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William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet (Special Edition)
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, John Leguizamo, Harold Perrineau, and Pete Postlethwaite
Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Retail Price (not our price): $19.98
Release Date: 2002-03-12
Theatrical Release Date: 1996-11-01
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Run Time: 120 minutes
Format: Array
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Special Edition, Widescreen, NTSC
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Discs: 1


Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):

1) Amazon.com
Baz Luhrmann (Strictly Ballroom) takes a shot at reinventing Shakespeare's story of star-crossed lovers as a visual pastiche inspired by MTV imagery, Hong Kong action-picture clichés, and Luhrmann's own taste for deliberate, gaudy excess. The result is explosive chaos, both in terms of bullets and visual sensibility, which some may find impossible to stick with for more than a few minutes. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes play the leads, though not with much distinction, while Pete Postlethwaite makes a huge impression as this movie's version of Friar Laurence. The film is successful in spots, but overall its fever-dream game plan is difficult to ride out. --Tom Keogh

2) Description
Baz Luhrmann's dazzling and unconventional adaptation of William Shakespear's classic love story is spellbinding. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes portray Romeo and Juliet, the youthful star-crossed lovers of the past. But the setting has been moved from it's Elizabethan origins to the futuristic urban backdrop of Verona Beach.

Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5

1) Who Knew Watching Shakespeare Die On Screen Would Be Such Eye-Candy   [Rating: 1 out of 5]
I often feel like one of the only people that take this film as the absolute joke it is. First of all, who's stupid idea was this? Recreating the classic Romeo and Juliet play in modern day Venice(or "Verona") Beach is a fine idea (although it's been done before - and so much better - with West Side Story) but leaving the original Shakespeare script was a hilariously bad idea. I could not take these Los Angeles frat boys speaking Elizabethan English seriously in the slightest. This is supposed to be Romeo and Juliet, yet I'm just waiting for someone to turn around and repeat John Travolta's famous "I just shot Marvin in the face" line from Pulp Fiction. It was ridiculous watching people scream "Do you bite your thumb at me sir?" at the top of their lungs at a burning gas station with a gun in their hands.Now for some of the horrid, HORRID acting; I love Claire Danes, I really do, but she was lost here completely. It often seemed like she had no idea what to do wit her lines; it was like she realized how much of a fiasco this was and didn't even try. I also quite like Leonardo DiCaprio, but I wanted to punch him in the face throughout the entire movie for delivering Romeo's lines so annoyingly. These are obviously talented actors (see Claire in Stardust and Leo in Blood Diamond or The Departed), but they are surely not Shakespearian actors.Lastly, the cinematography was simply confused. At times it was gorgeous and almost perfect, but then it turned into yet another joke. But still, no matter how good or bad the cinematography was, the whole film looked like a 2-hour long trailer; I think anyone can agree with me there.Overall, this film was a complete and utter fail. Anyone who appreciates Shakespeare as much as I do will find themselves itching for this torture to be over.

2) CALLING JANIS IAN   [Rating: 4 out of 5]
It must have taken courage to put Romeo and Juliet together circa 2000, 400 years after its first appearance, 3000 miles away from the Globe Theater. Set in a war ravaged inner city dispute which has now spanned two continents in that time frame,the film literally bombards the viewer with a volatile, electric pace, then gradually allows DiCaprio and Danes to take over "their" picture.Their love scenes are appropriate and well done,an obvious necessity beacause of Shakespeare's "old english" which in essence turns the production into a foreign film without captions.In this regard, any inappropriate cinemagraphic slipups would have likely distracted the viewer.None are apparent to this reviewer. But, as I've always argued, the play/film really doesn't concern itself with "star crossed" lovers, Rather,it concerns itself with interfered lovers, the type Janis Ian brilliantly sang about in "Society"s Child" circa 1965.Real people cause the tragedies here, especially the ultimate debacle, not a misalignment in the heavens. Whatever, it's a good, not great film, one worth multiple viewings.

