Probably one of the most famous of all is Romeo & Juliet. The star-crossed lover story has been remade through out the history of film by different actors and even has been twisted to modern themes.
The most popular adaptation is the 1996 film with celebrity actor Leonardo DiCaprio. Having DiCaprio play Romeo was a great casting choice, allowing his fan base composed of young people watch this old Shakespearian twist.
"You won’t find another Shakespeare adaptation that matches Baz Luhrmann’s for bravado and invention"
"Unlike most other cinema adaptations of this play, it really gets the sense that these are teenagers, not old dusty relics. And the soundtrack is killer too."
Romeo and Juliet is one of the most screened play of all time. Mostly, all of the play's adaptations have grossed well specially the DiCaprio's being the highest grossing Shakespearian film ever.
I have seen all these films, and I have to agree that they all share a somewhat similar storyline. I enjoy romantic movies a lot if I must say. My favorite would have to be the film that Leonardo DiCaprio starred in. I just love this well-known story of two lovers not being accepted together by their families. I'd enjoy watching it both live and on screen.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy how you focused your entire blog on film adaptations of plays and musicals. Being a theater lover myself, I think it is a great topic to explore and really focus on. I have seen two out of three of the "Romeo and Juliet" films shown above, and I think the stark contrast between the old fashioned classic version and Baz Luhrmann's outlandish and modern production is interesting. it is crazy how different directors can take different approaches in film with such a classic and well known story, yet both are equally entertaining in their own right.
ReplyDeleteI really like how well you look into the films you cover, since it allows you to gather all the details you need and simply just put them into cohesive words :)
ReplyDeleteAs for Romeo and Juliet, the only memory I have of this play is horror stories from my freshman year, so I try not to dwell on it much. I do, however, believe that one of the only reasons the 1996 version of the play did so well was because of the fact that it was modernized and happened to feature Leonardo Dicaprio.
I definitely agree that the most creative take on Romeo and Juliet was the 1996 version with Leonardo DiCaprio. His presence in the film brought a lot of attention to it. Obviously more Romeo and Juliet movies will be made in the future with different twists to them, but I don't think one will ever live up to the 1996 version's modernization of the classic tale. Great post! :)
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