Romeo + Juliet
Published April 21, 2024
Film info
- Title Romeo + Juliet
- Director Baz Luhrmann
- Year 1996
- Run time 2hrs
- Genres Romance, Drama
- Tagline My only love sprung from my only hate
Oscar-nominated and BAFTA-winning version of Shakespeare's tale of a doomed love affair. Updated in setting to Verona Beach, where the gangs of the corporate dynasties, the Capulets and Montagues, battle with guns as much as knives.
Live blog
| Time | Comment |
|---|---|
| 1:07 | Shakespeare + newsreader voice = slightly better understanding. |
| 6:57 | Love that in the middle of a gunfight, she’s getting stuck in with a handbag. |
| 13:21 | It really is just a jumble of words. |
| 15:05 | “Teach me how I should forget to think.” |
| 25:44 | Ah, Kissing You is such a great song. |
| 27:54 | Paul Rudd, eligible bachelor, astronaut costume. I’m in. |
| 36:44 | If you meet someone for two minutes at a party then immediately break into their house and climb up the walls… it’s creepy. |
| 45:53 | I never really liked this Father character. |
| 1:00:19 | There’s some really good tension here, it would just be better if we knew why. |
| 1:04:12 | “Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man.” |
| 1:13:12 | Curious how banishment would work in a modern world. |
| 1:16:53 | Leo spends a significant amount of this film dripping. |
| 1:25:50 | The answer is surely ‘too late suckers, already married.’ |
| 1:36:59 | Can’t fault the setting of these scenes. |
| 1:52:42 | “All are punished.” So depressing. |
Thoughts
I’ve seen this before and remember liking it, particularly the music. I’ve a love/hate relationship with Baz Luhrmann’s film-making but this one is on the good side. The scenery and the visual storytelling is perfect. The only real problem with it is the text. I just can’t with Shakespeare and that makes this a bit of a non-starter from that point of view. It’s probably the most accessible the bard has ever been to me but it’s still not what I’m after.
Rating: 2 / 5
