Romeo And Juliet [1996]

See Larger Image	List Price: £19.99 Our Price: £4.98 Availability: Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, Brian Dennehy, John Leguizamo, Pete Postlethwaite Directed By: Baz Luhrmann Average Customer Rating:


Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Audience Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over Binding: DVD EAN: 5039036008419 Format: Anamorphic Label: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Region Code: 2 Release Date: 2002-03-04 Running Time: 115 Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Theatrical Release Date: 1996
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Editorial Reviews: While perhaps not the defining moment in the making of Leonardo DiCaprio’s career, his appearance in this dazzling take on William Shakepeare’s Romeo & Juliet back in 1996 did the careers of both Clare Danes and himself no harm at all. Perhaps the real star of the show here though is director Baz Luhrmann, who employs a frenetic, at times downright-brilliant style to the age-old tale of tale of star-crossed lovers. Luhrmann would go on to make Moulin Rouge a few years’ later. From the off, his take on Romeo & Juliet explodes unpredictably onto the screen, bubbling with vision and originality, accompanied throughout by an excellent score and soundtrack that rightly spawned two spin-off CDs. There are sacrifices made along the way to support Luhrmann’s vision though, with the text being stripped down to leave the core of the story in tact, and that’s just one of a number of complaints that Shakespeare purists may have. And yet, perhaps more than any other attempt to bring the work of the Bard to the screen of late, this is an extremely accessible entry-point to Shakepeare’s work. That it’s also by turns breathtaking, dazzling and a sheer joy to watch doesn’t harm its cause either. The two leads are charming, the support cast backs them up superbly, and the end result is one of the most interesting visual treats that Hollywood mustered up throughout the 1990s.--Simon Brew
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: If you love Shakespeare - AVOID THIS! Comment: Some of the most atrocious acting even committed to celluloid. Just awful, awful, awful! I watched 15 minutes before I could stand no more. Save yourself the hassle & buy Zeffirelli's version instead. You won't regret THAT! Customer Rating: Summary: Too brash and too American Comment: I usually enjoy Shakespeare "done modern" but this was awful! It was Shakespeare meets Westside story, Moulin Rouge and greasy was the word that came to mind. The film kept to the traditional language of Shakespeare but it does not suit American accents. The words grated, uttered thoughtlessly for the most part from the mouths of Hawaiian shirted American gang youth. Even Peter Postlethwaite seemed preoccupied with maintaining his American accent over what he was saying. Dicaprio and Clare Danes however do make a charming couple and you cannot help wishing that their love would survive the maelstrom of brutish hate that the two families have for each other. The film gets its reputation for being "good" from this simple alchemy and possibly from the misguided wow factor of the Moulin rouge esc way in which it is directed. It is full of brash lights, surreal modern music, fast shots to unnerve the audience and the fight scenes are filmed as a cross between a spaghetti western and those Japanese marshal arts films where people make daft noises as they square upto each other! It didn't work for me, go and buy "Shakespeare in love" instead. Customer Rating: Summary: Not Bard At All Comment: So Shakespeare, boring or not boring? Definitely NOT in my opinion and this adaptation of a classic play proves it beyond doubt. Were the bard himself alive today, I have absolutely no doubt this would be how he would like to see his plays represented on film. At the time the play was written, Shakespeare was limited to a wooden, prop-starved theatre stage. Baz Luhrmann, four hundred years later, has a vast cinemascope on which to depict his story. Consequently, he floods the screen with panoramic scenes that boggle the senses, but in no way fail to excite the emotions. A total triumph! Customer Rating: Summary: a modern take on classic tale Comment: In an adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragic love story, Romeo falls for Juliet, a beautiful woman born in the Capulet family, a family which his Montague family is destined to hate. Baz Luhrmann brings a modern feel to this romantic drama with guns, drugs and cars replacing all classic props used in the playwright's time. Though this doesn't always work during the film, there is a good motive to use these particular props and is executed well. During the opening sequence in a petrol station where the two rival families are weighing each other up with modern tools it felt too modern, like an action film or something, and often was exaggerated. However when used correctly it was exciting and tense, particularly the ending which was tense, dramatic and a perfect execution of the true ending to Shakespeare's play. Leo Di Caprio (Titanic) stars as Romeo, a young man who falls in love at first sight with Juliet and from when these two are introduced does the film start to become more intriguing. Not his best performance, but Di Caprio is still excellent as Romeo, especially hearing news of Juliet late in the film, he was the perfect choice for the role. Danes (Stardust) gives an average performance as Juliet. Beating off heavy competition for the part, Danes could have executed some scenes better but she certainly looks terrific and her final scene she outshines Di Caprio completely, but the film belongs to Di Caprio. Using modern day life with Shakespearian language was always going to be a risky move but after some bizarre opening sequences this formula worked well and Posthlewaite executed the words better than anyone. Though 2 hours long, it felt short and there could have been more direction to emphasize characters better. However Di Caprio is excellent, Shakespeare's dialogue can never be questioned and neither can the plot, no matter what adaptation or spin is put on the tale, it is still the most dramatic love story ever written. 7/10 Customer Rating: Summary: Converted into the modern day beautifully Comment: This is a truly amazing film. Somehow it converts the Shakespeare play without destroying it. The acting is wonderful and it is a brilliant way to introduce a reluctant audience to Shakespeare. I first saw this film in my English class along with an older adaptation of the play, and this was the one that we understood and we didn't laugh at the costumes, unlike the older version. It engages not only a younger audience though, it also appeals to a wider range of people that can appreciate the film just as well. It is a triumph that you understand every word they say, even though the language hasn't been translated into modern day English. I enjoyed watching this adaptation and found that it left me with a lump in my throat, like it should. In this version it uses guns instead of swords, but keeps the original names of the swords which adds a nice finishing touch. It's little extras like this that you can enjoy while watching. The casting of the roles are great, everyone fits in beautifully. Leonardo DiCaprio is a very good choice as Romeo as he brings a young naive ness to the role and is a very talented actor. The gang war fare is also extremely convincing. I thoroughly enjoyed this film and would recommend it to anyone. More Reviews