What techniques does Baz Lurhman use to make the opening scene of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ relevant to a modern audience?
Initially, the first thing that Baz Lurhman does to pull a modern audience into a Shakespearian tale is by having the prologue read aloud by black female newsreader. This brings the story into the modern world as even ten years previous to the film it would have been unheard of to have a black female newsreader. To entice the audience into the film, Baz Lurhman zooms in on the newsreader, giving the impression that he is pulling the audience into the film. The main aim of the prologue is to tell the audience what is going to happen, this was necessary in Shakespearian times as the audience would have been rowdy and in needed to be enticed to focus on the play. Baz Luhrman does this to the same effect, but instead of using a chorus to do so he uses a modern newsreader, the fact that a newsreader is telling the audience the prologue lends one to believe that something serious has happened. In the corner of the television of the newsreader, a picture of two rings inscribed ‘I love you’ is seen. This too tells the audience that the film is going to be a love story.
