Romeo + Juliet (1996)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Baz Luhrmann

Writers (WGA):

William Shakespeare (play)
Craig Pearce (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

1 November 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Two households both alike in dignity, In fair Verona where we lay our scene. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life.

Plot:

Shakespeare's famous play is updated to the hip modern suburb of Verona still retaining its original dialogue.

Plot Keywords:

Verona | Star Crossed Lovers | Shakespeare | Lover | Love

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 13 wins & 20 nominations

Cast

Leonardo DiCaprio	...	Romeo
Claire Danes	...	Juliet
John Leguizamo	...	Tybalt
Harold Perrineau	...	Mercutio
Pete Postlethwaite	...	Father Laurence
Paul Sorvino	...	Fulgencio Capulet
Brian Dennehy	...	Ted Montague
Paul Rudd	...	Dave Paris
Vondie Curtis-Hall	...	Captain Prince
Miriam Margolyes	...	The Nurse
Jesse Bradford	...	Balthasar
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Apothecary
Zak Orth	...	Gregory
Jamie Kennedy	...	Sampson
Dash Mihok	...	Benvolio

Also Known As:

Romeo and Juliet
William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for scenes of contemporary violence and some sensuality.

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Brazil:14 | Hungary:16 | Iceland:12 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 (cut) | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Alameda, California, USA

Company:

Bazmark Films

Trivia:

Natalie Portman was considered for the role of Juliet and got as far as flying to director Baz Luhrmann's hometown, Sydney, to film scenes with Leonardo DiCaprio (who plays Romeo), when 20th Century Fox couldn't quite visualize the director's off-the-wall concept. Luhrmann says, "Although she's a fantastic young actor, she's a tiny little girl and Leonardo's six feet tall. He's 21, but can look 18. She made him look all of 21, and it just became obscene." Portman's version is this: "They said it looked like Leonardo was molesting me when we kissed. It was really disappointing, but I wouldn't have wanted to be in the movie and have it look wrong. If I was in the film, I would have wanted it to be perfect."

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Mercutio is dying on the beach, the digital clouds are blowing sideways, but on the ground, you can see the shadows of real clods coming toward the camera.

Quotes:

Romeo: He jests at scars that never felt a wound.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Tatort: Verraten und verkauft (#1.573)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

I'm Kissing You

Shakespeare Worthy

Very underrated modernization of the classic Shakespeare play. This movie has been pretty heavily criticized for the directors outlandishness in cinematography, but he understands when to tone down the often frantic pace of the storytelling during the dramatic scenes, and in fact this relationship tends to amplify their potency. Beautifully choreographed and shot, wonderfully acted by both the supporting cast and the main 2 stars, Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, and extremely sly modernization techniques to the dialogue. All the elizabethan dialogue remains intact, yet it all seems coherent in the modern atmosphere. mostly due to good imagery and double meaning in the phrases (ex: their swords being a gun model, or the flash of money while quoting gold.). One of the best shakespeare adaptations in the multitude of which have entered the cinemas in the past few years.