Comment on how Baz Luhrmann uses video and audio techniques to communicate themes and character to the audience."

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26/09/03                                       Rachel Glendenning 11A

                                                                                  English

Romeo and Juliet,

Comment on how Baz Luhrmann uses video and audio techniques to communicate themes and character to the audience.”

    “Romeo and Juliet,” is a play written by William Shakespeare in the late sixteenth century “in fair Verona.” This is an ultimate love story between the only children of two powerful enemies “, both alike in dignity…” These two households bear an “ancient grudge.”  Within this hate “Romeo and Juliet’s” love cannot survive, and they are driven by this hate to death.

    From this 1595 classic play, Baz Luhrmann got the job of wielding it in to a twentieth centaury blockbuster. He did this by using many different techniques, and even though he keeps the original dialogue, he changes many classic features of the play to give this modern feel to it. Such as horses to cars, Swords to guns and villages to cities are several examples.

    As the film starts, the opening shot is of a modern day television. It is shown speaking as a newsreader, speaking as a chorus would on stage, giving background knowledge to the audience watching. This television reflects Luhrmann's modern setting, showing how the film will be set, rather than the one in which the written play was set. The TV represents the media, as our main source of information. Just as the chorus would be, stood on stage, addressing the audience, giving them required information. The headline upon the TV reads “, Star-crossed lovers,” and above a picture of a ring split in two, showing both the themes of love and hate. How the pair had love enough to marry, though within their families there was hate enough to drive the couple to take their lives. Their love was doomed to die, the ring shows how they could not be together as reflected in one of the chorus’ lines “, death marked love.”

    One extremely short though effective camera shot, zooms down the middle of a main street, with many high raised buildings, until focusing upon a large statue of Christ. Showing that religion will play some part within the play/film. Here loud dramatic music kicks in. This music tells us that the play is going to be very powerful and dramatic. The chorus’s first line appears white upon black, “in fair Verona.” White and black are usually associated with good and bad. Showing two main features of the film. Again the image of Christ’s face appears, a close up camera shot, recoiling to show two large skyscrapers dominating the skyline. Each bearing separate names, Montague and Capulet, showing the large gap between them, they are different. The sheer size of the buildings tells us they are wealthy families, but separate. The statue of Christ is stood in the middle, showing again the religious society in which the film is set. Still with the dramatic music playing building up aura, images of police vehicles- cars and helicopters burn across the screen. Quick images. Images of conflict, linking the families with violence and ultimately the law.     

     The music quietens, though still strong and menacing, as a voice over man speaks the same lines as already spoken by the ‘chorus.’ Now the images are shown slower, “two households both alike in dignity…” showing the two families, again separated by Jesus, sour looks upon the head’s faces; hate and malcontent, though smiles upon the children’s; happy, contented faces, with no worries. Leading on to images of flames, representing hell, hatred and death. Headlines of newspapers flash upon the screen, linking again with the theme of the media and the modern setting. Showing there must be public interest in the growing feud between the two families, and again highlighting the conflict between the two families. Extremely short images are shown of police helping civilians escape the troubles caused by this abhorrence between the Montague’s and the Capulet’s. The music had died down up until the point of “take their life,” where it picks up again adding atmosphere and letting the audience know there is great tragedy within the film. Another modern technique is then used.

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    Just as characters on television programs are introduced or how western wanted posters are displayed, some of the main characters are initiated. These images build great suspense though shows a building power within the play/film. Two important images from later on in the film flash upon the screen, though they are very insignificant at this point, just adding suspense and wonder at this early stage. The music reaches a peek as the now familiar words of the prologue flash upon the screen. The words white on black, suspense, power, the words showing love, lust, hatred and tragedy. Followed ...

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