The last couple days I have been obessing over R and J and watching both the 1968 and 1996 movies again...and again. So I thought this would be a good time to review them in a serious and studious fashion. Yeah right! I'm totally using this post as an excuse to gush.
First up.......
1968
I completely,totally and utterly(enough adverbs? lol) adore this version! It's pretty much the definitive version of Romeo and Juliet. When most people (myself included) think of Romeo and Juliet, they think of Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting. They were pretty much perfect together. Here's the break down:
Juliet: Olivia Hussey was only 15 when she played Juliet. I think her age had a lot to do with why her performance was so great. She gave Juliet the perfect mix of innocence and determination.
Romeo: Leonard Whiting was 17 when he played Romeo. He pretty much IS Romeo, which is no small feat. Good looking, English, Shakespeare...what else do you need? Except for maybe a balcony.
Script: Despite being the quintessential classic version, large chunks of the play are missing, which is the only problem I have with this version. Except for Olivia Hussey's laugh, which gets a tad grating after awhile.:-)
Overall: Well, you already know what I think. The acting is great, although a bit over dramatic at times. But that can be easily forgiven, it IS Shakespeare. The music and costumes are beautiful. This version makes a 500 year old play seem fresh even if the movie itself is almost 50 years old. A masterpiece.
1996
I'm not gonna lie. When my English teacher first showed us clips of this version I hated it about as much as I loved the 1968 version. And there are still things that bug me about it. But when I let go of my bias and really watched it I started to love it. Come on, it's Shakespeare AND Leonardo DiCaprio!!!
Setting: This is definitely something I need to talk about. The modern setting is something that myself and others definitely had issues with at first. It just seems so wrong! But when you think about it Verona Beach isn't really like any modern day place. It's more like a fictional place, which makes makes this whole let's-change-the time-period thing easier to accept. And it's so colourful it's hard not to get caught up.
Juliet: Claire Danes does a really good job of making Juliet seem modern and classic at the same time. She sounds very natural which is very impressive because it's so easy to over-act when it comes to Shakespeare. I love that she sounds like she talks like that all the time. She captures the fun and the cautious sides of Juliet.
Romeo: It's Leonardo DiCaprio. Need I say more? :-) He does an amazing job showing that Romeo is multifaceted guy who can sprout poetry to the love of his life and then go josh around with his friends. And he's gorgeous, which helps. lol.
Script: Less of the original play is missing in this version, with a few exceptions, such as Juliet's final line (O happy dagger...).
Overall: You have to admit this version is pretty great even if there are a few things that bother me, as I mentioned. I can't watch the first 10 minutes because it's so jarring. I always skip to where we first meet Romeo. And I know it makes more sense in this case, but why did they have to substitute a gun for dagger in the final scene? But I guess I'll let to slip because that scene is so moving, despite the changes.
And that pretty much sums up both movies. Romeo and Juliet is always moving no matter which version your watching.
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