Shakespeare Films
In 1996, the young generation of the world enthusiastically accepts the new film version of the eternal love story – Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”, directed by Baz Luhrmann. The new alternative adaptation of the classic work of Shakespeare is amazing. Young lovers Romeo and Juliet, performed by Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, appear in front of us not in the usual classic surroundings, but in the backdrop of a futuristic cityscape Verona Beach. It’s funny that, while making ultra-modern and fashionable and external surroundings for the film, Baz Luhrmann left as it stands the Shakespearean text.
The action takes place on the coast of one of the southern states of the USA. In an imaginary Verona Beach, brutal and powerful rival clans dealers Montague (Anglo-Saxon) and Capulet (Latinos), and boy and girl (DiCaprio and Danes) are children of ringleaders meet and fall in love during a costume party. Some critics define this version as a kind of kitsch, the symbiosis of Shakespeare text and modern surroundings. Luhrmann’s film became a successful experiment on the eternal theme. The director’s decision for a new film adaptation proved its solvency, he deafening throws the Shakespeare’s heroes into, created in the film, intentionally harsh, cynical and tough environment of modern civilization, where almost no place for the living and reverent feelings (Rolling Stone). It is clear that any historically true film adaptation will inevitably be compared with the Shakespeare’s legendary tragedy. The classical scene of declaration of love Luhrmann moved into a pool under the balcony of Juliet. The motif of water as the primordial element, the origin of all human passions, often occurs in the course of the film. Another interesting idea of the director is a squeeze of events unfold in a theater-shaped pattern. This symbol is the image of the scene. On the shore of the ocean stays a structure, which resembles a theater stage, which, depending on the lighting or the angle looks like the arched gate, destroyed part of an unprecedented theater, or some kind of unfinished construction. Around the conditional construction is real scenery: waves, clouds, sun, wind, storm, each of which plays its role. When appears Romeo, his silhouette is visible in the background of golden rays, and nothing at the moment can foretell the tragic end: neither the blinding light of the sun, nor sparkling waves of the ocean. When Mercutio will be stabbed to death, natural scenery will change too. The clouds will lay the sky, and amid complete darkness, under a lightning, thunder and pouring rain will change the fate of the characters and will come the irreversible fatal events (Bbc.co.uk).
Luhrmann’s version has taken a special place in the movie Shakespeariana. The apparent advantage of this film is that it has attracted many teenagers to the work of Shakespeare, and even attracted interest to the earlier movie productions of “Romeo and Juliet”. In his film, Luhrmann has managed, probably the main thing, to show how over the centuries that have passed since the time of Shakespeare, almost everything has changed in the world, but on the other hand, he has managed to surprise: in fact, nothing has changed. As a human is immutable in essence, so does his feelings and actions, regardless of times and epochs. Although Shakespeare himself was subjected to a variety of scenic trials in the film, modern Romeo and Juliet have forced many young hearts to believe in their sad story, and the consonance in today’s world, in which live the owners of unimaginable hairstyles, bizarre makeup and tattoos, armed with modern weapons and riding in cars, fits very easily into the rhyme of the Elizabethan poetry (Entertainment Weekly’s).
The two respected families of the Italian mafioso Capulet and Irish gangster Montague launder money, by erecting in the middle of Verona the Building with giant neon signs, while financing the politicians to become a mayor. Meanwhile, their offsprings hang out at prestigious discos, demonstrate their toughness, driving in the Cadillacs and Lincolns, grasp for the nickel-plated guns, which they call blades and swords, get drugged and shave their heads to tattoo on a clean place the name of Jesus or the swazzie. Shakespeare’s characters become Latino skinheads, punks and true bandits. They are riding in vehicles on urban streets, shooting and killing each other, but they fall in love even in this hell (Nytimes.com).
In the neat, noisy Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation the original Shakespearean text is put on a bloody carnival of the modern world: the power of cutting-edge technologies, the attackers of vision and hearing, or those thirty seconds of pitch silence in the final scene, when on the cheek of awakened Juliet slowly drip tears. Of course, this is pure entertainment, it is roller coasters: up and down, life and death.
Thus, Luhrmann’s “Romeo and Juliet” would not deserve any attention, if it was only an attempt to retell the Shakespeare’s story in a language of comics. Zany style and poetics of the cruel childhood games are inevitable in this film because adult Luhrmann found his minor characters abandoned, lost on the island in the midst of the adult world. This world is in contact with the children only in order with the police report and sexual abuse. The tragedy is not that the families impeded the free choice of hearts. The tragedy is that the children were left to themselves, left alone in all: in love, wild fun, drugs and death. Shakespeare lovers choose the poison and the dagger, though repentant adults pull their hands from the Crypt, knock, call and burn torches. Luhrmann’s two children are petrified by fear of dying, alone in a huge, hollow-deserted building. Their loneliness is intolerable for Luhrmann, so he allows Juliet to wake up much earlier than it is supposed. Spattered with blood, they ascend the angels on our horrible world of adults with their skyscrapers, advertising, politics, finance, religion and business.
Works Cited
“Romeo+Juliet”. Bazmark Productions: Baz Luhrmann, 1996. film.
Rolling Stone,. “William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet”. N.p., 2016. Web. 4 Mar. 2016.
Nytimes.com,. “Movie Review - Romeo Juliet - Soft! What Light? It's Flash, Romeo - Nytimes.Com”. N.p., 2016. Web. 4 Mar. 2016.
Entertainment Weekly’s, Movie Review: ‘William Shakespeare’s Romeo And Juliet'’| EW.Com”. N.p., 2016. Web. 4 Mar. 2016.
Bbc.co.uk,. “BBC - Films - Review - William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet”. N.p., 2016. Web. 4 Mar. 2016.
