Top Ten Text 9

William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Dir. Baz Lurhmann. Writ. William Shakespeare (play). writ Craig Pearce (screenplay). DVD. 20^th Century Fox. 2006.

This is the film version of Romeo and Juliet made by Baz Lurhmann in the 1990s. It stars Leonardo Dicaprio and Claire Danes as the star crossed lovers. The most exciting aspect of this movie, is that it keeps the original Shakespearean dialogue, but updates the warring house holds as corporations/gangs. The film is colorful, hyperkinetic and youthful. One of the strengths of the film is the multicultural cast, no longer is everyone lily white, there are now roles for people of all colors and sizes. It shows that even 500-year-old ideas can be given a new coat of paint and adapted for modern times.

This was another big hit in my class, partly because we didn’t watch a lot of videos, and partly because they really liked the action/gangs/ and multiculturalism. They still had a lot of problems grasping the dialogue, but the imagery is powerful. While I did a good job of asking questions throughout the movie, it was used more of a reward for the last 10/15 minutes of class after working hard, I didn’t do enough during viewing activities to keep their brains working. I also tried to show it in conjunction with the 1960s R&J to show differences, especially in setting and costuming. R&J is meant to be seen and heard, and I think it helped the students picture the action as we read the play aloud.