I liked the idea of the modern setting of the film. But what really put me off was the Old English they spoke. Like come on?! Why can't you at least make a Romeo and Juliet remake where they talk modern English.
Seeing most of the characters wearing Hawaiian shirts while talking Old English was extremely effed up.
I thought it was cool. He modernised the story, made it contemporary so that teens and younguns could relate to it and understand it more, but at the same time stayed classy by staying true to the words of Shakespeare. In keeping the original dialogue he made it so that younguns would still be getting to know the original dialogue of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, but would find the story more appealing, exciting and relatable to them.
I think it was brilliant what he achieved with this film. It still felt like Romeo and Juliet, only set in the funky 90s. If he updated the dialogue too, then it would barely feel like Romeo and Juliet.
"Isn't the sheriff supposed to be courageous, loyal and honest? ..you need a new sheriff."
Romeo and Juliet is not Old English, which died out in the 12th century. It's not even Middle English. It's early Modern English.
Here's an example of Old English:
Þa cydde man me, þæt us mara hearm to fundode, þonne us wel licode: and þa for ic me sylf mid þam mannum þe me mid foron into Denmearcon, þe eow mæst hearm of com: and þæt hæbbe mid godes fultume forene forfangen, þæt eow næfre heonon forð þanon nan unfrið to ne cymð, þa hwile þe ge me rihtlice healdað and min lif byð.
MBC, of course you're technically right, but I think you're being a bit hard on the OP - and I'm a pedant! The historical development of English in that sort of detail is pretty arcane and academic, and I for one am prepared to overlook her lack of specialized knowledge.
The truth is we both know exactly what she meant (even if we profoundly disagree with it) - and besides, her use of modern English was relatively good by IMDB poster standards, so I think the use of an upper-case 'O' instead of a lower (which is all it boils down to) is forgiveable.
Touché. I'm a schmuck.
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Boopee doopee doop boop SEX
It's not that pedantic. I have 90 high school freshmen students who know that Shakespeare isn't Old English.
Besides, gutting this movie of its language? What would even be left, except for a lot of headache inducing cinematography and bad acting?
You'd have it changed to 20th century dialogue? Would you still keep their Shakespearean names such as Romeo, Mercutio, Juliet, etc? If yes, why?
shareShakespeare's Language and Hawaiian shirts worked rather well.
Its that man again!!
I liked it and I find it ironic that Baz Luhrmann's version of Romeo and Juliet has the closest dialogue to Shakespeare's play than any other Romeo and Juliet film, yet it's set in a modern setting.
shareActually Zefferelli's version is closer to Shakespeare's original play. That is the one we show after reading the play in my class. I show clips of this one and, surprisingly, the students prefer the older one.
shareDoesn't surprise me much. Zefferelli's version is head and shoulders better than this one. I find it comforting to know that students can recognise the quality.
shareAnd yet Zefferelli's version still manages to gut the play of it's most interesting moments--Juliet's "gallop apace" speech and her "dashing my brains out" speech, and Romeo killing Paris. It turns the story into the corny love ode that I spend the entire unit trying to convince the students that it's not.
shareI'd like to respectfully disagree with you on that one. I think that Zefferelli's version highlights the conflict between the two families incredibly well, showing the bloody riot at the beginning and the escalation of the duel between Mercutio and Tybalt acting as a microcosm of the families' feuds. A lot of versions omit Romeo killing Paris.
Even if Zefferelli's film focuses on the romance more, I find it hard to think of Shakespeare's work as corny, even when it is trimmed.
As a sub-note, I think you'd have a hard time convincing most students that Romeo & Juliet isn't a corny love ode regardless of the version presented. Most people have that preconception about R+J, I think.
shareI gave up on it. I guess they call it high-concept. To me it's unbearable pretentious and lazy. I gave it on it -- and I bear with many films because I hate not knowing the ending (or the plot).
shareSo you reject the entire genre of Shakespeare in a modern setting with the original language intact?
There are quite a lot of these movies and stage productions. Of course, that doesn't mean you have to like it, but the concept is pretty respectable by now.
So you reject the entire genre of Shakespeare in a modern setting with the original language intact?
There are quite a lot of these movies and stage productions. Of course, that doesn't mean you have to like it, but the concept is pretty respectable by now.
You cannot just get rid of Shakespeare's language. It's literally a poetry (it has rhythmic structure of the verses). And that's one of the main qualities of his work, apart from the themes and characters he explores (plots themselves are rather mediocre).
***70s - the time when even Stallone had to make a decent film***
While a lot of audiences like the plays for the plots and only understand and enjoy some of the dialogue ...
share