Romeo + Juliet (1996) – Review by Andrea Carnevali

Romeo + Juliet ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Andrea’s film club returns on Thursday 23 April to Chiswick Cinema, and he has chosen Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet.

Visually, this film is an absolute glitter bomb of a masterpiece. I have to confess, the first time I saw it, it took me at least 20 minutes to get settled into it; the sheer chaotic exuberance and sensory overload are enough to send you into an epileptic fit.

It is the shimmering centrepiece of Baz Luhrmann’s “Red Curtain Trilogy,” sandwiched right between the ballroom charms of Strictly Ballroom and the Bohemian excess of Moulin Rouge! Luhrmann’s kinetic style is on full display here, plundering from every genre imaginable: from high-octane Hollywood action-thrillers to MTV-style music videos and even spaghetti western kitsch.

The editing by Jill Bilcock is nothing short of adrenaline-jolting, with rapid-fire cuts, often lasting less than a second, to keep pace with the frantic, violent energy of “Verona Beach” (a cross between Miami and Mexico City).

The screen literally explodes with a saturated, hyper-vibrant palette of Hawaiian shirts, neon crosses, and golden sunsets.But what makes this film work is how Luhrmann knows exactly when to relent. Just when you think you can’t take any more noise and madness (including a “Mercutio in drag”), everything slows down when love comes into play.

The first meeting through the tropical fish tank is a stroke of pure cinematic genius. Completely dialogue-free, yet it captures that heart-thumping whirlwind of love at first sight. As Romeo and Juliet lock eyes through the deep blue water, Des’ree’s soul-stirring Kissing You begins to play, turning the surrounding chaos into a dreamlike silence.

Possibly one of my favourite scenes of any movie. That song was the bridge into a soundtrack that, for me at least, is the definitive, era-defining compilation that rules them all. This album was on a constant loop in my house when the film was released.

Beyond Des’ree, it is wall-to-wall bangers: from the brooding Radiohead B-side Talk Show Host to Garbage’s Number One Crush and that ultimate 90s earworm, Lovefool by The Cardigans.

And I haven’t even mentioned Leonardo DiCaprio yet. This was peak “Leo is hot” era, filmed just before he became a global phenomenon in Titanic. Coming off his incredible, transformative performance in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (a film I absolutely adore) he brings a rebellious-yet-sensitive energy to Romeo that is just exquisite to behold.

He leans into his cherubic beauty while inhabiting the role with such skills that make you believe every single word of the Bard’s verse, even if you don’t understand any of it. That is the power of this film: it manages to translate the tricky Elizabethan dialogue into a language that’s entirely intuitive.

You don’t actually need to be a Shakespeare scholar to know what’s going on because the visual language does all the heavy lifting for you. It’s almost Hitchcockian in the way it tells the story through meticulous imagery—when a character draws a 9mm handgun clearly engraved with the word ‘Sword,’ or a ‘Post-post haste’ dispatch van replaces a traditional messenger, the context is instantly modern and yet remains perfectly loyal to the source.

It’s a masterclass in making the ‘obtuse’ feel intuitive, proving that while you might occasionally lose the specifics of the prose, you never for a second lose the emotional gist of the story. Just like what it must have been like for audiences in Elizabethan times.

I am so excited to re-watch this at the Chiswick Cinema this Thursday for my film club. After the screening, as usual, I’ll be going full-geek-mode and have a real deep-dive into the film.

I’ll be unpacking its hidden language, from the “Red Curtain” tricks to the symbolism that fills every frame, like the ever-present water (acting as a refuge of purity), or the commercialised religious iconography that covers everything from guns to skyscrapers, from crosses, candles and huge Christ statues.

I’ll also be sharing some of the absolutely wild stories from behind the scenes. For example, did you know the film’s hairstylist, Aldo Signoretti, was actually kidnapped by Mexican gangs during filming and held for a $300 ransom?

Or that the climactic storm during Mercutio’s death was an actual hurricane that wiped out the sets? If you haven’t seen this film do yourself a favour and watch it on the big screen with us and if you have (or even if you haven’t seen it in years), prepare to be shocked, enlightened, and swept away all over again!

Andrea Carnevali is a Bafta winning film maker who lives in Chiswick, and a co-creator of the Chiswick In Film festival.

See all Andrea’s film reviews here: Film reviews by Andrea Carnevali

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