Romeo + Juliet

The classic story of Romeo and Juliet, set in a modern-day city of Verona Beach. The Montagues and Capulets are two feuding families, whose children meet and fall in love. They have to hide their love from the world because they know that their parents will not allow them to be together. There are obstacles on the way, like Juliet's cousin, Tybalt, and Romeo's friend Mercutio, and many fights. But although it is set in modern times, it is still the same timeless story of the "star crossed lovers".

Cast: Romeo - Leonardo DiCaprio

         Juliet - Claire Danes

Director: Baz Luhrmann

Worldwide Box Office: $147,554,998 million

Trivia: Leonardo DiCaprio's version of Romeo's speech at Juliet's bier was so good that it moved Claire Danes to tears, nearly ruining the scene. The moment the director yelled "cut," Danes smacked DiCaprio on the arm and said, "Don't make me cry. I'm supposed to be comatose, here!"

Cinematographer Donald McAlpine was faced with a real problem with the meet-cute scene between Romeo and Juliet at the fish tank - the reflections of the water and the glass of the tank were almost impossible to light without causing all sorts of untoward reflections. McAlpine solved the problem by inserting a couple of fluorescent tubes into the tank out of the camera's eyeline. These were the sole source of light in the scene.

The film runs for exactly two hours, in line with the prologue which states: "Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage".

Baz Luhrmann approached the film along the lines of "If William Shakespeare were alive today, what kind of film would he have made?"

Lulu's verdict: A bright and brash modern remake keeping the old literature tongue in astyle only Baz Luhrmann does. A GenX film which has 90's style and a beautiful soundtrack to boot.