3) Crisp, fresh and breathtaking; this reimagining stands at the head of the pack...   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
William Shakespeare's classic `Romeo + Juliet' is probably one of the most influential pieces of literature ever recorded. You can feel its presence and influence breathing life into just about everything we read, watch or listen to these days. With a tale this classic, this important to modern cinema it becomes something a bit wary to tackle it at its core and `remake' it from scratch. One may be a tad hesitant to embrace its new shape and form and rightfully so. When you look at the track record for remakes it becomes apparent that in general what was once golden should be left well enough alone. In Romeo + Juliet's case though this is a reimagining so magical it surpasses the original and becomes a momentous piece in the history books of cinema. Yes, Baz Luhrmann single handedly breathes a whole new life into this adaptation, handing to his audience a masterful and experimental film that never lets us out of its grasp.The first thing that Luhrmann did right was stick to the original text. A lot of people initially balked at the fact that the dialog was not updated along with the setting but I felt that artistically it was a much grander feat to have the original dialog kept intact. The fact that each and every actor slips into this way of speaking fluently and without issue is an ode to some great talent indeed. No one seems out of place of phoning it. Each and every actor handles the difficult wording marvelously. The next thing Luhrmann did right was trashing his setting. What I mean by this is that he didn't go the easy route and make this posh and beautiful but rather he played everything down, creating an almost gritty and dirty feeling to the surroundings. This is the future and the future is bleak.The best thing that Luhrmann did though was casting Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in the lead roles. At the time DiCaprio was slowly becoming a credible actor and Danes was just becoming known. Neither of them were quote-unquote household names or completely bankable yet but they both had proven they could act. Here though we get to see how well. To this day I still firmly believe that this is Leonardo's finest performance. Both he and Danes masterfully command their characters. Never has Romeo or Juliet felt so alive, so real and so relatable. Their tragic love affair is so enthralling, so captivating and so breathtaking. There are moments between them of pure beauty and strength that I'm appalled their performances didn't garner more awards attention. The rest of the cast is equally as impressive, especially the likes of Harold Perrineau (of `Lost' fame) who plays Romeo's best friend Mercutio. His performance is outlandish and flamboyant and adds a lot to the atmosphere of the film. John Leguizamo is memorable as Tybolt, Juliet's cousin, and Pete Postlethwaite is wonderful as Father Laurence. Paul Sorvino stands out for me as Juliet's father Fulgencio Capulet. His performance is brutal and intense and sends chills down my spine in scenes. `William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet' has never looked as good as it does here, telling the story of forbidden love and tragic circumstance that brings two families to their knees and teaches us a valuable lesson about forgiveness and tolerance. Baz Luhrmaan outdoes himself here, delivering a modern twist on a genuine classic complete with a beautiful color palate and an impressive soundtrack that adds layers of emotion, whether soft and touching or crisp and exciting. It's not very often that the remake stands above it's source material but Luhrmann's masterpiece is just that film.

4) Death in Verona   [Rating: 3 out of 5]
Baz Luhrman's "Romeo+Juliet" is a dizzying spectacle to watch. It's like an MTV music video on steroids combined with a campy LSD trip. The battles between the Montagues and Capulets are taken straight from Hong Kong action flicks. Leonardo diCaprio is convincing,albeit in his own way,as the pretty boy Romeo Montague. Claire Danes,as Juliet Capulet, lives her so-called life on Verona beach when she finds passion with Romeo.In terms of looks, they're perfectly cast. However, they don't imbue William Shakespeare's lines with the passionate fire he intended."Romeo+Juliet" is a visual spectacle. It lacks the emotional depth of Franco Zeferelli's classic,but it works as an introduction to the work of the Bard. It's a delicious appetizer,not a full course meal.

5) Well worth the viewing...   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
As a person who grew up reading Shakespeare, watching plays based on his works, reading/comparing the original to other productions (West Side Story, China Girl), I must say I absolutely LOVED this movie.It was a visual masterpiece. Younger people who think Shakespeare is a 'bore' will simply learn to love him through this work. The soundtracks are simply breath-taking. Leonardo was a very believable Romeo and Calire Danes was an excellent and strong Juliet. I've watched this movie in the theater, and I own the DVD. One of the best investments I've purchased for my movie collection.