I just rewatched the Baz Luhrmann version of Romeo & Juliet for the first time in many years, and I forgot how goddamn good it was! I mean, I love Shakespeare v.1.0, but I also think that it’s pretty cool when people update it - after all, if you can breathe new life into a 400+ year old play, hats off to you. Otherwise, new people never read/ encounter it, and the old people have a distressing tendency to die.
The movie came out when I was 12, and I was a huge fan for many subsequent years, but I must say it was even more moving now that I am old and married:p.
So, what do you think? Seen it lately? Drooling over Leo or Claire or that delicious Will’s lines? Surprised that Michael would wear that (what would Walt say?)?
Love this, though I haven’t watched it in years. A particular favorite part is the “Do you bite your thumb at us” exchange at the beginning, where the actors do a great job of looking scared shitless while blustering at each other.
I know, there’s some weird great acting/ terrible acting stuff going on with the original lines/ modern setting. For example, Leo starts out delivering like a board, but by the Queen Mab and, shortly therafter, “O Romeo, Romeo” scene, I think he does very well. I was also pleased to see that the Romeo & Juliet staring at one another on the staircase scene held up as well as I remembered.
Interestingly, I was just watching an episode of Reba earlier today where Reba is a sub and the students read the “my lips, two blushing pilgrims” section and tell her that poetry would never work today. My thought has always been that if the chemistry is that good, you can say anything you damn well please and it will make a lass weak in the knees.
I found my copy and watched it maybe a month ago. I still love it. The whole scene where Romeo is tripping before/during the party makes more sense to me (having experienced drugs well after the movie came out). Before it was a weird interlude. The end is just as sad as I remember it being, it’s the only version I’ve seen (admittedly not many) where Juliet wakes up before Romeo is dead. The shock on Leo’s face when she touches his cheek just as he drinks the poison…
And I completely agree that if the chemistry is that good you could say practically anything.
Walt would not approve, but he was a bit of a stick-in-the-mud. Anyway, in the Romeo+Juliet universe Walt would be a surprise to anybody who knew Mercutio. Especially Mercutio, in a “was I really THAT drunk?” way.
Completely agree, although Romeo + Juliet didn’t do it for me aside from Radiohead’s musical contributions. Luhrmann just doesn’t do it for me, for whatever reason.
I think I prefer the old Leonard Whiting/Olivia Hussey versionthough. First time I saw that was in a high school English class - & I cried my eyes out. Very embarrassing.
I think it’s one of the best filmed versions of the play, and I’m still delighted and astonished that Luhrman managed to make changes that actually improved the play.
The setting might not work for purists, but I liked it a lot.
I thought it would be a big turd when it came out. I didn’t see any of it for many years, Leo-mania had me barfing for some time, and I finally got the chance to see about 3 minutes of it…I thought to myself “The director of this is a genius!”
Still haven’t seen it yet (no date movies w/o a date is my practice!) but if I do get a babe anytime soon, that will be our first chick flick together!
