Focusing on the prologue and Act 3 Scene 1, how has Baz Luhrmann used film techniques to help the audience make sense of the play 'Romeo and Juliet' and create a visually exciting film?

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Jasdeep Bains

Focusing on the prologue and Act 3 Scene 1, how

has Baz Luhrmann used film techniques to

help the audience make sense of the

play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and

create a visually exciting

film?

        ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is a well-known romantic tragedy, which has been made into a modern day film by Baz Luhrmann. Made in 1997 at Verona Beach, not Italy, with some scenes from Las Angeles. Luhrmann has used famous actors along with eye catching camera work and modern day music to make it appealing to a younger audience. Luhrmann has edited many areas of the play to make it more interesting. In the film Luhrmann portrays love to be more important then anything else, he does this by putting it against something which is very important to a modern day audience, money and business. Business is important in a modern consumer society. Luhrmann uses the theme of religion to break down the Montague and Capulet businesses and make them believe more in faith. Baz Luhrmann is sending out the message that people should not be dying for something as stupid as businesses.

        In the prologue of the play lots of information is given out to the audience about the story, information like the setting, family hatred and the danger of Romeo and Juliet’s love. Shakespeare’s Prologue also tells the audience that both families are “alike in dignity” meaning that the capulets and the montagues are both as rich and as powerful as each other. From the prologue the audience can tell that something will go wrong with Romeo and Juliet’s love. The audience can tell this by the words used, for example the word ‘fatal’ is used, this shows danger. Also the words ‘two foes’ are used, this means that Romeo and Juliet come from two families which are at war with each other.

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        The prologue in the film is repeated three times, once by a TV newsreader, again by a male voice and thirdly it is flashed on the screen. The prologue is the same as the Shakespeare one only Luhrmann has edited out the last two lines. It is also very visually exciting. This Prologue shows the size and power of the two empires of Montague and Capulet. This shows that the two families lives revolve around money, it reminds the audience of a familiar program called Dallas. Luhrmann uses thing like music, images, sound effects and various other editing techniques to ...

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