The words of William Shakespeare have certainly stood the test of time, and this latest version of Romeo and Juliet is just further proof that the master knew exactly what he was doing. Director Baz Luhrmann, best known for his smash Australian hit "Strictly Ballroom", had strong ideas about updating and adapting the visual/visceral appeal of this classic, but the one area he dared not touch was the writing. ΓÇ£He is such an extraordinary storytellerΓÇ¥, said Luhrmann, ΓÇ£What is so phenomenal about it is that everyone can experience his work, from children to adults, which is truly an incredible accomplishment.ΓÇ¥ Each and every word spoken in the film comes directly from the original text of the play, and although the accents utilized by most of the actors arenΓÇÖt the ΓÇ£classicΓÇ¥ Shakespearean style, the flow remains strong. In fact, the prose style used by ΓÇ£The Bard of AvonΓÇ¥ worked extremely well in the modern setting because he wrote in the language of the street, and his rhythm/metaphor/simile actually runs parallel to modern rap.
The theme of the play has stood the test of time as well. In Verona, around 1600, there were many children who were told, by their families, whom they may, or may not, love. This of course is still true in the 1990ΓÇÖs, and the results that come out of that often bitter conflict are just as disastrous today as they were for Romeo and Juliet.
