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Movies / On DVD / William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet
William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet

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William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet (1996)

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Reviews Counted:50

Fresh:35

Rotten:15

Average Rating:6.5/10

Consensus: Baz Luhrmann's visual aesthetic is as divisive as it is fresh and inventive.

Runtime: 2 hrs 10 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: This ambitious undertaking, adapting William Shakespeare's classic tale of star-crossed lovers and setting the story in a glossy music-video style in 1990s Florida. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire... This ambitious undertaking, adapting William Shakespeare's classic tale of star-crossed lovers and setting the story in a glossy music-video style in 1990s Florida. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes play the famous lovers kept apart by rival industrialist families. Bookended by newscastsers reciting Shakespeare's prose as their copy, this clever glam updating of ROMEO AND JULIET is one of the most unusual adaptations of the Bard's work in the history of cinema. The stylish and colorful sets earned the film an Oscar nomination for art direction. John Leguizamo gives a memorable performance as a devilish Tybalt. [More]

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, Miriam Margolyes, Harold Perrineau

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, Miriam Margolyes, Harold Perrineau, John Leguizamo, Brian Dennehy, Pete Postlethwaite, Paul Rudd, Diane Venora

Director: Baz Luhrmann

Director: Baz Luhrmann
Story: William Shakespeare

[See More Credits]

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Release:

May 25, 1999

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet

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41 - 53 (sorted by date)
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In terms of sheer spectacle, I can hardly think of another work this year that compares with Romeo & Juliet.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

DiCaprio as Romeo is brilliant, as is Danes.

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
01/01/00
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

Very interesting and intriguing.

Full Review Source: Matt's Movie Reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Matt Easterbrook
Matt Easterbrook
Matt's Movie Reviews

Luhrmann tries much too hard to push the '90s angle, so hard that the story is crushed by all the stylistic weight.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

Traditionalists are sure to despise the psychedelic tunes and the flashy sets of this audacious adaptation.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Rita Kempley
Rita Kempley
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A comic book shot at selling Shakespeare to Generation X.

Full Review Source: SPLICEDWire | comment Comment
01/01/00
Rob Blackwelder
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire

I have never seen anything remotely approaching the mess that the new punk version of Romeo & Juliet makes of Shakespeare's tragedy.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An exercise in such sheer audacity that you will probably want either to stand up and applaud director Baz Luhrmann or smack him in the head.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Scott Renshaw
Scott Renshaw
rec.arts.movies.reviews

The result is horrifying, but it's also unsettling in its ruthlessness.

Full Review Source: New Republic | comment Comment
01/01/00
Stanley Kauffmann
Stanley Kauffmann
New Republic
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It would be destined for the trash heap of Shakespeare adaptations, if not for its female lead, and its heart, 17-year-old Claire Danes.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Stephanie Zacharek
Stephanie Zacharek
Salon.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Romeo and Juliet as a movie to laugh at - what a concept!

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews

A film so determined to stimulate both eye and ear, that the story of the star-crossed lovers often gets lost in melee.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
01/01/00
Susan Stark
Susan Stark
Detroit News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A stunning display of cinematic interpretation of The Bard’s famous play.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
01/01/00
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
 
 
41 - 53 (sorted by date)
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Latest News for William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet

April 05, 2006: Luhrman's Period Piece Gets Bumped from Production Slate
Baz Luhrmann, director of Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge, was planning to get his 1930's period piece underway this September, but budgeting woes, and the tenuous availability... More...

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