William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet

365 Films

Entry #99

William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet (1996)

Directed by Baz Luhrmann

As we return to Baz-land, the thing that comes to mind first is how difficult it is to perceive of his 1996 Shakespeare update of Romeo + Juliet as just a movie.  As disastrous a prospect as a Shakespeare adaptation for the MTV Generation sounded back then, Luhrmann managed to combine the enduring timelessness of the original text with a showman’s eye for capturing a cultural moment.  So prophetic was his vision that he even managed to harness two icons of 90’s youth culture in his titular leads, Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio, before society had deemed them so.  As it is today, Romeo + Juliet is not limited to the confining realm of a product, it is movement and a moment; one that will most likely never be duplicated.  What you have to understand about my perspective on this film is that it has evolved radically from when I first encountered it.  It was very difficult to be a pre-adolescent boy in the mid-90’s and not harbor just a tiny bit of animosity towards Mr. DiCaprio.  Not that it was based on anything as rational as a judgement of his talent or skill, but simply because every single female on the planet seemed to be in love with him.  And before I get any angry letters, rest assured I mean to imply hyperbole with that statement.  The world of a 12-year-old boy is very small indeed.  As the years marched on a little maturity and rationality went a long way with helping me return to Baz Luhrmann’s intoxicating vision.  Re-watching the film recently, I was struck by just how capably and graciously Luhrmann juggles the various visual influences that are bouncing around inside his and an entire generation’s head.  I suppose it helps to have a narrative foundation as sturdy as that of Shakespeare, but careening from a Sergio Leone style opening sequence to Romeo’s return to Verona which wouldn’t have looked out of place on an episode of COPS is an awfully tricky balancing act to pull off.  All the while retaining the power and layers of Shakespeare’s text coupled with a sprawling cast that always proves capable.  Romeo + Juliet is a grab bag of cultural and contextual landmarks that manages to not only solidify their staying power but also open them up to reveal several stimulating new dimensions.