baz luhrman's romeo and juliet 1996 with leonardo dicaprioand claire danes in it is beautiful.
If you like Romeo and Juliet, you should check out the story of Tristan and Isolde (both the book and movie) as well as the myth of Pyramus and Thisbe. It's soo good!! Romeo and Juliet is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. If you want one with a really happy ending that is just so delightful, read Much Ado About Nothing. My favorite! But the BBC film version of that one is actually better than the Kenneth Branagh one (in my opinion at least--but that's because I spent a month comparing them for class).
I hated Romeo and Juliet.
While I don't hate it, I certainly don't see it as the tale of passion that movies and romantics insist on portraying. R&J is actually classified as one of Shakespeare's tragedies.
I do, however, appreciate some of the better interpretations of it. I was suprisingly entertained by the Leonardo DiCaprio/Clarie Danes movie, and absolutely love West Side Story.
Romeo and Juliet isnt a love story just to put that out there. I like it because it explores social worlds and social norms subtly. It also teaches us a great deal about gender roles in the time. It may seem boring to some and I must admit it is greatly overdone in the drama world, but when you analyze the literature for the hidden truths of humanity it is a great book
I personally liked the 1968 version with Olivia Hussey as Juliet, since she and Leonard Whiting (Romeo) were actually quite young, in keeping with the ages in Shakespeare's play. I thought all the actors/actresses were well-cast in that version.
An interesting movie version of "Romeo and Juliet" was the 1936 version, which had well-known, famous actors/actresses in it, but the woman who played Juliet was 34 years old. LOL! Leslie Howard (Who was one of the stars in "Gone with the Wind") was 43 when he played Romeo. Yes, 43.
I didn't like the Dicaprio version, but I am guessing that is an age thing more than anything else. I seldom like Shakespeare plays that are redone in a modern setting.
I agree about "West Side Story" and "Tristan and Isolde." I enjoyed both movies.
