When
he was writing his plays, I don’t think that William Shakespeare ever
thought that they would have had the kind of staying power to last all
these centuries. Additionally, I don’t think could have possibly
envisioned how others would choose to adapt his works, sometimes so far
removed from the original source that they are barely recognizable as a
Shakespearian play. Of course, the best adaptations are those that remain
true the text and language of Shakespeare, but choose to find some other
new and invigorating way of presenting the play to an audience. In the
20th Century, film has been one of the best ways of bringing a freshness
and new luster to the works of the Immortal Bard, and within the realm of
film, one of the more striking cinematic adaptations of Shakespeare has
been director Baz Luhrmann’s ROMEO + JULIET. With ROMEO +
JULIET Luhrmann pulls out all the stops by wrapping the story in a
very hip and modern style, which uses its visual flash to complement the
emotional depth of Shakespeare’s story.
Although
Baz Luhrmann’s ROMEO + JULIET moves the timeless love story into
modern day, the language of the story retains the poetry of Shakespeare’s
verse. Set in the city of Venice Beach, ROMEO + JULIET tells of the
gang war that continually erupts onto the streets because of a
long-standing fued between the city’s two most powerful families- the
Montagues and the Capulet. During a party at the Capulet mansion, Romeo
(Leonardo DiCaprio), the gatecrashing son of Montague clan meets and falls
instantly in love with Juliet (Claire Danes), the daughter of the house.
Although Juliet also falls instantly in love with Romeo, the two star
crossed lovers quickly learn that their family ties may doom their love
before it ever begins. The cast of ROMEO + JULIET also features
John Leguizamo, Paul Sorvino, Brian Dennehy, Christina Pickles, Diane
Venora, Miriam Margolyes, Pete Postlethwaite, Jamie Kennedy, Dash Mihok,
Paul Rudd, Jesse Bradford and M. Emmet Walsh.
20th
Century Fox Home Entertainment has made ROMEO + JULIET available on
DVD in a 2.35:1 wide screen presentation that has been enhanced for 16:9
displays. This is a really great looking transfer of somewhat difficult
material. Director Baz Luhrmann and cinematographer Donald McAlpine have
gone for a stylized look for the film that utilizes a rather intense color
palette, one that is tough to render in the video realm. Many of the hues
push towards over saturation, but fortunately they are rendered here
without noise and only minimal fuzziness. Despite the intensity of some of
the hues, flesh tones are reproduced in an attractive and seemingly
natural manner. The image itself is crisp and appears very nicely defined.
Blacks are pure and solid, while whites appear clean and stable. Contrast
is sometimes a bit harsh, but for the most part is smooth. The film
element used for the transfer is free from excessive defects and displays
minimal grain. Dual layer authoring keeps digital compression artifacts
very well concealed.
ROMEO
+ JULIET comes with a rather aggressively mixed Dolby Digital 5.1
channel soundtrack. The heightened intensity of the film’s visuals are
well complemented by the sound design that doesn’t shy away from
utilizing sound effects and music in all of the discrete channels. While
there is sometimes a maelstrom of sounds in the mix, the film’s dialogue
is always cleanly rendered and distinct. Even those who need to listen
intensely to the Shakespearian prose to gather its meaning shouldn’t
have any difficulty here. Surprisingly, the soundtrack has a rather potent
bottom end that comes to thunderous life now and again. English and French
Dolby Surround tracks are also encoded onto the DVD, along with English
and Spanish subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD’s interactive
menus. Through the menus, one has access to the standard scene selection
and set up features, as well as the DVD’s supplements. Director Baz
Luhrmann, cinematographer Donald McAlpine, costume designer Catherine
Martin, and screenwriter Craig Pearce are featured on a running audio
commentary that proves to be both entertaining and informative. The DVD
also includes a Director's Gallery and a Cinematographer's
Gallery which offers an inside glimpse into the process of getting
the production off the drawing board and how its look was achieved. The Design
Gallery looks at the visual styling of ROMEO + JULIET
through various aspects of the production design. The Interview
Gallery offers members of the cast and crew talking about the
production of the movie. Music clips offers two pseudo music
videos from the film. The Marketing R+J offers a theatrical
trailer, TV Spot and Poster. If ROMEO + JULIET is purchased as part
of the Red Curtain Trilogy box set, then additional materials can be found
on the bonus disc BEHIND THE RED CURTAIN, which offers an
interactive documentary that contains hours of behind the scenes footage
for this film, as well as MOULIN ROUGE and STRICTLY BALLROOM.
ROMEO
+ JULIET certainly isn't your father's Shakespeare. The movie hip and
visually impressive, as well as remaining quite faithful to the text of
one of Shakespeare's most often performed and interpreted plays. Fox's DVD
looks and sounds great, making it a must have for fans of the Immortal
Bard, as well as those of the film's stars and director.
ROMEO
+ JULIET is available on DVD individually for $19.98 or along with MOULIN
ROUGE and STRICTLY BALLROOM as part of the Red Curtain Trilogy
box set for $69.98.
