Great Modern Adaptation of a Great Script

Rating: 8/10 (20 November 2018)

Scene 5 of Act 1 is one of the highlights of Baz Luhrmann's film adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet". Not only is the story well portrayed, but it also has great actors such as the stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes to reenact the characters Romeo and Juliet respectively.
I am a big fan of Shakespeare which is why I love it when films that are based on his scripts are able to fulfill his original purpose even if there are some differences compared the original version of the play. This was mostly the case for this scene of "Romeo + Juliet" since it followed the same story and language from the original script, however it differed in some key aspects. In general, the film kept some of the essential events from the script since all of the language used comes from the original script and the same events are kept. These were: Tybalt and Lord Capulet's argument and Romeo and Juliet meeting and having a "love at first sight" moment as well as finding out they are both from opposite rival families. In this film, all main purposes from Shakespeare's original script are kept even though they are sometimes portrayed a bit differently. For example, the film occurs in a modern context where we see people dressed up in costumes and there is alcohol, drugs, electricity, etc. This doesn't affect Shakespeare's purpose since the only thing that changes is how some of the characters act as well as the general look of the party which is changed mostly due to the context of the viewers such as myself since a halloween party might be more common and relatable for our time. The key aspect of the setting from Shakespeare's script is that it's a party made by the Capulet family which is something that is kept for this adaptation. Another part of the scene which I thought followed Shakespeare's original purpose very well was when Romeo and Juliet see each other for the first time and instantly fall in love. This part was quite different to the original script since they stare at each other for a few minutes and don't speak to each other until after Juliet dances with Paris. This change in the script actually enforces Shakespeare's purpose since it adds on to the obstacles that lie between Romeo and Juliet's relationship. The last part I want to mention from scene 5 is the argument between Tybalt and Capulet. In the original script, the scene begins with Tybalt and Capulet arguing over Romeo's presence at their family's party, with Tybalt finally losing the argument and foreshadowing that his anger towards Romeo is not over with the line "I will withdraw: but this intrusion shall; Now seeming sweet convert to bitter gall". In the film, this argument occurs towards the middle of the scene rather than at the beginning when Tybalt approaches Lord Capulet who is most likely drunk or drugged given his gestures throughout the conversation. Despite the change of the order, this part of the scene does fulfill Shakespeare's purpose which is to increase the tension between these two rival families and show how this affects Romeo and Juliet's relationship.
I definitely enjoyed watching this adaptation of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" because despite being different in many key aspects, it still manages to keep the original purposes of Shakespeare and it works. Perhaps it is not the best movie from a filmmaker's perspective, but for anyone who enjoys the works of Shakespeare and this original play, you will not be disappointed by the adaptation.
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