Baz Luhrmann's directorial debut was with the Australian Opera's 1991 production of La Boheme. Next in his stellar career was the film Strictly Ballroom - a wild look at the seemingly sedate art of ballroom dancing.
Both these Australian productions bore a very characteri stic and obvious style, that of Baz Luhmann. Baz is ridiculously youth, exhilaratingly vibrant, and very obviously alive. In his production of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet there is a certain arresting vivaciousness that cannot be ignored.
My first reaction to the movie can be summed up in one word: EXCESS. There is too much violence, too much pathos and too much overbearing emotion. And yet, even as I comment that the film seems to be an exercise in the overdone, it also seems to be a production that would certainly win Shakespeare's approval.
The play, after all is a tragedy and in Aristotelian terms is all about pathos. Baz Luhmann understands pathos and serves it up thick and fast in this movie. Sure, Shakespeare would not have had all that violence and the special effects w and the witty touches that only modern film makers could add. What Shakespeare had was the gift of writing words that touched our brains. Baz Luhmann brings those words in line with the MTV generation to bring a production that engages our brains and our emotions.
But I have long loved this play, and therefore am probably not the generation to whom this production speaks to best. So I sought out two teenagers, of ages similar to that of Romeo and Juliet. Joe is 17 and Cathy is 14. Joe, Cathy, what did you think of this film?
Interview here....
So there you have it, from at least two generations, this is one of Shakespeare's top ten plays and certainly one of the best productions I have seen. There's a vitality here that must be admired. Go see this film, its a wild, wonderful ride.