English Media Coursework
Review on the opening scene of Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 take on Romeo and Juliet
We all know the story of Romeo and Juliet, and even if you haven’t read the book many of the romantic films we see today use the general themes behind Romeo and Juliet to create a basis on which they develop the plot i.e. Destiny, deceit, separation and so on.
Baz Luhrmann’s challenge was to create an opening scene that captured the poetry and beauty of the original prologue but also suitable and understandable to the modern day audience… the very thought of this “creation” set my imagination wild and I just prayed that we didn’t get another West side story.
We are introduced to the movie by a newsreader on a TV, the newsreader acting as Shakespeare’s narrator. It is here too, that we are introduced to the notion that instead of having a bad postal system like Shakespeare did, Luhrmann uses our modern media to act as the medium for news to be spread. An example of this later would be where Romeo finds out about the party from Mrs Capulet, on TV. This one shot lasts thirty seven seconds although we zoom in towards the television and then zoom through the television screen to the next scene..
The bid to make sure everyone could understand the language comes into effect when we again hear a male voice reading the Prologue, while periodically words such as ‘In Fair Verona’ and ‘A Pair of Star Cross’d Lovers’ flash onto the screen to place emphasis on important pieces of information. We are also introduced to the leading characters using close up shots which come to a freeze frame. This is almost a cast list created with pieces of footage found later in the film. We also see skyscrapers with Montague on one side of the street and Capulet on the other side, this could symbolize the divide between the two families. Newspapers are used here again to show the feuding families have a history.
Theme of fate in Romeo & Juliet – GCSE coursework
Despite fate’s grasp on Romeo and Juliet being clear from the beginning, their choices in the play cause fate to build momentum and accelerate their lives to their inevitable end. Shakespeare’s original presentation of fate is of an inescapable event, but how the characters get there is less certain and more chance. Whereas Luhrmann’s fate is cruller and more controlling, but both interpretations ...
There are approximately 80 shots including titles. Most of the edits here are less than a second. When we are introduced to the characters the edits are longer so we can almost memorize who is who. As the minute and a half of this part of the sequence comes to a close, the editing speeds up, creating tension and anticipation.
Whilst watching all of this action take place I couldn’t help but consider whether or not Luhrmann had deliberately tried to make the prologue seem like a trailer, either way I found both the major features of the prologue where covered magnificently, its poetry through the simplistic appearance of the television and news reader allowing you to concentrate on what was being said, and its majesty through the short sharp action scenes coupled with the words of the prologue forcing themselves on to the screen.
Baz Luhrmann has managed to create a piece of text, that let’s be honest doesn’t fascinate the youthful mind, appeal to all audiences, Shakespeare die-hards will still be able to experience its poetry and majesty, people who perhaps are not too keen on reading Romeo and Juliet will find the prologue (and the film) much more digestible, and most importantly teenagers will finally be able to experience and understand aspects of the story that they wouldn’t have just sitting in a classroom.
