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Australian
director Baz Luhrmann’s ("Ballroom Dancing")
surprisingly fresh, updated version of William Shakespeare’s
classic tale of star-crossed lovers.
Practically
bursting with a highly combustible mixture of teen
angst, lilting prose (all characters speak in Shakespeare’s
original, if severely edited text) and almost uncontainable
energy, this Romeo & Juliet switches locations
from 16th century Verona to a contemporary
city that looks like a cross between Miami Beach,
Rio and Mexico City (where it was actually shot) in
the midst of a bitter dispute between two warring
families.
When
the son (Leo) of one family falls in love-at-first-sight
with the daughter (Claire Danes) of the other, the
die is set. And die they do, but not before a couple
of hours of sheer cinematic flight, spectacular acting,
tender but obsessive romance, and eye-popping production
design as seen through Luhrman’s MTV-style camera
work and flashy editing.
Notable
as Leo’s first bonifide hit, studio research
indicates it was made so by teen-age girls, for the
most part, who dragged their boyfriends kicking and
screaming into the theaters. (They don’t like
to admit it, but most of those boyfriends secretly
wept at film’s end - c’mon, fellas, you
know who you are).
And
it made Leo a star.
Directed by
Baz Luhrmann
Produced by
Jill Bilcock (associate)
Martin Brown (II) (co-producer)
Baz Luhrmann
Catherine Martin (I) (associate)
Gabriella Martinelli
Writing credits
William Shakespeare
Cinematography by
Donald McAlpine
Cast
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