How do you account for the success of Romeo and Juliet by Baz Luhrmann

The setting played a big part in the success of the film. Verona beach was used, as religion in Mexico was still a big presence with culture and in vision. Marriage is a very big thing in Mexico and sex before marriage is frowned on. The social structure of the beach is close to the times in which Romeo and Juliet was written, as there are the few rich people in the city whereas the majority are still poor. This is seen as the ideal place to put the film has it is normal for the rich people to carry around with guns, which Romeo and the caplets walk around the streets of Verona with guns. The two buildings in Verona beach are very recognisable as the Capulet’s and the Montague’s. Most of the aspects of Verona beach can be easily used, as they are suited for the times when Romeo and Juliet were written. Pathetic fallacy is a used many times in the play. When Tybalt kills Mercutio, the weather dramatically changes with it turning from a nice sunny day, into a windy, stormy day where it shows everything is starting to go wrong. When Romeo kills Tybalt, the rain starts to get harder as Romeo drops the gun. This can also be symbolised as Romeo’s tears when he realises what he’s done.

One of the big successes in Romeo and Juliet was the way Luhrmann managed to cut the text in order to make it more suitable for the modern audience. In the original play, there were many long and boring speeches, which if used in the film would most likely make the audience fall asleep. However Luhrmann has managed to aggressively change the text and the way the whole play runs in order to make it more suitable, more naturalistic, and much more exciting to the audience. Many of the actor’s lines in the play were long boring speeches with no rhythm or flow to the way the actors are speaking. In many cases Luhrmann has managed to drastically cut the long speeches and turn the play into a fast pace movie, which doesn’t seem to bore anyone. In act 3 scene 5 at least two thirds of the lines had been cut so that the play wouldn’t be dominated by speeches. Instead of this he has cut them down to make it more interesting and more excitable to the viewers. By doing this he has made the scene more powerful and more ecstatic and makes it more accessible for kids and teenagers. The “Queen Mab” speech was edited to change it from a long conversation about dreams into a more interesting and more youthful topic about drugs. With this he has made it more modern and has touched on an issue that effects most people in the world and it’s also an issue, which affects teenagers. He also updates the story in many ways making it more natural towards the modern day .He changes the way the public see Paris and they make him seem as a good catch for Juliet as there are magazines and TV shows about him, which make him seem as if he is the perfect, and very wealthy person for Juliet to marry. He also changes many of the original ideas of the play. He updates the way the Montague boys find out about the party. In the original play they find out by helping out a servant who can’t read. As this might of seen very out of place as many people today can read and write, they place the invitation on TV to make it more updated for everyday life.

Even though the play has been drastically modified and updated to suit the needs of modern people, there are still many aspects of Shakespeare left in the film. The title is a perfect example of how he has kept it loyal to Shakespeare as the title is called “William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.” This is left in to remind people that it has been written years ago and its not something that the Americans have just made up, it is keeping the audience in touch with who wrote the play and how long ago he wrote it. Making the title William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet also appeals to a wider audience as the people who are great admires of his work might be interested in going to watch the play as it is his original work. The viewers are constantly reminded of who wrote this play and the other plays he has wrote as throughout the play there are billboards, drop in lines and other symbols of what other work Shakespeare has done from other plays. This is to give the audience a constant reminder about the work Shakespeare has done and might be to prove that this is not a one off event but that he has done many of other work in the past. In the petrol station scene the line “Hubble bubble toil and trouble” can be seen. This is a sign from one of Shakespeare’s plays Macbeth and this is just a reminder of what he has done. Throughout the film billboards have quotes from other plays and this is to help the audience with realising that Shakespeare has done other plays in the past and Luhrmann may want the public to realise this. The official website of the film has named Shakespeare as Bill Shakespeare. This might have been used to update his image and make him seem more modern and not a person of the past. It gives the reader a state of intimacy and friendship and that he is not a thing of the past but he is still present in everyday life.

