Romeo + Juliet [Blu-ray]

As a Shakespeare professor, I was interested in seeing this production, because I'd heard that it was beautifully filmed (in Verona, no less) and produced. Sadly, I had to turn it off after fifteen minutes (and even that was through gritted teeth) because I found it completely unwatchable. Although the film advertises itself as being a faithful depiction of Shakespeare's play and language, it actually dumbs down the language and re-writes or even invents whole passages. I am by no means a prissy "purist" when it comes to productions of Shakespeare's plays; I love the Baz Luhrmann version of R&J (though my heart will always belong to the Zeffirelli), and I love many contemporary interpretations of other plays as well. But I can't stand it when the plays are "modernized" to make them more "accessible" to audiences. In the hands of a thoughtful director and strong actors, Shakespeare is accessible in the original and a lot more enjoyable than some dumbed down production. (Substituting "yes" for "aye" so that viewers don't get confused? Seriously?) Stick with the Luhrmann or the Zeffirelli versions for now, and do your best to support local theater companies in your community that are working hard to present live theater Shakespeare.

I teach Romeo and Juliet to my students and I really dislike the Leonardo DiCaprio version. This one is pretty spot on. They still speak in Shakespearean language but they do so in much shorter speeches and it is more understandable for students. I think there were 2 instances where the book diverges from the movie ( in Act 4 the nurse almost seems to have her own crush on Romeo which isn't consistent with the book and also in Act 5 Benvolio is the one who tells Romeo about Juliet being carried to the tomb) other than these two minor things which we discussed in class the students really connected with this version.

It is always interesting to see what each new production of this timeless classic will do to make it unique. Some recent examples over the past couple of decades have been highly regrettable if not downright offensive, but this performance here is respectable and entertaining, if not quite stellar.The unique master stroke of this production is probably the language. The screenwriters have rewritten some of the more difficult passages of Shakespeare's language into contemporary usage to make the action easier to follow. At the same time, the beauty and power of the original language has been retained. This requires no small degree of scholarship, which the typical viewer may or may not appreciate. But to a Shakespeare fan like me, it demonstrates a real command of the Bard's cadences and imagery.Other highlights: Some of the acting is outstanding. Paul Giamatti turns in a powerful, nuanced performance as Friar Lawrence. He is a master of the small, telling gesture. Damian Lewis is equally commanding as Lord Capulet, by turns passionate and childlike, enraged and capricious. The costumes, sets and music are beautifully rendered. It's a gorgeous film to watch. In addition, there are small tweaks to the plot twists that make the storyline more accessible to modern viewers.Some weaknesses: The delivery by the two leads of some of the most memorable lines from this play is disappointingly lackluster and dry. This is especially true of Douglas Booth, who is stunningly beautiful to look at but lacks the vocal quality and the dramatic artistry to bring his Romeo to life. There is little chemistry between Romeo and Hailee Steinfeld's Juliet until we are more than halfway through the film, at which point her performance does improve. And their wedding night scene is one of the most beautiful, tasteful and tender love scenes I have ever seen on screen. But for a story whose drama depends entirely on the combustible passion between its two main characters, their performance is unsatisfyingly limp.That said, I have watched this film twice now and enjoyed it both times as an interesting take on one of my all-time favorites. For me, nothing will ever match the sheer emotional intensity and power of the 1968 Franco Zeffirelli production of Romeo & Juliet. But this one is interesting enough to be worth adding to my collection.

I bought this DVD because it gave a close up of some truly beautiful and significant locations, the Farnese Palace for one. I'm still trying to find out where the Romeo/Juliet tomb is located. Is that Giotto on the walls? The tower is familiar from either Kenneth Clark "Civilisation" or James Burke ""The Day the Universe Changed." The Farnese Palace came to my attention from Ron Chernow's "The House of Morgan," and J. P. Morgan's purchase of decorations from the Chigi Palace. As to the interesting faces I include Nurse and the Messenger of the invitation that Romeo reads (its hard to figure out is that Servant 1 or Servant 2 from IMDb. ) Natasha McElhone is ever beautiful and young Booth is a true beauty. It will be interesting to see what he does with his career. Will he take the route of Tom Hardy and do bizarre movies to escape the pretty boy trap?

While I appreciate the more "modern" version for today's audience with known actors, it's too bad that this story doesn't follow Shakepeare's lines accurately. My students were entertained, but we all preferred the 1968 version better, despite how old it is. It is much more authentic, and doesn't rush through the scenes. The fight in the marketplace was rushed, the Prince's speech (which is a good one), was changed, and Romeo's lines that are normally in the balcony scene, were at the party. I felt like this one was rushed...and didn't honor Shakespeare's work very well.

I was really looking forward to this movie and hoped to be able to show my students a more updated version than the Zeffirelli version from decades ago. But this was just horrible. They completely butchered Shakespeare’s language (which is easily understandable if performed correctly), scenes were added that were not in the original story, while others were left out or cut short. And the whole thing completely lacked emotion. If you’re going to adapt Shakespeare you either have to follow it completely or change it completely (like west side story). Even the Leonardo DiCaprio version did a better job than this.

As a movie, this was very enjoyable to watch and the actors are good. However, as a production of Romeo and Juliet the Shakespeare work, it is lacking. A lot of original lines are omitted in favour of made up lines in Shakespearean meter which is off-putting - either use it or don't (just please why mess up the genius that is Shakespeare?) But it does tell the story well and is a movie I would watch again, just as a literature academic I had a few issues.

Spoiler Alert: (Seriously, if you don't know the ending you must be from another universe!) Juliet wakes up just as Romeo is dying and they KISS!!!! I threw a fit in the classroom and started shouting at the screen. Was forced to stop the movie and take out the No Fear Shakespeare editions of Rome and Juliet to PROVE to my student's this is NOT how it happens.If you want an accurate version, you will still have to go with the tried and true 1968 Whiting versions. Sorry everyone, but cock pieces it is!

As most others have said, whilst beautifully shot, it is not faithful to the text. The actors are strong but the script is not the original Shakespeare. This is not faithful enough to use with a GCSE class. If you want to watch a loose adaptation of the film then this is good. But it is not like the proper play.

Good enough if you enjoy a bit of Shakespeare every now and again but really only enough to tide you over until you have time for something more in-depth.

Bought this to aid son with GCSE english revision packs , great price easy ordering and fast delivery .for revision visual aid we found this the best version of the book .