Romeo + Juliet (1996) -- film adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

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Adapted from William Shakespeare’s

Romeo and Juliet

. Directed by Baz Luhrmann. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, Harold Perrineau, John Leguizamo, Pete Postlethwaite, and Miriam Margolyes. Colour. 115 minutes.

Baz Luhrmann’s William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet is, as Deborah Cartmell says, “one of the most visually radical screen adaptations of Shakespeare” (2000). Set, with an ironic glance at the original play’s location, in Verona Beach, USA (though actually filmed mostly in Mexico City and Veracruz), the film is an extravaganza of over-determined ludic post-modernism that throws itself into a hyperactive interrogation of theatre, cinema, text, and authorship.

Baz Luhrmann’s

William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet

is, as Deborah Cartmell says, “one of the most…

1158 words

Citation: Fraser, Duncan. "Romeo + Juliet (1996) -- film adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 August 2018 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=19510, accessed 12 December 2024.]

19510 Romeo + Juliet (1996) -- film adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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