Baz Luhrman produced a modern version of Romeo and Juliet. Making it appeal to our times by setting the film in an urban area of America. He had modern props using guns instead of swords and discos with flashing lights and rock music.
When Romeo and Juliet first see each other through the fish tank their eyes look at each other curiously. Baz Luhrman effectively creates the impression of love at first site. When the camera looks at either Romeo or Juliet you can always see the other person by the reflection in the glass on the fish tank, so you can see each persons reaction to each other at the same time making the two look right together from the start. When Juliet was dancing with Paris, Romeo has such a strong effect on her she keeps looking over her shoulder towards Romeo, as if unable to believe that he is really there looking at her intently. The visuals between them are quite exaggerated, as Lurhman wants to show that they are instantly in love with each other.
Romeo and Juliet kiss for the first time in the lift with the camera spinning around them zooming in on their hands and faces. It seems that Baz Lurhman does this with the cameras to show that Romeo and Juliet are feeling dizzy inside and that there love for each other is very unstable. The setting of the lift is also appropriate as it shows the ups and downs of their feelings for each other and has a subliminal message that something is going to happen. This is a typical visual metaphor. This part of the film also appealed to a more modern audience and showed the film was updated as Romeo and Juliet kiss each other heavily, showing they are not innocent to it making you relate to times now.
Baz Luhram chose the costumes well as Romeo is shinning knight in armour and Juliet is an angel. Tybult is dressed as a devil to show that he was angry with Romeo. The costumes work well as they reflect their personalities, with Romeo being good and handsome like a knight, and Juliet being sweet and beautiful like an angel. Although this is obvious it works well.
The music has a large effect on the atmosphere of the scene. The lyrics are chosen well as 'Kissing you' which was a slow piece is being played when Romeo and Juliet are in the lift. For the rest of the time the jazzy up beat song 'Young Hearts Run Free' has appropriate lyrics being played. The musics tempo and pitch reflect their feelings for one another and mean that Baz Luhrman can use long silences of Romeo and Juliet looking at each other without it being boring. This is because the music says what they are thinking. Also to help the atmosphere fireworks keep going off in the background, this shows the love between Romeo and Juliet exploding out.
Baz Luhrman did not keep exactly to the text and missed out a lot of lines and speeches. He missed a large section of Tybult's lines and also switched Tybult's lines round so that he ended the scene on, "Now seeming sweet, convert to bitt'rest gall." To end on this line says that even thought Romeo and Juliet have had such a wonderful time together that its all going to be ruined in the end. It was a dramatic effect to end the scene because it shows that there love is not going to work out.