When
he was writing his plays, I don’t think that William Shakespeare ever
thought that they would have had the kind of staying power to last all
these centuries. Additionally, I don’t think could have possibly
envisioned how others would choose to adapt his works, sometimes so far
removed from the original source that they are barely recognizable as a
Shakespearian play. Of course, the best adaptations are those that remain
true the text and language of Shakespeare, but choose to find some other
new and invigorating way of presenting the play to an audience. In the
20th Century, film has been one of the best ways of bringing a freshness
and new luster to the works of the Immortal Bard, and within the realm of
film, one of the more striking cinematic adaptations of Shakespeare has
been director Baz Luhrmann’s ROMEO + JULIET. With ROMEO +
JULIET Luhrmann pulls out all the stops by wrapping the story in a
very hip and modern style, which uses its visual flash to complement the
emotional depth of Shakespeare’s story.
Although
Baz Luhrmann’s ROMEO + JULIET moves the timeless love story into
modern day, the language of the story retains the poetry of Shakespeare’s
verse. Set in the city of Venice Beach, ROMEO + JULIET tells of the
gang war that continually erupts onto the streets because of a
long-standing fued between the city’s two most powerful families- the
Montagues and the Capulet. During a party at the Capulet mansion, Romeo
(Leonardo DiCaprio), the gatecrashing son of Montague clan meets and falls
instantly in love with Juliet (Claire Danes), the daughter of the house.
Although Juliet also falls instantly in love with Romeo, the two star
crossed lovers quickly learn that their family ties may doom their love
before it ever begins. The cast of ROMEO + JULIET also features
John Leguizamo, Paul Sorvino, Brian Dennehy, Christina Pickles, Diane
Venora, Miriam Margolyes, Pete Postlethwaite, Jamie Kennedy, Dash Mihok,
Paul Rudd, Jesse Bradford and M. Emmet Walsh.
20th
Century Fox Home Entertainment has made ROMEO + JULIET available on
DVD in a 2.35:1 wide screen presentation that has been enhanced for 16:9
displays. This is a really great looking transfer of somewhat difficult
material. Director Baz Luhrmann and cinematographer Donald McAlpine have
gone for a stylized look for the film that utilizes a rather intense color
palette, one that is tough to render in the video realm. Many of the hues
push towards over saturation, but fortunately they are rendered here
without noise and only minimal fuzziness. Despite the intensity of some of
the hues, flesh tones are reproduced in an attractive and seemingly
natural manner. The image itself is crisp and appears very nicely defined.
Blacks are pure and solid, while whites appear clean and stable. Contrast
is sometimes a bit harsh, but for the most part is smooth. The film
element used for the transfer is free from excessive defects and displays
minimal grain. Dual layer authoring keeps digital compression artifacts
very well concealed.
ROMEO
+ JULIET comes with a rather aggressively mixed Dolby Digital 5.1
channel soundtrack. The heightened intensity of the film’s visuals are
well complemented by the sound design that doesn’t shy away from
utilizing sound effects and music in all of the discrete channels. While
there is sometimes a maelstrom of sounds in the mix, the film’s dialogue
is always cleanly rendered and distinct. Even those who need to listen
intensely to the Shakespearian prose to gather its meaning shouldn’t
have any difficulty here. Surprisingly, the soundtrack has a rather potent
bottom end that comes to thunderous life now and again. English and French
Dolby Surround tracks are also encoded onto the DVD, along with English
and Spanish subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD’s interactive
menus. Through the menus, one has access to the standard scene selection
and set up features, as well as the DVD’s supplements. Director Baz
Luhrmann, cinematographer Donald McAlpine, costume designer Catherine
Martin, and screenwriter Craig Pearce are featured on a running audio
commentary that proves to be both entertaining and informative. The DVD
also includes a Director's Gallery and a Cinematographer's
Gallery which offers an inside glimpse into the process of getting
the production off the drawing board and how its look was achieved. The Design
Gallery looks at the visual styling of ROMEO + JULIET
through various aspects of the production design. The Interview
Gallery offers members of the cast and crew talking about the
production of the movie. Music clips offers two pseudo music
videos from the film. The Marketing R+J offers a theatrical
trailer, TV Spot and Poster. If ROMEO + JULIET is purchased as part
of the Red Curtain Trilogy box set, then additional materials can be found
on the bonus disc BEHIND THE RED CURTAIN, which offers an
interactive documentary that contains hours of behind the scenes footage
for this film, as well as MOULIN ROUGE and STRICTLY BALLROOM.
ROMEO
+ JULIET certainly isn't your father's Shakespeare. The movie hip and
visually impressive, as well as remaining quite faithful to the text of
one of Shakespeare's most often performed and interpreted plays. Fox's DVD
looks and sounds great, making it a must have for fans of the Immortal
Bard, as well as those of the film's stars and director.
ROMEO
+ JULIET is available on DVD individually for $19.98 or along with MOULIN
ROUGE and STRICTLY BALLROOM as part of the Red Curtain Trilogy
box set for $69.98.
