Romeo + Juliet
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Directed by
Produced by
Baz Luhrmann
Baz Luhrmann
Gabriella Martinelli
Screenplay by
Craig Pearce
Baz Luhrmann
Based on
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Starring
Leonardo DiCaprio
Claire Danes
Release date
1996
Running time
120 minutes
Country United States
Romeo + Juliet is a 1996 American romantic drama film adaptation of William Shakespeare's Romeo and
Juliet. It was directed by Baz Luhrmann. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in the leading
roles. The film is an abridged modernization of Shakespeare's play. While it retains the original
Shakespearean dialogue, the Montagues and the Capulets are represented as warring mafia empires (with
legitimate business fronts) and swords are replaced with guns (with brand names such as "Dagger" and
"Sword").
Some of the characters' names are also changed. Lord and Lady Montague and Lord and Lady Capulet are
given first names (as opposed to the Shakespeare original where their first names are never mentioned),
Friar Lawrence becomes Father Lawrence (played by Pete Postlethwaite), and Prince Escalus is renamed
Captain Prince. In addition, a few plot details are shifted, most notably near the ending.
Plot
In the fictional "Verona Beach", the Capulets and the Montagues are arch-rivals. The animosity of the older
generation—Fulgencio and Gloria Capulet and Ted and Caroline Montague—is felt by their younger
relatives. A gunfight between the Montague boys led by Benvolio, Romeo's cousin, and the Capulet boys
led by Tybalt, Juliet's cousin, creates chaos in the city. The Chief of Police, Captain Prince, reproaches the
families, warning them that if such behavior continues, their lives "shall pay the forfeit of the peace".
Benvolio meets with Romeo on a beach. While playing a game of pool they learn of a party being held by
the Capulets that evening which they decide to gate-crash. ( gate-crash [ˈgeɪtˌkræʃ] vt (fam: party)
intrufolarsi in, imbucarsi in ). Romeo agrees to come after discovering that Rosaline, with whom he is in
love, is attending that party.
The Montague boys meet their friend, Mercutio, who has tickets to the Capulet party. Romeo takes the
Ecstasy Mercutio gave him and they proceed to the Capulet mansion. The effects of the drug and the party
overwhelm Romeo, who goes to the restroom (USA = toilet). While admiring an aquarium, he and Juliet see
each other and fall instantly in love. Tybalt spots (=sees) Romeo and vows to kill him for invading his
family's home, but Fulgencio stops him.
Romeo and Juliet sneak into an elevator and kiss. The nurse spots them when the doors open and drags
Juliet away, while revealing to her that Romeo is a Montague. At the same time, Romeo realizes that Juliet
is a Capulet. Mercutio takes Romeo from the party, but he sneaks back to the mansion, hiding under Juliet’s
balcony. Juliet emerges into the yard and proclaims her love for him before Romeo sneaks up behind her.
Juliet warns him that he is risking his life, but Romeo tells her he does not care whether he is caught.
Knowing her nurse is looking for her, Juliet tells him that, if he sends word by the following day, they will be
betrothed (=engaged). Romeo visits Father Lawrence, telling him he wants to marry Juliet. He agrees to
marry the pair in hopes that their marriage will help ease the tensions between the families. Romeo passes
the word on to Juliet’s nurse and the lovers are married.
Tybalt encounters Mercutio just as Romeo arrives. Romeo attempts to make peace, but Tybalt assaults him.
Mercutio intervenes and batters (= to batter [sb/sth] vtr (hit repeatedly) picchiare qlcn vtr ) Tybalt, and is
about to finish him off by hitting him with a log when Romeo stops him. Tybalt mortally wounds Mercutio
with a shard of glass. Mercutio curses both the Montagues and the Capulets before dying in Romeo's arms.
Enraged, Romeo chases after (= to chase [sb/sth] vtr(pursue) inseguire⇒ vtr ) a fleeing Tybalt and guns him
down.
Captain Prince banishes Romeo from the city. Romeo goes into hiding with Father Lawrence, who treats
Romeo's injuries and says that, after some time passes, he will help Romeo and Juliet return to the city and
reconcile with their family and friends. The nurse tells Romeo that Juliet is waiting for him. When Romeo
climbs over Juliet's balcony, she kisses him and they consummate their marriage. Fulgencio decides Juliet
will marry Dave Paris, the governor's son.
