The first scenes, particularly the petrol station, consist of various genres. Aspects used by Luhrmann are, he has studied aspects and ideas from other genres of films and placed them into his production of Romeo and Juliet. As a consequence for the audience, it is made much more action-packed and exciting. The Capulets entrance is clearly very alike and reflects the entrance of a ‘baddy’ in a Western film as if reflected into a mirror. Small things as such as cigarettes being grinded under shoes shows perfectly how the camera angles and sounds effects add to this. Tybalt and Benvolio’s eye focuses are constructed in a true and stereotypical Western style.
In the first scene, the Capulets and the Montagues square each other off like rival street gangs. The threats and counter threats sound perfectly plausible as an obscure dialect in which gangsters might taunt each other. The intense and rapid mobile camera, and quick cuts, the stylised framings jolt the viewer into an almost infinite chain of associations with the history of the screen.
The camera angles and movements become sharp and fast as the fighting and shooting starts, showing the urgency of the situation. As the two gangs shoot at each other, the camera focuses and intensifies on the sign again and again saying ‘Add more fuel to your fire’ being shot at continuously.
During the fight, the speed of movements and actions fluctuates a great deal, sometimes moving very fast with the movement of the camera very erratic and occasionally moving in slow motion. Although the editing makes this scene overall fast paced the camera centres and primarily focuses on Tybalt several times, in slow motion, as he prepares to fire his gun at the Montagues. His movements are like a ritual which it seems he has performed many times as it looks as though he has each movement down to a tee. Every distinct move from Tybalt is exaggerated to such an extent where even when he takes his jacket off and then takes his gun out and when done so, he kisses to show that that is one of his possessions he cannot go without, it is everything to him. The camera also focuses on the skills with the gun. Tybalt doesn’t seem to be disturbed in any way, shape or form by the situation in the least. He seems very comfortable and “at home” with the scenario and takes his time in every movement and goes at his own pace as if he has all the time in the world, rather like a cat.
In fact all the characters contained in this scene all seem to have an exaggeration on their personalities. When the two gangs shout abuse too each other, it is to show they are not scared, which is true for Abra, a Capulet, but not where the Montague boys are concerned. He is very scared by this but he tries to increase the volume of his voice to cover this fact. The camera angles in this scene focus mainly on the facial expressions, especially eye movements, as well as the actions which are exaggerated by each of the characters. It also focuses on the little things that you wouldn’t think matter like the engravements on the gun and the sign on the petrol station. This emphasises what is happening at the petrol station and this allows the viewers to understand the situation immediately and then they can also form opinions about each character promptly.
As with the music, the lighting and colours used also to help create the mood each scene individually.
When Romeo and Juliet meet, they gaze into each other’s eyes through the aquarium and at this point, Juliet still appears coy and very feminine. Although Romeo is wearing a costume of armour, which is stereotyped as highly masculine attire, his behaviour is always strongly reminiscent of gentle and loving femininity. The actor himself, Leonardo DiCaprio, has a distinct boy-next-door look. Romeo challenges the masculine stereotype that the other characters display all the way through the play so strongly. Whilst Juliet is dancing with Paris, Juliet is seen through Romeo’s eyes. Her costume in this particular scene also reflects some of the imagery used in her first conversation with Romeo. This includes such things as the crucifix she wore around her neck and the headdress she wore almost looked like a halo as if it were representing that she were an angel, reminding us of her purity and perfect saintly qualities.
At the beginning of the party scene, Romeo is wearing a silver coloured mask shaped like a cat, perhaps this suggests that he is sneaking around secretly because he is not allowed to be anywhere near the Capulet household. Romeo does not reveal his true identity until he says “did my heart love until now”. He is dressed according to the “trademark” Montague colours and therefore he is wearing a grey and blue outfit.
Tybalt on the other hand is dressed in red and black, the Capulet “trademark” colours. These are some of the traditional Capulet colours in the film but also it does reflect his fiery nature and short temper and this shows that instead of a play on words, it is a play on actions and costume which have been bought together to show the same thing. He is wearing a large extravagant pair of horns to show his fiery and devilish nature he possesses within him. This is one of the qualities and features which make him stand out from the crowd and this gives a sense of authority and importance to this specific character.
Lord and Lady Capulet were also dressed traditionally in this scene, again wearing bright rich colours to signify their wealth and importance in society. The nurse was wearing a more simple dress than the other ladies at the party but as she works for the Capulet’s, she was dressed appropriately as a member of the household help would be expected to dress.
On the other hand, a very different approach has been taken by Baz Luhrmann to show the realisation of Romeo and Juliet, coming to the conclusion that if it were to appeal to a more modern audience it would need to have the elements of any other high budget, Hollywood movie yet still needed to include the traditional Shakespearian/ Old English language. Elements like an American or Hollywood type setting with famous, good-looking actors and actresses to play these famous characters, a fast pace film with many twists, which already existed initially from the start.
As I have already said, it has a Hollywood type setting in a place called Verona Beach but the actual party sequence I have been studying is set in the grand Capulet mansion. One can see the immense wealth of the family even at a glance of the house with its marble staircase, huge pictures on the walls and the massive ballroom beyond belief that this can all be in one house. The party is hugely and eccentrically completely over the top in every way imaginable and possible from the fireworks display to Mercutio, the outrageous “entertainment”, dancing in a eye boggling glittery short skirt, belly top and suspenders (this may have reference to his sexuality) to the relaxing and sensual fish tank separating the male and the female toilets. It makes the viewer wish and dream that they were living a life such as this that they are seeing on screen and keeps their attention as they want to find out more about these people that they envy so much! We can also clearly see the display of how bad the feud is and how much these people think about their family and how important family is as there was even a family crest on the door of the elevator.
