William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet
by Baz Luhrmann
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DVD details
Actor: Claire Danes, Harold Perrineau, John Leguizamo, Leonardo DiCaprio, Pete PostlethwaiteDirector: Baz Luhrmann
Brand: Twentieth Century Fox
Producer: Baz Luhrmann
Writer: Baz Luhrmann
Producer: Catherine Martin
Producer: Gabriella Martinelli
Producer: Jill Bilcock
Writer: Craig Pearce
Writer: William Shakespeare
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 120 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-01-14
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
DVD Reviews of William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet
DVD Review: Shakespeare must be rolling over in his grave!!!
Summary: 1 Stars
I am a huge Shakespeare fan and love many of his works!! I love the way he wrote, the old english words he used, I love it all!! When I was in High School in the mid 90's, my English class read the original Romeo & Juliet play by Shakespeare and then after we read the play, we watched the 1936 Black & White film and I just totally loved it for the acting and drama, and it was romantic and followed the play very well. Now Romeo & Juliet is my favorite Shakespeare play!!
A while after this 1996 film was released, when it came to video stores to rent, I decided to rent it. I thought it would be good because I liked Claire Danes and Leonardo in other shows and movies. Well I can honestly say that after watching this 1996 version, Shakespeare must have been rolling over in his grave!! I hate to talk so negatively about a film based on Shakespeare's masterpiece but I have to be honest!! This film should NOT have William Shakespeare's name in the title. I was very, very appalled by the very, very drastic changes they made to what Shakespeare meant it to be!
Here are some things in this version that just made me sick:
1. The dialog does not match what you see on screen. There is this line "drop your sword." Hello?? They were carrying guns!!! I mean, come on!!! If You're going to makes changes to a play, at least do it right!!!
2. The guns!! Nowhere in Shakespeare's masterpiece play does it mention the characters with guns!! They had swords and daggers, not guns!!
3. The rock, alternative, and dance music does not fit, it's meant to be classical!!
4. The famous balcony scene was a total disgrace!! Romeo is supposed to be right below Juliet's balcony and Juliet is supposed to be up at her balcony when she says the famous "Romeo, Romeo, Where For Art Thou Romeo?" They totally messed this up in the 1996 film when Juliet says that line only when she says it, she is walking right by Romeo on the ground where he was!! I was really, really looking forward to the famous balcony scene the way Shakespeare meant it to be right before I saw the part in this 1996 version but I was so appalled that they killed the scene!!
5. Claire Danes and Leonardo didn't have enough emotion and passion to be Romeo & Juliet overall!! The couple romantic scenes this film did have, it was alright but I expect superb acting and drama between the two star crossed lovers!!!
6. This 1996 film was ruined from the very beginning with the newscaster and TV!!
7. There were cars in this film!! There were NO cars in Romeo & Juliet!!!
8. I felt like I was watching a Ganster film and not a romantic film overall. I mean, there was a feud between the two families in the play but this film took it way too far like when they were always shooting and killing each other, to an extent that made me feel like I was watching more Ganster than Romance!
9. There is acid using in this film!! People using acid drugs?? Oh my god, I feel so sorry for Shakespeare, so sorry that his masterpiece play is being treated this way!! I just cannot comprehend how they could treat his legacy like this!! I am just so, so appalled beyond words!
The only saving factor in this, is they kept the old english words/dialog and a couple of Romeo & Juliet romantic scenes but I will stick to the REAL Romeo & Juliet films, the 1936 Black & White and the 1968 version, those are REAL Romeo & Juliet adaptions that don't disgrace and disrespect Shakespeare!
Description of William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet
Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 12/26/2006Baz Luhrmann (Strictly Ballroom) takes a shot at reinventing Shakespeare's story of star-crossed lovers as a visual pastiche inspired by MTV imagery, Hong Kong action-picture clichés, and Luhrmann's own taste for deliberate, gaudy excess. The result is explosive chaos, both in terms of bullets and visual sensibility, which some may find impossible to stick with for more than a few minutes. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes play the leads, though not with much distinction, while Pete Postlethwaite makes a huge impression as this movie's version of Friar Laurence. The film is successful in spots, but overall its fever-dream game plan is difficult to ride out. --Tom Keogh
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