The next morning, Romeo narrowly escapes as Juliet's mother tells her that the family has promised she
will marry Paris. She refuses to marry, so her father threatens to disown her. Her mother and nurse insist it
would be in her best interest to marry Paris. Juliet sees Father Lawrence, imploring him to help her and
threatening to commit suicide. The priest proposes she fake her own death and be put in the Capulet vault
to awaken 24 hours later. Romeo will be told of the plot, sneak into the vault, and once reunited the two
can travel to Mantua. He gives her the potion which mimics death. After saying goodnight to her mother,
Juliet drinks the potion. She is found in the morning, declared dead, and placed in the vault. Balthasar, one
of Romeo's cousins, learns that Juliet is dead and tells Romeo, who is not home when the messenger
arrives to tell him of the plan.
Romeo returns to Verona, where he buys poison. As he goes to the church, Captain Prince finds out he is
back, and tries to capture him, without success. Father Lawrence learns that Romeo has no idea Juliet is
alive. Romeo enters the church where Juliet lies and bids her goodbye. She awakens just as Romeo takes
the poison; the two thus see each other before he dies. After he dies, Juliet picks up Romeo's gun and
shoots herself in the head, dying instantly. The two lovers are discovered in each other's arms. Prince
condemns both families, whose feuding led to such tragedy, and coroners are shown removing the two
bodies.
This is what Luhrmann said about the idea of the film:
“With Romeo and Juliet what 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 (= punter n (chauffeur of a punt) =
conduttore di barchino nm, punt n(small boat) barchino condotto con pertica nm), 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.”
While some parts of the film were shot in Miami, most of the film was shot in Mexico City and Veracruz. For
instance, the Capulet mansion was set at Chapultepec Castle while the ballroom was built on Stage One of
Churubusco Studios; and the church is Immaculate Heart of Mary in the Del Valle neighborhood.
The film won several awards. Conversely, Roger Ebert gave the film a negative review of only 2 stars out of
4, saying, " I've seen “King Lear” as a samurai drama and “Macbeth” as a Mafia story, and two different
“Romeo and Juliets” about ethnic difficulties in Manhattan (“West Side Story” and “China Girl”), but I have
never seen anything remotely approaching the mess that the new punk version of “Romeo & Juliet” makes
of Shakespeare's tragedy.
Soundtrack
"#1 Crush" – Garbage
"Local God" – Everclear
"Angel" – Gavin Friday
"Pretty Piece of Flesh" – One Inch Punch
"Kissing You (Love Theme from Romeo & Juliet)" – Des'ree
"Whatever (I Had a Dream)" – Butthole Surfers
"Lovefool" – The Cardigans
"Young Hearts Run Free" – Kym Mazelle
"Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)" – Quindon Tarver
"To You I Bestow" – Mundy
"Talk Show Host" – Radiohead
"Little Star" – Stina Nordenstam
"You and Me Song" – The Wannadies
References[edit]
Jump up ^ "WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S ROMEO + JULIET (12)". 20th Century Fox. British Board of Film
Classification. December 2, 1996. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b "Romeo + Juliet (1996)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2011-09-22.
Jump up ^ Whitington, Paul (November 21, 2007). "From stage to screen". Irish Independent. Retrieved 5
March 2012.
Jump up ^ James Ryan (February 25, 1996). "UP AND COMING: Natalie Portman; Natalie Portman (Not Her
Real Name)". The New York Times.
^ Jump up to: a b "Interview with Baz Luhrmann", Signet, 19 December 1996 accessed 19 November 2012
Jump up ^ "Romeo + Juliet - Official Website, Production Notes".
Jump up ^ "Romeo + Juliet (1996) - Weekend Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2007-10-14.
Jump up ^ "William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 200710-13.
Jump up ^ Berardinelli, James (1996). "Review: Romeo and Juliet (1996)". ReelReviews.net. Retrieved 4
October 2010.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117509/awards Retrieved 2007-10-14
Jump up ^ "Berlinale: 1997 Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
Jump up ^ http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/romeo-and-juliet-1996
General
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. 52.2
(Summer 2001) pp. 189–221.
External links[edit]
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Wikiquote has quotations related to: Romeo + Juliet
Romeo + Juliet Official Website (Archive)
William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet at the Internet Movie Database
William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet at Box Office Mojo
William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet