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Newest Romeo and Juliet Film: The Best Yet?
Other | Wednesday 18th December 2013 | Sukaina
Director Carlo Carlei does justice to one of Shakespeare’s most revered plays.
Everyone knows the tragic story of Romeo and Juliet; boy meets girl, they fall in love, they're from opposing families, there is a lot of talk about names- “Deny thy father, and refuse thy name” and it all results in their death, which is annoyingly caused by what seem to be very trivial mistakes. As everyone already knows the storyline, the film has to provide something different to capture the audience’s interest; the newest production of the play does just this, in a surprisingly unique manner.
Featuring a well-equipped cast including Douglas Booth, Hailee Steinfeld and Ed Westwick; this production does justice to Shakespeare’s elegant play. As expected, Booth fits perfectly into his role as Romeo, which I suspect is partly to do with the previous experience he gained from playing ‘Pip’, in the BBC production of Great Expectations, as well as the undeniably obvious attribute of simply having good genes.
Ed Westwick also pulls off his role as Tybalt spectacularly. To get a visual image of his character, just think of it as a compilation of his personality as the antagonist ‘chuck’ in Gossip Girl, with the hair of ‘Aragorn’ in Lord of the Rings and the ruthlessness of the Mafia boss in The Godfather. Hailee Steinfeld performs admirably in the film, especially considering the fact that she was cast when she was only 14 years old!
The question that was playing on most people’s minds, when this film was first announced was whether it would match up to the 1996 Baz Luhrmann production. A production so brilliant, that for years, no other director had tried to surpass it… until now.
Despite the film’s traditional look, I would not be too quick to dismiss it as dull. Although disappointingly, the trailer excludes most of the verse from the original play, not all of it has been cut out of the actual film. Literature lovers will still get their dose of Shakespearean language.
Nevertheless, for the rest of us, who may not be so apt at understanding classical Shakespearian, the screen writer, Julian Fellows, moulds a few lines of his own into the script. Although this move has been criticised by some conservative critics as a betrayal to literature, I think these lines are what make the film so good. His imitation of Shakespeare’s style holds true to the classical feeling of film but also provides an exciting variation to previous versions.
To really be able to understand what makes this adaptation stand out from previous ones, we need to look back at two of the most well-known past productions.
Unless you’ve been living under a shell your whole life (or are under the age of about 10), you will have heard of the 1996 version of Romeo and Juliet, more commonly known as the ‘Leo DeCaprio’s version’. If you haven’t watched this yet because you think Shakespeare’s too ‘old school’ you need to watch it now. The dramatic and modern nature of this film highlights the beauty of Shakespeare’s language, allowing us to appreciate it without being too caught up in understanding the story- the screenplay does this part for you. What is so striking about this film is that although Leonardo Dicaprio and Clare Danes perform remarkably; the supporting cast that steal the show. Mercutio in particular stands out, with his energetic take on classical Shakespearian prose combined with the modernity of his tone of speech. To understand what I mean this just watch the 19 second video below, of Harold Perrineau Jr’s portrayal of the character, performing the famous line, “Tis’ a scratch!”
The success of the minor characters in the 1996 production may have influenced the 2013 version; both focus on the relationships outside those of the lead characters. The results of which, is a more fleshed out and complex play compared to other variations, which tend to look at only the romantic relationship. We are also enlightened to the father-son relationship between the Friar and Romeo, as well the similarly parental relationship between Juliet and the Nurse. The most poignant part of this production is, in my opinion, the bromance that features between Romeo and his friends. This is developed in the 2013 film through the casting of a 17 year old Benvolio, played by Kodi Smit-Mcphee. The effect of giving a character that represents the wise voice of reason, to a younger actor, is that it makes the relationship between him and Romeo even more touching.
The Zafferelli version from 1968 definitely features the best Juliet. Even though Clare Danes and Hailee Steinfeld provide their own exclusive take on the role; Olivia Hussey, at 14 captures the most accurate image of the Juliet that we see in the play. Although Hailee echoes Olivia in the characteristics of innocence and youth, she doesn’t carry the same grace and aura of wisdom that the Argentine-born actress manages to portray. The interview below captures the actress’s raw sassiness. An attribute that was soon to be longed after in the late 80s with the creation of the teenage indie magazine ‘Sassy’, illuminating the influence that this actress may have had on culture.
Ultimately, the new film is a serious contender when comparing it to other productions of Romeo and Juliet. The adaptation encompasses both the elegance of Shakespeare’s language, as well as bringing out the numerous and complex relationships in the play. Whilst all the while, still retaining the original setting of Verona in the 15th century.
The DVD is scheduled to be released on February 3rd 2014.
By Sukaina Kadhum
