMTV Movie Awards.

Award Category Subject Result Ref.
Academy Awards Best Art Direction Art Direction:Catherine Martin;
Set Decoration:Brigitte Broch 		Nominated [7]
Australian Film Institute Awards Best Foreign Film Baz LuhrmannandGabriella Martinelli Nominated
Berlin International Film Festival Golden Bear Baz Luhrmann Nominated [6]
Alfred Bauer Prize Won
Silver Bear for Best Actor Leonardo DiCaprio Won
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards Favorite Actor – Romance Leonardo DiCaprio Won [35]
Favorite Actress – Romance Claire Danes Won
British Academy Film Awards Best Direction Baz Luhrmann Won [36]
Best Adapted Screenplay Baz Luhrmann andCraig Pearce Won
Best Cinematography Donald McAlpine Nominated
Best Editing Jill Bilcock Nominated
Best Original Film Music Nellee Hooper,Craig ArmstrongandMarius de Vries Won
Best Production Design Catherine Martin Won
Best Sound Gareth Vanderhope,Rob YoungandRoger Savage Nominated
London Film Critics Circle Awards Film of the Year Romeo + Juliet Nominated
Director of the Year Baz Luhrmann Nominated
Actress of the Year Claire Danes Won
MTV Movie Awards Best Movie Romeo + Juliet Nominated [37]
Best Male Performance Leonardo DiCaprio Nominated
Best Female Performance Claire Danes Won [38]
Best Kiss Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio Nominated [37]
Best On-Screen Duo Nominated
Best Song from a Movie "#1 Crush"byGarbage Nominated
Saturn Awards Best Costume Design Kym Barrett Nominated [39]

American Film Instituterecognition

Home media

The film was originally released on DVD on March 19, 2002, by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.[41]A 10th anniversary special edition DVD containing extra features and commentary was released on February 6, 2007, and a Blu-ray edition was released on October 19, 2010.[42]

Retrospective reviews

The film maintains a popular reputation among English teachers, as a means through which to introduce secondary school students to the play. Although not to every critic's taste, the film is now recognised as one of the most influential Shakespeare film adaptations ever made.[43]

Miriam Margolyes, who played the nurse in the film, wrote about her experiences on the film in her 2021memoirThis Much Is True.On her co-starLeonardo DiCaprio,she wrote:[44]

Leonardo has grown into an extremely fine actor but back then he was just a handsome boy who didn't always wash; he was quite smelly in that very male way some young men are. Sometimes he wore a dress. "Leonardo, I think you're gay," I said. He laughed and said, "No Miriam. I'm really not gay." But I was wrong. We filmed inMexico City,paradise for someone like me who loves fossicking around flea markets and antiques shops, and, like me, Leonardo was into bling in a big way, too. We'd spend hours going through the markets together. I don't know that I've ever had such fun. "[45][46]

She further commented on the chemistry between the film's two leads:

I liked [DiCaprio] tremendously and admired his work, but luckily I was immune from his groin charms, unlike poorClaire Danes,then only 17. It was obvious to all of us that she really was in love with her Romeo, but Leonardo wasn't in love with her. She wasn't his type at all. He didn't know how to cope with her evident infatuation. He wasn't sensitive to her feelings, was dismissive of her and could be quite nasty in his keenness to get away, while Claire was utterly sincere and so open. It was painful to watch. Many years later, I was in a restaurant and she came up to me and said: "We worked together on a film once, I don't know if you remember me? My name is Claire Danes." It was the opposite of the arrogant behaviour of some stars and so typical of her.[45][47]

Soundtrack

Main article:Romeo + Juliet (soundtrack)
  1. "#1 Crush"–Garbage
  2. "Local God" –Everclear
  3. "Angel" –Gavin Friday
  4. "Pretty Piece of Flesh" –One Inch Punch
  5. "Kissing You (Love Theme fromRomeo & Juliet)"–Des'ree
  6. "Whatever (I Had a Dream)" –Butthole Surfers
  7. "Lovefool"–The Cardigans
  8. "Young Hearts Run Free"–Kym Mazelle
  9. "Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)"–Quindon Tarver
  10. "To You I Bestow" –Mundy
  11. "Talk Show Host"–Radiohead
  12. "Little Star" –Stina Nordenstam
  13. "You and Me Song"–The Wannadies

References

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Further reading

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