Wednesday, March 08, 2006

For the record...

I have not, or will not ever promote the love of Leonardo Dicaprio. But I will promote this movie. We just started reading Romeo & Juliet in my Shakespeare class, so I figured it was time for a little Baz Luhrman. That recasting of the film is quite phenomenal. I hope one day I will be allowed the "artistic liscense" to show it to my high schoolers. The funny part is, they won't even know who "Leo" is. All the better I say. But point of the story - this movie is great, artisitically and also textually. Yes, vast amounts of text are missed, but the portions covered are covered well. So if you haven't watched it - do. And if you have - go watch it again. Because here is the great thing about Shakespeare -his words live on, they transcend time, culture and mediums. And for this reason, I will always love William.


Juliet: O, swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon, who monthly changes in her circled orb, lest that thy love prove likewise variable.

Romeo: What shall I swear by?

Juliet: Do not swear at all. Or, if thou wilt, swear by the gracious self which is the god of my idolatry, and I'll believe thee.

6 comments:

Kathryn Dechant said...

What I am about to tell you, only you will appreciate. I had been talking to Brooklyn about Kenneth Branagh and how "Much Ado About Nothing" with him and Emma Thompson is so great. This was before we were together. I lent him the movie, but he didn't have a VCR, so he said we should watch it at my house some time. He came over and we watched Much Ado, then we decided to watch something else. He picked "Romeo and Juliet". It was during this film that he confessed his true feelings for me, and we have been dating ever since. So my friend, this film is very sentimental to me. Old Shakes brought us together. I think it is terribly romantic.

Bonnie said...

Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

My favourite Shakespeare of all time. I still remember the prologue that I had to memorize for my grade 9 English class. I love the play and the movie (I must admit I was a huge Leo lover).

Lana said...

Three words for you Sharelle... I love this movie! Ok well that was acutally four. Anyways I own this film on DVD, have always have loved it - perhaps for different reasons then you do - I love it #1 because Baz Luhrman is amazing and was one of the first to make the swoozhing actions you see many of the characters do - thus changing the way and direction of overall film-making for the future. #2 because the cinematography is amazing and #3 because the overall movie amazingly captures the story well (I think anyways) in a modern day, cultural understanding without loosing the significance of its historical past (i.e. language). I say we watch it together!

La'n

Lana said...
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Lana said...
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the tapered pant said...

can i just say (as i feel there's not been a more appropriate context for these words) daaaaamn straight.