How Did The Director Baz Luhrmann Ensure That His Film Adaptation Of Romeo & Juliet Would Successfully Appeal To A Wider Audience That Shakespeare Would Usually Reach?
I am going to study the differences between the original Romeo & Juliet written by Shakespeare and the modern version Directed by Baz Luhrmann. I will be looking at the uses of Music in the modern version, weapons, costumes, family Identities, characterisation, impetuous youth and the slight alterations to plot.
In the modern version of Romeo & Juliet, directed by Baz Luhrmann, you can tell which characters belong to which family. Baz Luhrmann does this by dressing the two families in different clothes. The Montague’s would have light hair, fair skinned and brightly coloured clothes. The Capulet would have Dark hair; dark skin and would wear dull clothes. This is because there are so many characters in the film you need to tell which one belong to which family. Also most of the people not even related to earthier Family still would have been on one of the family’s side. You could not have been friends with both families .This is why the families and friends wear different clothes so the audience can identify who belonged to which Family. Mercutio was Romeo’s best friend and was on the side of the Montague’s but he did not have light hair and fair skin he was black. Baz Luhrmann did this to make Mercutio stand out because he was the joker and poser of the group. At the Capulet party in Baz Luhrmann version of Romeo & Juliet Tybalt is dressed up as a devil this is to show what Tybalt is like and how he makes trouble through out the story. Juliet was dressed as an angel this is to make her seem innocent.
