ROMEO + JULIET (1996) A film review by Nick Schaden Copyright 1997 Nick Schaden
"Romeo + Juliet" is the ultimate traditionalist English teacher's nightmare. It's Shakespeare's classic tale in modern times, with guns, modern rocking soundtrack, and starring two hip young actors in the key roles. Is this the destruction of true Shakespeare as we know it? No. Does "Romeo + Juliet"'s youth and hipness destroy the movie's purpose? A little of yes, more of no. The movie's MTV like approach is both its largest harm and greatest strength - but in the end "Romeo + Juliet" is a satisfying movie.
We all know the basic premise of "Romeo + Juliet": Romeo (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Juliet (Claire Danes) are lovers, but they are also members of rival families...you know the rest. Obviously the biggest question is: does the transition of Shakespeare's play from past to present times work?
First: the bad. One of the largest problems is that the ancient prose has stayed intact in this modern version. No matter how hard Leonardo DiCaprio & Claire Danes try, hearing the original prose ("but why must thou quarrel?") just doesn't cut it, it feels incredibly awkward. Furthermore, the first acts of the original play are far too quickly speed through, the movie instead dwells heavily on the more romantic and violent later acts. In addition, at a few times the movie screams of cheap MTV fare, with the soundtrack getting distracting at times.
However, in the end I enjoyed this modern transition. While skipping many parts of the play are a weakness, it also results in a greater strength, as the movie is thus more accessible to a mainstream audience - it makes the play simple to comprehend. Furthermore, movies need to be FUN. As much as I enjoy Shakespeare, watching another classic remake of the work could get quite boring, and the fast paced modern version kept me interested the entire way through.
The movie has several other strengths too. I personally thought the acting was wonderful, especially by DiCaprio and Danes. Their acting in the famous conclusion of the play/movie was breathtaking, it's amazing how the couple seemed to convey their love and sadness to the audience.
While I warn Shakespeare traditionalist die hards that your experience may not be great, for the rest of us, "Romeo + Juliet" successfully brings one the most famous stories of all time to the screen.
Nick's Rating: +2 (Recommended)
*** Movies rated from -4 (worst) to +4 (best), 0 = average movie ***
-- Nick Schaden Send your comments to: cpunut@uslink.net Check out all of Nick's reviews at: http://uslink.net/~cpunut/movies.html
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