It’s the play most of us will have studied at school, our first introduction to Shakespeare. This tale of two star-crossed lovers has been told time and time again in film, TV and on stage. In all its incarnations, none have had such an impact as Baz Lurhman’s 1996 retelling. Endless amounts of children (myself included) watched his adaptation in class, a tool to help teachers teach 13 year olds understand the complexity of the language used.
While most of my classmates loved this film, I have always been less impressed with it. I could never quite put my finger on the reason why – until I rewatched it recently. For those who haven’t seen or heard of Romeo and Juliet, the play follows two warring families: the Montagues (Romeo’s family), and the Capulets (Juliet’s family). Romeo and Juliet meet at a Capulet masked ball and fall in love. They are soon married in secret but through a lot of mishaps this tale ends tragically – both Romeo and Juliet take their own lives. Lurhman’s version places these events in a modern setting – with guns in place of swords, cars in place of horses etc.
I am not against modern settings for Shakespeare plays, or any other classic play for that matter, however I felt that overall the modern settings jarred with the language. Due to some of the scenes being fast paced and busy; full of modern, familiar clothing and sights such as cars, guns, swimming pools and beaches, some of the language loses its emotion. For example, in the fight scene at the beginning of the film when the Montagues and Capulets come face to face with each other at the gas station, they are so busy shooting their guns at one another, the poor women who are caught up in the whole thing due to their car being used as a shield are busy screaming, that you lose the speech. Another example is the scene just before the Capulet party. Set on the beach, it depicts Mercutio and Romeo’s friends teasing him about his love, Rosaline. The camera cuts are so quick during that scene, the actors speaking so quickly, that occosinally the speech, the crucial words, become garbled and lost.
That’s not to say there aren’t any redeeming qualities about the film. Some of the quieter, more emotional scenes are excellent – like the famous balcony scene, for this film transported to the side of a swimming pool. In this pivotal scene you really get to see the titular love birds have fun together and hear the utter love they have for once another in their words. In fact the acting in this film is some of the most beautiful I have seen. Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo in particular is some of the best acting of his career. He just IS Romeo – not only does he have the looks, but he seems to understand each and every word of Shakespeare’s speeches, he puts the emotion into the words and makes them come alive. That is no mean feat. Shakespeare’s language is notoriously hard to understand and speak as it was written in iambic pentameter, making the lines of his plays have a particular rhythym that is difficult to put emotion into. But DiCaprio and his fellow cast members manage to give the words some weight, even if sometimes they do overdo it.
I also love the music in this film. Each scene is perfectly scored to extract the correct emotion from the audience so that they can connect better. Specifically the love theme that plays during the scene our lovers first meet. Sung by Des’ree, Kissing You, is soft and gentle and perfectly romantic. I defy anyone to not think of Romeo and Juliet looking at each other through the fishtank when they hear the first few bars of this song. It feels light and carefree, reflecting what the two young people feel in that moment. The song has a subtle power; it shows us what the power of love can do, making us forget all our worries and cares. We can feel young and happy if we give in to its power. Listen to the song for yourself. You’ll see what I mean.
While I enjoyed aspects of the film, I can’t get over the modern setting paired with the language. For me it ruins my overall enjoyment. I can’t immerse myself in the words of Shakespeare properly as I am always brought out of the moment by a modern trope, whether that be the guns or the cars. Occasionally it is the acting itself that brings me out of it; the acting is on the whole brilliant, but at times when the actor screams his line during a state of heightened emotion, I don’t hear what is actually being spoken. Emotional does not always equal screaming.
I know many people who love this version of Shakespeare’s classic tale. I also know people who prefer the 2011 animated version, Gnomeo and Juliet. That version is also a modern retelling, they keep to the basic plotline but they choose to not use the traditional language. After all Gnomeo and Juliet was aimed at a younger audience than Lurhman’s earlier adaptation. Both modern retellings of Romeo and Juliet are good; you can like both, or just one, or even neither. I like Gnomeo and Juliet as it is more fun. However, if I had to watch an adaptation using the traditional language I’d prefer to watch one where the cast are in period costume and setting. Or in the theatre. As Shakespeare intended.
Talks with Tabby 
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