You
know the story -- sort of.
Two warring families are vying for control
of the city called Verona Beac. The families are the Montagues and
Capulets, who bitterly despise each other, resulting in a police state to try
to keep the peace. During a party at the Capulets, Romeo (DiCaprio,
The Quick and the Dead), a Montague,
meets Juliet (Danes, Little Women), a
Capulet, and the two find themselves irresistibly drawn to each other. Romeo
sneaks into the Capulet grounds at night for a chance to talk to Juliet, and
the two quickly become an item. However, the families of the two lovers will
have none of it, and they find their future plans for a romance to be a
dangerous prospect indeed.
Taking the classic Shakespeare play and
setting it in modern times does make for some very awkward moments, especially
during the artificial opening scenes depicting the confrontation between the
Montague and Capulet boys. Luckily, once the romance appears, the film hits
its stride beautifully, with spot-on portrayals by DiCaprio and Danes in the
lead roles.
The cinematography and editing delivers
lots of style but little substance. The virtuoso aspects of Baz
Luhrmann's (Strictly Ballroom, Moulin Rouge) direction takes some
adjusting to, but it's quite effective in certain key scenes.
Luhrman's Romeo + Juliet may not be
the best film version made of Shakespeare's masterpiece, but it's certainly a
refreshingly conceived departure from the norm. It's a mostly visual
presentation of the Bard's literary masterpiece, but oh, what visuals!
Qwipster's rating:
©1997 Vince Leo
