Romeo and Juliet Movie Review (1. Like many victims of the American education system, I had a dislike for Shakespeare years before I got my hands on anything he had written. His name was a password to be profaned by 1. But part of the problem came later, in the classroom, where we inched through . It was impossible to read Shakespeare as slowly as we did and remember anything from the first three acts by the time we got to the murders. What was needed as an introduction was an approach that caught the spirit and life of Shakespeare and didn't get bogged down prematurely in the language. Advertisement. With this in mind, I believe Franco Zeffirelli's . Not because it is greater drama than Olivier's . Nor is it greater cinema than Welles' . It is a deeply moving piece of entertainment, and that is possibly what Shakespeare would have preferred. To begin with, Zeffirelli's film is the first production of . Always before, we have had actors in their 2. Shakespeare's speeches to each other as if it were the words that mattered. They do not, as anyone who has proposed marriage will agree. Often enough, one cannot even remember what was said at moments of great emotion; the words are outpourings of the soul. And that is the effect Zeffirelli achieves in two almost impossible scenes: the balcony scene and the double suicide in the tomb. There are some lines in Shakespeare too famous for their own good. When Hamlet winds up for . The same is true of Juliet's . In a theater filled to capacity Saturday night, not one single person found it necessary to snicker when Juliet asked so simply where Romeo was; we were looking for him, too. The success of the film depends upon Whiting and Miss Hussey. Zeffirelli reportedly interviewed hundreds of young actors and actresses before choosing them; if so, then this is the first movie . Directed by Baz Luhrmann. With Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, John Leguizamo, Harold Perrineau. Shakespeare's famous play is updated to the hip modern suburb of. Want more deets? We've also got a complete Online Course about Romeo and Juliet, with three weeks worth of readings and activities to make sure you know your stuff. They are magnificent. We can see why Zeffirelli didn't want older actors. The love between Romeo and Juliet, and the physical passion that comes with it, are of that naive and hopeless intensity only those in love for the very first time can comprehend. Advertisement. Zeffirelli places his lovers within a world of everyday life. With the first shots of the film, we are caught up in the feud between the Capulets and the Montagues. We understand the nature of the quarrel between Tybalt (Michael York) and Mercutio (John Mc. Enery) instinctively because Zeffirelli has picked them for their types: cocky insolence vs. The key supporting roles of Friar Lawrence (Milo O'Shea) and Juliet's nurse (Pat Heywood) are also superbly cast. For once, the nurse and friar are young enough to have empathy with the lovers. In most productions, they are creaking relics. And all of this is photographed with great intensity (even a hand- held camera for the dueling scenes) and beauty. As in his first film, . Everything is red and brown and yellow, dusty and sunlit, except for the fresh green of the garden during the balcony scene and the darkness of the tomb. A lot of fuss has been made about the brief, beautiful nude love scene. I doubt whether anyone could see it and disapprove of it, but apparently someone has. The Chicago Board of Education I am informed, objects to the nudity and will not approve the film for educational use after its commercial run. This is stupidity. If Chicago's educators could show me a city filled with students who rejoice in Shakespeare, I would yield the point. But they cannot, and Zeffirelli is so far ahead of them, so much richer and deeper, so much more inspired in his interpretation of our greatest poet, that the Board of Education cannot fly with him and must find excuses in half a dozen frames of a joyous film. ![]() One of the Best! This movie is on TWM's list of the ten best movies to supplement classes in Drama, High School Level. For a great introduction to Romeo and Juliet. Contains cast and crew details, soundtrack listing, awards, user commentaries, and trivia. This lesson introduces students to William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet by having them examine the ideas of tragedy and tragic love by connecting the story to. In the play's final scene, Romeo finds Juliet's "dead" body and, rather than face life without her, swallows a vial of poison moments before Juliet wakes up. ![]() ![]() ![]() The prologue of Romeo and Juliet calls the title characters “star-crossed lovers”—and the stars do seem to conspire against these young lovers.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
September 2017
Categories |