Film Romeo and Juliet 1996

Director Baz Luhrmann's 1996 reworking of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is a solid reworking of Shakespeare's classic tale. In the film two young lovers (Romeo and Juliet) are separated by a bitter and long-lasting family feud. Despite their family's terrible animosity toward each other, the two marry in secret. Juliet's cousin Tybalt challenges Romeo to a duel, but Romeo refuses to fight back. Instead, Tybalt stabs Mercutio, Romeo's best friend, and Romeo kills Tybalt. Romeo is banned from the city, and a distraught Juliet plans to fake her own death to avoid marrying Paris. She sends word to Romeo of her scam, but her message does not reach him. He sees Juliet's seemingly dead body at the chapel, and consumed by grief, drinks a vial of poison. Juliet wakes up, sees Romeo dead, and shoots herself as she cannot bear to live without him.

Leonardo DiCaprio, as Romeo, and Claire Danes, as Juliet, give excellent performances. The rest of the cast, which includes John Leguizamoa as Tybalt and Brian Dennehy as Ted Montague, is also strong.

The plot, characters, and theme remain largely true to Shakespeare's original in Luhrmann's hands. While details like setting change (this version takes place in a modern city), Luhrmann keeps the original Elizabethan language. This helps retain much of the beauty of Shakespeare's prose, and lends a feeling of drama and authenticity to the film. Other details, such as costumes and lighting are also masterfully handled and attractive.