Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is a modern reconstruction based on the original play. The setting and dress were the only things that were changed and the dialogue was preserved in its original state even though it went through a bit of editing, therefore this movie serves as an excellent resource for anyone who doesn’t understand the Shakespearean way of speaking. It tells the story of “Two households both alike in dignity in fair Verona where we lay are scene”. These two warring households are the Capulets and the Montagues and they fight all the time. What Baz Luhrmann has done is modernise the play by making it a film and adding modern technology such as guns and newspapers, as well as a petrol station into the set.
I will be analysing scene one where the Capulets and Montagues first meet in the film. The scene is set in a petrol station, which represents the town square in Shakespeare’s original play. Three Montague boys pull up in a car in the petrol station and one of them, Benvolio goes to the toilet while the other two see a van filled with girls from a Ladies College and make some rude gestures at it as it pulls away. Then as the van pulls away the Montague boys see four Capulet boys. Subsequently an argument breaks out between the two sets of boys and a shootout starts. This shootout escalates into the streets and it becomes a “third civil brawl”. This scene is very important because it sets the tone for the rest of the play.
People who do not understand the Shakespearean language can understand wants going on through the violence, love and action throughout the play. The western music, screeching car tyres and the newspaper headlines all add to the variety of different genres featured in the play. The rivalry and violence is extremely prominent in the first scene. Within the first two minutes Baz Luhrmann shows their rivalry by showing the audience a street with two Skyscrapers still in the construction process on either side of it but with the two families’ names, on one each. This shows that both families work in the same market. Violence in the first scene is made very clear due to the fact that it includes pictures and references to do with guns and violence in at least 50% of the 170 camera shots.
There are several different types of techniques used by directors in films and some of them include; camera shots, editing, setting, genre, sound/music, Costumes and mise-en-scene.
There are a variety of camera shots open to a camera operator in this scene that could include; Extreme close-ups, Medium shots and Extreme long shots. The chosen camera shots contribute to the impact that the scene has on the audience.
A low angle shot is taken of Abra in the first scene and allows Abra to give a strong and fearsome impression on the audience and show that he is a mean and “bad” character. The audience will get this effect due to the fact that Abra makes them feel small by looking down on them.
A high angle shot gives a character a more timid look that makes them look small and less intimidating an example of this is when a Capulet boy retreats back into his seat after Abra showing his mouth brace with the word ‘sin’ on it. The camera shot allows the audience to feel imposing on the character because they are looking down on them.
An example of a close- up shot is when the camera zooms on Tybalt’s face as well as the presenter’s and Benvolio’s face. When the camera zooms up on something like this it helps the audience to make connections. The whole point in zooming up on Tybalt and Benvolio’s faces is so the audience will realise that they are both important characters.
An example of a mid angle shot is when Tybalt pulls back his jacket and shows his shirt and guns, whilst saying, “Look upon thy death” to Benvolio. This action is done slowly so that it has a greater effect of suspense on the audience and it shows the audience, that doesn’t understand the Shakespearean language that Tybalt is a dangerous character due to the two guns on his waist.
An establishing shot is a camera shot of a scene like the city of Verona in the montage. This gives the audience an idea of what type of town or city it is. If it is filled with constructions it shows that the city is a developing one. If a city is still developing it is run by feuding gangs and has a lot of violence and injustice. This helps the audience who does not understand the Shakespearean language to realise that the Montagues and the Capulets are the two dominant gangs in the area of Verona Beach.
The process of editing can significantly affect the audience’s experience of the film. In this film the editor has used different techniques to achieve what Baz Luhrmann wanted. These include the following; Zoom, Freeze Frame, Slow motion, Fast editing, Montages.
Slow Zoom is used a lot by Baz Luhrmann an example of this is when the camera zooms on the television presenter. By doing this Baz Luhrmann draws the audience into the story. Baz Luhrmann modernises the prologue by making it appear on what looks like the news. This allows the audience to relate to the fact that the big argument between the Capulets and the Montagues is so big that it makes the TV news.
The fast zoom on Abra makes him look intimidating, the zoom however ends in a brace with the word ‘sin’ on it. This signifies that he is a bad character and what ever words he says has to touch his brace and is therefore evil and bad, which shows that he is an evil and bad character.
Baz Luhrmann uses the freeze frame technique very effectively. He uses it so that the audience can familiarise themselves with the main characters as well as allowing the audience to have a very detailed look. An example of this is when Luhrmann introduces Abra, Tybalt and Benvolio.
The montage foreshadows the lovers’ life and death as well as showing the violent events throughout the film. It acts as another non-spoken introduction to what will happen in the film. It also shows the innocence of love as well as religion through the choirboys, which is followed by Tybalt holding a gun. Which represents violence. The significance of this is that in the absence of religion and justice, violence and chaos take over.
The bold white writing on the black background, which is accompanied by the dramatic music, shows the tension that will happen in the film. White and black are opposite colours and do not go together so they represent the different families and the red in the cross represents death and violence; these all lead to a lot of tension. When the black screen pulls back it acts like a curtain and signifies to the audience that the film is about to begin. The zoom onto the guns shows the modern side of the film.
When Tybalt takes his well timed sniper shot at the Montagues as they pull away in their car, the audience is shown the shot through Tybalt’s cross hair, which is the shape of a cross and also signifies violence as well as religion. The significance of this is, that he must believe in himself and in God in order to get the shot right.
