The Relationship Between Capulets and Montagues in Baz Luhman's Version of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

The Relationship Between Capulets and Montagues in Baz Luhman's Version of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

During the course of the opening sequence, Baz Luhrman uses a number

of sequences in a unique way to give a strong, dominant effect. For

one he keeps the authentic text, he simply changes the setting. By

doing so, he opened up the world of Shakespeare to a whole new

generation. Within the short space of only seven minutes, he explains

to the audience just how hot the feud between the two families really

is. This is mainly due to the teenagers and their own reasons for

hating one another.

The 'Montague boys' come across as the peacemakers, the kind of lads

that fight to keep their reputations but would rather resolve the

argument with words, rather than drawing blood: 'I do but keep the

peace, put up thy sword, or manage it to part these men with me.' They

seem considerably more laid back than the 'Capulet boys' who give the

impression of being much more uptight and protective of their

dangerous image: 'the quarrel is between our masters, and us their

men.'

Tybalt seems to be the main root of the trouble between the younger

generations, as it is he that refuses to make peace when offered by

Benvolio. The reason for the all of the fighting has been forgotten,

but has now become a desperate attempt to out do one another through

fighting. They are a group of young lads, racing around the city

looking for trouble, using flamboyant cars and big guns; there is a

permanent competition between them.

The film begins with a television screen set quite a distance away,

starting with an extreme long shot; it zooms up to the s...

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... for a big opening such as this one, every

detail is taken in to account and made to fit perfectly. The guns are

specially made, newspapers are printed specifically for the film, and

even the scenery is chosen to be realistic as possible. As Kym

Barrett, costume designer, explained: 'every detail must be perfect

and fit the character as realistically as possible.' The actual city

of Verona isn't used for the film as it didn't have the right

atmosphere for the modern day setting, and so the fast, lively city of

Mexico is used instead.

The use of pyrotechnics for the explosion of the gas station concludes

the scene. The fire is symbolic to the war as it represents the heat

between the Montagues and the Capulets: 'From ancient grudge break to

new mutiny.' It's a war that like most other wars can only end in

tragedy.