Romeo + Juliet (1996)
Based on William Shakespeare’s 1595 play “Romeo and Juliet”
This Baz Luhrmann project, starring Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers, takes on a fresh approach that has become unique to the director. Set in the slick and saturated suburb of Verona Beach, Romeo Montague (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Juliet Capulet (Claire Danes) snake their way around their dueling, gun-wielding families, insistent that their love will conquer all. Though this is undoubtedly a tragedy as opposed to an out-and-out romance, the story of Romeo and Juliet’s torrid relationship has become iconic and intrinsically, if not mistakenly, linked to the romantic. Luhrmann’s modern spin on a classic in the literary canon is visually stunning, and the acting from DiCaprio and Danes is tender and powerful.
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