The Effectiveness of Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet

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The Effectiveness of Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet Baz Lurhmann's modern version of Romeo and Juliet is very effective because it relates to a younger audience which makes it more appealing to watch. The audience can tell it is more modern e.g. there are cars, skyscrapers, guns, televisions and music. The characters clothes tell the audience that this film is modern. At the start of the film it shows a television against a black background. This immediately tells the viewers that it is modern. It is effective to have the play in a more modern setting because when the Shakespeare classic is portrayed in an old setting, many will not want to watch to movie. Also as it is modern, more people can understand and realise what Shakespeare meant in his text as he made this play many, many years ago. To introduce the characters in this movie, Baz Luhrmann uses credits. This effective because it helps the audience can remember the characters. Also, freeze frames appear when credits are shown. This is used to help the audience take in the information. This is effective as you know who is doing what or speaking. This is better than previous movies as you don't spend half the movie trying to figure out who is on the screen. Baz Luhrmann repeats the chorus, this helps the play lots as it uses the chorus effectively. This gets the audience into the play more. He gets people to read it in a newscaster voice and normal voice. He also uses newspapers front pages to tell the chorus in a story form. He uses the news programme to tell the chorus in a broadcast voice and he uses words against a black back drop. These words are shown in jump cuts.... ... middle of paper ... ...Baz Luhrmann also casts his characters very well. Take Tybalt for example, his teeth look like a cats teeth. He also speaks like a cat in the way he speaks in a sly voice. He is the perfect actor to play Tybalt. Also he does look like a cat and he looks like the man who can be a maniac and a person who loves their gun. This movie, Baz Luhrmann takes in everything he can and puts his version of Romeo and Juliet high with the good movies. He made lots of detail which pays off like Tybalt and his teeth or the music which manipulates the audience's feelings and emotions. Some say he has taken away the Shakespeare from the play yet instead, I believe that it has really added to the Shakespearian play. Baz Luhrmann kept Shakespeare and added a nice touch to create an excellent movie which many will want to see many a time.

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