When we first met Romeo, in the short clip when his face is submerged in water as he is trying to refresh himself after taking the drugs Mercutio gave him before the party, it shows that there is a light shining through the water symbolising a type of cleansing before he moves on to meet Juliet. Although the toilets are brightly lit, they are a lot dimmer in contrast than those at the party. There are lights around the mirror, which may be there to highlight the reflection of his soul. The calming and softened lights of the fish tank attract him towards it, as if a firefly to a flame, he is attracted to Juliet. In a way this heightens their fate. It shows that they were meant to come together and are attracted to one and other by fate, which in the end will finally doom them as a couple. As the couple gaze at one another through the fish tank with the calming blue lights shining through it and the bright but relaxing colours of the tropical fish contained inside, the camera cuts between them and the singer who is singing a more romantic and a toned down song in comparison to what Mercutio were singing. She is wearing a brilliant white dress and there is a single spotlight focused on her. This shows the significance of the song, the rest of the people at the party are dimmed but there are beams of coloured lights that pass over them. The fish tank has a very calming effect with its blue light as the colour blue stereotypically represents water, air and the sky which are all classed as relaxing and the brightly coloured tropical fish reflects off Juliet’s cream/ivory dress and this suggests that she is now a turning to be a calming influence on young Romeo. Even when the camera is focusing on one of them you can always see the other in the reflection of the tank symbolising unity and that they are already united and that they will not be separated now no matter what happens to one or both of them. When they are in the elevator together, the lights from the back of the elevator as you walk in are very bright, therefore this is enhancing the heavenly atmosphere and feelings of paradise but as they leave the lift, the lights are dimming, this signifying that their intimacy they had in the lift has been left in the lift and is and has now gone because he is about to discover that she is a Capulet, one of the most crucial parts of the story. Due to the outfits that both characters were wearing, there is always light drawn to them just as they were drawn to each other.
After Mercutio is killed, the clouds move in and it suddenly and dramatically turns very dark. The colours are very bleak and dreary. It happens on a palm-fringed beach front known as Verona Beach. As Romeo and his Montague friends gradually begin to react to what has happened to Mercutio, the camera draws back and rises to a high level for an extreme wide-view long shot for the viewer to see the whole scene and the landscape contained in it. In the foreground is the proscenium arch of what was once a very nice grand theatre on the beach front. The action to this scene is played out under and behind this proscenium, so that, in long shot and wide-view, we get the curious effect of watching a play from the upper circle as if it were in a theatre and is presently being acted out to and audience who are there watching at that moment in time. We, the viewers, are turned into observers, detached, God-like. In the background, in the same scene, a hurricane is approaching. This is proven by the sky darkening, the palms are being whipped by the high winds, the stall keepers are hurrying to close up and flee; Romeo races to his car to pursuit on his “mission” and to soon kill Tybalt. The downward trajectory of Romeo and Juliet’s fortunes begins here, sparked by a chance event that proves to be very unlucky.
When Romeo goes after Tybalt, it is in the darkened midst of the night and the only light there is, is that of the moon giving everything a natural blue tint. The viewers themselves find it hard to make out the scene. Luhrmann was trying to show the audience for it being dark and the fact to this is, is that he is trying to show the audience Romeo’s world through Romeo’s eyes which are blinded in anger and are moving with confusion. He then kills Tybalt amongst his confusion and anger.
Until Romeo and Juliet see each other again, it stays dark and when he visits Juliet’s house, the colour returns. It’s like Juliet brings the colour to Romeo’s life. The atmosphere changes as the colour does. The ambience becomes romantic. In fact, in this film, when the scene changes, the colour and lighting seem to change with it to suit the scene and what mood it is trying to display to the audience.
All the way through the film, specifically at the beginning, props like fireworks, smoke and fire are used. These symbolise the majority of the same thing. In fact, there is a profound significance when the city is covered in smoke. As everyone knows, smoke is the after-effect of fire and using smoke shows us, the viewers, that the city is one of those that have had trouble before i.e. a raging fire, so to speak. In some ways, it primarily represents people’s emotional fires, the rage and the anger between these two families, letting off this smoke. This shows a perfect example of imagery contained in a motion picture of one of the greatest plays of all time. After the fire at the petrol station, as the viewers see, things heated up further between the two rival families hence this results in the two families becoming closer to each other towards the end of the story. If the truth be told, in this film a lot of physical things hold a great emotional meaning more than a verbal meaning. For example, another effective use of props was at the start of the film, with the newsreader on the television reading the news. A lot of us associate bad news with the News. It quite often seems to be the only news they do show anymore. This immediately, from the word go, lets the audience know that the story will be terrible and one of tragedy, even before they hear the news reader.
This version has been bought to a modern day audience by Baz Luhrmann; he makes great use of actions and imagery to convey Shakespeare’s play to a wider audience and by opening people’s minds to Shakespeare by not relying solely on the dialogue. In Luhrmann’s production of the film, he shows an awareness of both cultural and gender based issues which are still highly political in today’s society. However it still seems evident that the film has been directed and produced by a man. Luhrmann’s characterisation of both men and women’s roles make his sex apparent. It seems that we still see the men as having power and the women as the weaker sex despite his challenges of these stereotypes and this is still highly thought of in today’s environment around us all today. Gender is a key issue and one of the main issues displayed in Luhrmann’s interpretation of Romeo and Juliet and his representation of men and women reflect this.
Hannah Broughton
