What techniques does Luhrmann use to make the prologue and opening fight scene of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, accessible to a modern audience?

What techniques does Luhrmann use to make the prologue and opening fight scene of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, accessible to a modern audience?

Luhrmann uses a range of techniques to turn a 16th century play into an up to date film that encourages a modern audience to take pleasure in watching his interpretation of the tale of woe. He uses both, camera and sound techniques to allow the audience’s senses draw out the dramatical effects. Style, location and modern details all give silent explanations of what is happening. They all, indirectly, tell the story in a language that a modern audience can understand, such as; seeing that the name of a gun is called “Sword” just after Benvoli says, “Put up your swords.”

Cameras can perform many technical operations; Luhrmann used them fully to create the effect he wanted. In both the Prologue and The Gas Station, he used a frozen close-up of the characters, along with their names, to inform the audience of who the main cast is. However, the close-ups did not show the two main characters, Romeo and Juliet. This was to keep the audience in suspense and make them watch to find out what they look like. A freeze frame is used to give the viewers more time to take in the information and make it more familiar to them. This means the audience can enjoy the film instead of trying to ‘work-out’ who is in the scene or who is talking. Luhrmann uses close-ups to make the onlookers focus on exactly what he wants them to look at. For example: newspaper articles are used with a headline made from words from the Prologue. The camera is focused directly at the headline so that is the only part the audience will see. Zoom-ins are used to draw the audience into a specific part to add an effect that can only be gained if the outcome of an event is viewed instantly. A zoom-in was used when Sampson fell over in the car. The expression that was created would only last a split second, so the camera followed his fall to ensure the look would be captured. Slow motion is used to prolong dramatically effects. When Tybalt dives in the shoot out, slow motion increases the tension therefore drawing the audience into the film. At the end of most scenes, panning is used to show a wide view and to allow the audience relax and lose the character in the surroundings.

Luhrmann uses sound in various ways to give different effects. Music is used in the Prologue to build up tension by the choral song climbing up in volume to the climax. The tension that is made builds up in the audience and this shows that the film is having an effect on the audience. Sound effects are used to add extra detail. An effect is added to Tybalt’s boots making it sound as though he has spurs on even though you can see he does not. The effect tells you a little about his character; that he is a ...

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Many different styles were used in the two scenes. Repetition of the prologue instantly gave the audience a chance to understand the unfamiliar language. It was also made easier by it coming across to the audience in different styles. First with the Anchorwoman on the television screen reading it to them; then a voiceover saying it and finally reading it as it is flashed up on the screen. The Prologue was in the style of a trailer, using ‘snap shots’ of important parts of the film. It gave the audience ‘tasters’ of what was to come to keep the viewers in suspense and make them keep watching to answer “What happened to cause that?” Luhrmann needed to make the first scene as easy to understand as possible because if he did not the audience would become uninterested in the film from the very start. Most of the first scene was in the style of a Western with ‘The Goodies’ in my opinion the Montague boys, and ‘The Badies’, the Capulet boys. From the spurs on Tybalt’s boots to the Spaghetti Western style shoot out The Gas Station scene came across with a stereotypical Western style. Although there was Latino elements included with Tybalt’s flamenco dancing and Matador aggression. Both of the styles in the Gas Station scene made the language easier to understand by using stereotypes, from popular films, and familiar situations of a modern audience.

The location that was used reflects the theme of the story. Mexico City was used for the Prologue shots. Luhrmann used Mexico City because it has all the elements of any other modern city, with skyscrapers, large billboards and lots of roads and traffic. A key factor in the story id religion and Mexico City has a large religious element. The grand Jesus statue in the middle of the city shows how important religion is in the story. The statue was purposely built for the film and was only two feet tall – it was edited in afterwards. It was so important that Luhrmann was able to show how important religion was and how it fitted into the story so he showed a lot of emphasis on it. The first scene was set in a gas station because it is a meeting place for the boys with there cars. It shows that have money to be able to buy a car and it also represents a modern place to meet and show of their ‘prize precessions’ (their cars).

The detail is what mainly turns an Elizabethan play, into a 20th Century film for a modern audience. The words are given a modern alternative on the screen to show what is meant. This is show in the Prologue where the Voice-over says, “Civil blood makes civil hands unclean,” and there is a scene of crime and destruction on the scene. Another similar example of this is when the camera tracks to a sign saying, “Add more fuel to your fire,” and then they start to fight after the character has read it. This helps the audience see that all the trouble was started by an “Ancient Grudge” was brought up again by a simple spark and it raging like a fire between the two households. In addition to the religious influences that I explained earlier, there are another emphasis’ on religion such as, Tybalt’s gun decorated with The Virgin Mary and his waistcoat also decorated with The Virgin Mary.

In conclusion, this shows how many techniques Luhrmann used to allow a modern audience understand his film. He needed to make sure they could comprehend the film’s language so he used continuously used modern equivalents, to look at, on screen to show what is said.

“It could have been written in Eskimo but the audience will still be able to understand what is being said.”

Baz Luhrmann, September 1997.

His objectives were completed and his film was very successful and most people understood the story and didn’t lose interest in it. In my opinion I found the film fully enjoyable and language added an effect that is not technical but simple that made it more interesting to watch (and listen to).

Pennie Malone. 21st