Since the class is depleted because of the retreat, and I don’t want those absent to miss further study of the play, can you please use Thursday afternoon’s lesson to write a review of the Baz Luhrmann directed film version of ‘Romeo + Juliet’ we have watched.
You can write up the review in Word, then when you’re happy with it, copy and paste the text as a comment to this post.
Heald English 
Romeo and Juliet Review:
I thought that this version was good in the way that it kept the audiences attention all the way through, but I didn’t agree with him leaving out some of the plays original plot. An example of this is Romeo’s love of Rosaline at the beginning, and his sudden change of heart when he see’s Juliet. I can see why Baz Luhrmann has left these out though, because a film can only be so long. In the play Romeo’s love of Rosaline compared to his love of Juliet is much smaller, and this emphasizes the love that the 2 share. The director has covered this area by, instead of including this section of the script, showing a sequence where they first meet. On the stage it would have had to have been acted out, but in film close-ups can emphasize thoughts and feelings of an individual, which Luhrmann has taken advantage of.
This modern day version is action packed and easy for someone of the modern day world to understand, and I think it could perhaps aid someone in understanding the meaning of the play itself, rather then fixating the audience members on translating it. In fact, I think that any watcher wouldn’t even have to understand what the actors were saying in order to follow the plot line. This is because of the powerful acting and imagery used in it.
Water is used alot in this film, possibly as part of the imagery. To me, water means calmness, but also drowning and becoming consumed in something. I can relate this to the Romeo and Juliet script, where the 2 are unaware that once they are involved they will be unable to escape the tragic end. At one point in the film Romeo proposes to Juliet and she agrees, but then in her haste to get rid of him she throws him into her pool. This might be overcomplicating it, but I think there is some significance there, hinting that he is beginning to lose control and drown.
To sum this up, I think that this is indeed a very Hollywood movie, but at the same time it’s poetic and moving. I enjoyed it alot. 🙂
By Emma