Romeo and Juliet is without a doubt more then a two-person play. Many other characters play an important role in making the film a success. All the characters are represented in a different way, some more surprising then the others. Romeo is seen as a boyish sentimental character. He is romantic and passionate about his love and he is very other the top about many things such as love and the general way that he acts. He is a ladies man and can seem to charm is way into getting who ever he wants and it seems effortless to him. Mercutio is very lively and vibrant. He has a big ego and it seems obvious that he is not afraid to show off and cause trouble. He is a rebellious character who doesn’t like peace or friendship with anyone he dislikes. He takes a lead role in the play and has a big presence about him that has to be admired when he walks into a room. He is always talkative and demands attention whenever he needs it. He is a surprising character and is seen as a very different character in the film and in the play. The nurse is very risky and dramatic. Her accent is very loud and over the top as she defiantly stands out from other people in the play. She is an over the top character and can be singled out in the crowd with her accent and her loud voice. The prince is seen in a very different light to how he is in the play. He is cast as a police officer, which helps bring the play up to date. He is very unforgiving, however he is harsh but fair. He wants peace and it seems he will do anything in his path to get it no matter what the consequence is. Juliet is gorgeous but also babyish. She is very contrasting throughout the whole play as her personality drastically changes. At first she is sweet, pure and innocent but matures very quickly. She is a contrasting character who develops very quickly into an independent woman who will do whatever she wants. Lady Capulet is seen very differently. She is a bad mother to Juliet and is very two faced in the play. She is a deceiver as she is also with Paris too much in the play, which might imply that she is cheating on Capulet. She is almost a pathetic excuse for a woman. She is seen as very confident and has plenty you say in the film. Capulet is seen as very laid back and almost doesn’t care what happens in the world around him. He is almost living in a world of his own where no one can stop him from doing whatever he wants. Tybalt is very aggressive and wants his own way as soon as possible. He doesn’t want peace and he most likely classes peace as a swear word. He is a very cocky person and thinks that he is the one and he is all perfect. Like Mercutio he has a big ego and is violent and aggressive. Montague despite his old age still wants to get involved in the violence and the action, which is going on, around him. He is also a very caring father who stands up for Romeo. He is very laid back despite being a very rich man. Benvolio is very laid back person and is seen as the peacekeeper amongst Romeo and his friends. He is very trustworthy and is a good mate of Romeo. He is a very contrasting character to Mercutio and yet they are both very good friends of Romeo’s. Friar Lawrence is a caring peaceful man. He stops violence and his a role model to Romeo. He is a healing figure as he grows many of herbs and drugs, which tells us that he is a very peaceful man. Paris is very naïve and a mother’s boy. He is basically an idiot who doesn’t seem to be aware of anything that is around him. He is very big headed and vain and immature but likes to see himself as a hero and thinks that he is a great person who isn’t aware of his big ego.

Luhrmann carefully chose the acting for his two main characters Romeo and Juliet. Romeo was chosen for the job because of his background experience and his age and appeal. Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays Romeo, was chosen because of his appeal to the youth generation. He is a good-looking man who would pull in the youth generation, as he was only 19 when he was picked for the part. His background in acting gave him a big boost as he has already picked up an Oscar nomination. Leonardo was picked to play the part as he proved himself to be a successful actor but mainly because he could appeal to the younger generation of viewers, which would improve the ratings. Claire Danes who plays Juliet was chosen as she is also seen as an actor who could help with the youth generation. She is a good-looking woman and this would help pull in the younger generation. She had plenty of acting experience and could prove a good choice in the role of Romeo and Juliet.

Baz Luhrmann had made the success of Romeo and Juliet by changing the play. He cut lines and scenes to make it flow more easily and make it faster pace and more exciting. He used many symbols and images to help make it more interesting. The use of film devices and the setting of the film helped keep it in touch with the original play. He updated the play and was also able to keep many aspects of Shakespeare still alive in the film. His casting was important to keep it in touch with the younger generation. I think that the success of this play was down to the way he managed to successfully change many aspects of the play and make it more appealing to the youth generation. The film has many appealing parts to it and helps keep it more in touch with the youth generation. My overall opinion of the film is that it is well worked out and was very well edited to make it more appealing to the younger audience. He has successfully managed to update the play and in all has managed to make it a more interesting play and film at the same time.