When Baz Luhrmann chose to make the opening scene a petrol station he felt that it was ideal because it helped to incorporate his idea of using cars. The cars represent the characters; yellow represents laid back Capulets in open shirts and shorts, whereas blue represents the serious and wealthy leather clad Montagues. Baz Luhrmann chose the opposite clothes to represent the warring families because it helps the audience remember and determine what family each person comes from. This also lets in the idea of gang culture because similar gangs would dress in similar styles or colours. The gas station acted like a modern town square because everybody can meet there as well as bump into each other. He wanted to film the movie in Miami because it symbolised a land “far far away”. However he did not get permission so he went into Mexico, which is a very cosmopolitan city.
The costumes were designed to support the words with visuals to help the audience to understand what was going on. The first scene took over one week to shoot and is made up of over 170 camera shots which only last five minutes. A lot of lines are repeated to let the audience get to grips with what is happening
As with books there are different types of film: Those that Baz Luhrmann combines include; Spaghetti Western, Documentary, Slapstick Comedy, Gang Culture
The characteristics of the Spaghetti Western genre that are shown in Baz Luhrmann’s film are the sounds of the spurs accompanying the Capulets’ boots, the shoot out and the focus on other characters reactions during the long silence..
By using elements of a Spaghetti Western Baz Luhrmann lets the audience think that the film is action packed and not just a tragic romance film. He also wanted the audience to know that the two families were enemies. This also helps the audience that cannot relate to the language, to be able to relate to what’s happening.
The characteristics of the Documentary genre that are shown in Baz Luhrmann’s film are; at the beginning of the film when the television being switched over, the news on a television channel. By using elements of the Documentary genre Baz Luhrmann lets the audience understand how serious the feud between the two families is.
The characteristics of the Slapstick Comedy genre are that are shown in Baz Luhrmann’s film are; the sound of “The Boys The Boys”, the Nuns Laugh and the pink-haired Montague crouching behind a car door and being hit by the woman’s hand bag.
By using elements of Slapstick Comedy Baz Luhrmann lessens the state of tension of the violence in the first scene.
The characteristics of the Gang Culture genre that are shown in Baz Luhrmann’s film are; groups of people wearing the same clothes, the type of music, shouting of profanity at random people. By using elements of the Gang Culture Baz Luhrmann shows the seriousness of the rivalry between the two warring families.
Sound plays a major part in Baz Luhrmann’s film; up to three hundred layers of sound are used in some scenes. An example of a sound that Baz Luhrmann uses during the film is: the whoosh when the camera rotates and zooms. By doing this Baz Luhrmann creates a more dynamic effect on what is happening.
There are 3 different types of layered sound in a film and they are natural sound that is when a scene is recorded (usually this is dialogue); sound that is added during the editing process. This can include music as well as voiceovers and gunshots. Last but not least non-realistic (cartoon like) sounds are used to exaggerate certain actions or moments for example; the tinkle of spurs when Tybalt walks in his boots. All of these sound effects help the audience understand different parts of the film. The tinkle of Tybalt’s boots helps the audience to relate him to the typical cowboys in Spaghetti Westerns.
There are a lot of sounds that are used that add to the effect of the film without the audience realising; for example the choir singing during the shootout in the first scene. Another very key sound that Baz Luhrmann uses to great effect is silence. Using silence in films helps add to the suspense of what is going to happen next. It keeps the audience interested and intrigued as to what will happen next.
Sound also represents moods the revving of the car layered with the Cougar roar’s show Abra and the other Capulets anger and violence. The giggle of the schoolgirls in the Ladies College van represents innocence. The roar of a cougar also accompanies Tybalt’s Latino dancing swirl. Which shows that he is a fearsome cat-like character hence the name “Prince of Cats”.
A black news reporter reads the prologue on a modern day television. In the background of the news there is a broken ring to represent Romeo’s and Juliet’s precious love for each other has come to an end. These act as a visual aids for the prologue, so people who do not understand the Shakespearean language can relate to the pictures on the screen.
Mexico is used to modernise “Verona Beach”. The Capulet and Montague families represent two different building firms that are in competition with each other. The statues portray religion in the city. The montage shows the audience a variety of scenes from the film in chronological order. The last part of the montage shows Juliet’s death, which is accompanied by crosses, and candles, which again represent religion. This scene represents the results of violence and injustice and that after it is over righteousness will take over again. Newspapers, magazines and fireworks show the modern side of the film and the fireworks contrast the repeating sounds of gunshots, which again represent violence.
When the Nun shuts the door on the offensive Montague it is a sign of religion shutting out violence. The crosses on the guns show that the two families see religion and violence as united. Abra’s mouth guard has the word ‘Sin’ on it and it is a sign of Abra rebelling against religion and that everything that comes out of his mouth is sinful.
When the riot starts the flames represent the rising heat (tension) at the gas station. The newspapers saying ‘ANCIENT GRUDGE’ shows that the feud has gone on for a long time and that the whole city is affected. The name ‘Phoenix Gas’ shows that the flames (tension) will rise again from the ashes of the old fire (feud).
The different families dress in different ways the following depicts the differences;
A typical Montague would wear Open Hawaiian shirts, tattoos, sunglasses and a buzz haircut whereas a typical Capulet would wear; a formal dress code, a dark leather suit, an earring in one ear, chains around there neck and sleek haircuts
The director and production team have employed a variety of techniques to create a sensational film that has 170 camera shots in the first five minutes of the film and over 300 layers of sound just during certain scenes in the film. This film shows that Baz Luhrmann can put camera shots, editing, setting, genre, sound/music, costumes and mise-En-Scene to great effect in order to bring out a film that has several subplots within subplots.
