Baz Luhrmann makes old stories immediate through colour, music and actors who believe in the romance. We rate him when the lovers hold our attention; his restless cutting can make that harder than it needs to be.
Fi1m perspective
Guns, cars and corporate wealth surround the lovers in Romeo + Juliet (1996), but they still speak Shakespeare’s dialogue. Luhrmann wants the danger to feel immediate and the romance to be taken seriously, however loud the setting. We like that willingness to risk looking excessive for the sake of a love story. He is particularly good at making old material feel like something happening now.
His feature debut, Strictly Ballroom (1992), adapted his own stage play and established that theatrical approach. It began the Red Curtain Trilogy, completed by Romeo + Juliet and the jukebox musical Moulin Rouge (2001). Dance, poetry and song give those films ways to express strong feelings without requiring anyone to behave naturally. The later Australia (2008), The Great Gatsby (2013) and Elvis (2022) broaden the subjects without much reducing his appetite for spectacle.
In Romeo + Juliet, Catherine Martin’s production design makes the families’ corporate power visible in their surroundings. The feud belongs to people with influence beyond their own front doors, and the buildings help us understand that. Kym Barrett’s assertive costumes help establish personalities before every word has registered. Luhrmann and co-screenwriter Craig Pearce keep Shakespeare’s dialogue, allowing the clothes and buildings to explain the modern setting while the actors get on with the scene.
We were moved by Romeo + Juliet, because Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes make the lovers’ attraction convincing despite the interruptions around them. Their performances make the modern setting and the old language belong together. The impatient editing is a real fault: it gives them too little room and sometimes makes the dialogue harder to follow. Luhrmann has actors worth watching here, and we wish he would leave them alone more often. Start there if a romance without solemnity sounds like a good evening, and allow for a director who keeps interrupting it.
Biography
Baz Luhrmann is an Australian film director, producer and screenwriter. Born Mark Anthony Luhrmann on 17 September 1962 in Sydney, New South Wales, he trained at the National Institute of Dramatic Art.
He directed and co-wrote the screenplay for Strictly Ballroom (1992) and William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet (1996). His other feature films include Moulin Rouge! (2001), Australia (2008), The Great Gatsby (2013) and Elvis (2022). He has also directed the Netflix series The Get Down (2016) and stage productions including La bohème.
Luhrmann is married to production and costume designer Catherine Martin.
