A film review
I found Twentieth Century Fox’s adaptation of Romeo and Juliet to be a pathetic attempt to appeal Shakespeare’s work to Generation X. The movie was nothing more that a rock video stretched to two hours in length. It was a poor representation of Shakespeare’s literary accomplishment; and I would be surprised if he himself would even recognize it as his own work. It is a modernized, rock ‘n’ roll version of the original play. Jammed packed with "lovely" additives such as: Romeo on drugs, Mercutio the cross dresser, and Friar John the Fed-Ex guy.
In order to bring Romeo and Juliet some 400 years into the future a lot of changes had to be made. Because the dialogue did stay the same, the changes were made in form of location, costume, and music. I found the way the director chose to portray these changes in location interesting. For example, the sword fight between the servants of the two houses; was represented as a drive-by-shooting-type-thing between the Montague and Capulet "boys" at the local gas station. The music in the movie was that of modern musicians. The director chose to use to the various songs to add to the mood. A romantic song when Romeo and Juliet first meet, an up-beat fun song during Mercutio’s "strip show". The appearance of actors in the movie (their costumes), were also modernized of course. Everything from the punk-esque pink hair of Gregory to the blue jeans of Juliet can be associated with the ‘90’s. The film also had a handful of special effects I suppose included to keep the viewers attention. A change of scene was often represented by the actors moving in a faster pace. And several times there were special effects in the form of water imagery. The underwater view of Juliet in the bath, Romeo dipping is head in water, and the two of them in the swimming pool. Their was more water imagery when the two first saw each other through the fish tank. The water, I take as meant to represent the innocence of both Romeo and Juliet. Through the use of all those film techniques the Director was able to modernize the play. However it to be seemed to be more in perhaps Los Angeles than in the stated Verona.
The acting in the play I feel was on the most part well done, and that the actors portrayed the characters to the best of their ability. It was not the actors fault that the director was an obvious MTV fanatic, and I don’t fear to speculate a crack-addict too. Leonardo Dicaprio made an adequate Romeo. He is a talented actor, nevertheless, I feel this is not his best work. I don’t doubt he good of put more into the role. Many of the secondary actors I feel were badly cast. The actor that played Benvolio added a certain "dumb-jock" personality to Benvolio that I didn’t get out of the play. The way the actor said his lines made me question whether or not he even understood them. Claire Danes on the other hand was exceptional. She gave to life Juliet’s maturity and strength, that I feel she had from reading the play. Mercutio was another good portrayal. The actor did an excellent job of representing the intelligent, nevertheless, neurotic character I feel is Mercutio. The Nurse and Friar Lawrence were also good picks by the castor. The nurses jovial , kind-hearted, and caring personality was well represented. As was the tad bit paranoid one of Friar Lawrence.
The differences between the film and the play are so numerous that it would take an hour or so to point them all out. The film lacked to portray many events. They failed to add a lot of traits to some of the characters. They did not show the bind that the Nurse had to Juliet, nor did they show the fickleness the nurse portrays near the end of the play. Similarly they do not show the weakening of the Friar Lawrence’s character in the vault. That’s probably because they never showed Friar Lawrence in the vault; nor did they show Paris in the vault (you know, that little scene where Romeo kills him). I wholeheartedly fell that act 5 was the worst represented and the most hacked-up. I found it pathetic that they chose to change the death scene. If I remember correctly I don’t think Juliet is suppose to wake-up while Romeo is dying.
The incorporation of things in the film that weren’t in the play was entirely unnecessary. The prominent and repetitious religious imagery, I take it was to represent a Verona quite proud of their Catholicism. However, I did not get that from when I read the play. Also, I find it insulting that that imagery took place in such ways as the virgin Mary on a revolver, a crucifix tattoo on Friar Lawrence, and Jesus Christ’s face on Tybalt’s leather vest. The way the Director chose to pace the plot was poor. The play is supposed to take two hours. The movie version took two hours. However, if the director didn’t chose to over exaggerated the length of such scenes as the opening brawl, and where Romeo kills Tybalt . And didn’t feel free to add such thing as Mercutio strip dance; perhaps there would have been time for the many scenes that were left out.
The words: horrid, pathetic, disrespectful, and insulting come to mind when I compare this movie to Shakespeare’s original work. Romeo and Juliet is a work of art by a phenomenal man. I find it immensely disrespectful to him that his work was cut-up so much. I would have to compare this adaptation of the play to adding a gottee, and perhaps a nose ring to da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. If William Shakespeare were alive today three more words come to my mind: big-ass-lawsuit. With it’s popular music, and it’s attractive actors the main purpose of making this film was met. That purpose, was to do good in the box office, and to make a lot of money. It’s sad to think that those who saw the film, but never studied the play, will think that that is how Shakespeare meant it to be shown. In an attempt to modernise a classic play into a ‘90’s ordeal I give the movie an 8 out of 10. In an accurate and well representation of a Shakespearean play I give it a 2 out of 10. And so all together, the movie gets a 5 out of 10 on my scale.
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