Romeo + Juliet - Luhrmann's version of the Shakespeare classic still packs a punch | First Take Classics
When the blog came into being 13 years ago, during a time when the original text was prominently featured on English A-levels, this was the film that was used to make Shakespeare's work more accessible to a modern eye - and knowing now about the journey Baz Lurhmann went on to get this film made, it is incredible to still see it used as part of many English courses that use the play as one of the core elements of study. Shakespeare's famous play is updated to the hip modern suburb of Verona, while still retaining its original dialogue. Luhrmann's style is evident throughout the 2 hour film that still holds up on the big screen nearly 30 years later - the needle drops, the camerawork, and that uniqueness he honed making Strictly Ballroom and his future work are all here. Taking Shakespeare's original text and putting it in a modern scenario, swapping the 1700s for mid-1990s Verona, Luhrmann and Craig Pearce do an immense job translating the source material to a contempor...
