Baz Luhrmann's Romeo & Juliet

How has Baz Luhrmann made Shakespeare’s play ‘Romeo & Juliet’ accessible to a modern audience? Baz Luhrmann has made a cinematic adaptation of Shakespeare’s play “Romeo & Juliet” to make the original play easily understandable for modern audiences. He has made it more accessible by incorporating familiar locations and scenes, references to other works, genre’s and styles, marketing it to a teenage audience, the use of clever sound techniques, characterisation, and through the use of clever camerawork and editing techniques. Through these techniques and devices, as well as making the film visually appealing, Baz Luhrmann has made the original play “Romeo & Juliet” much more accessible for modern audiences. Familiar locations are used throughout the whole film. Just as the film opens, the film reveals the city from a helicopter, and shows two skyscrapers that read “Montague” and “Capulet” as well as recurring pictures of the statue of Jesus. The film itself was filmed in Mexico City, an urban area near a beach. ‘Mantua’ is located at a barren deserted area that looks like a rundown trailer park on the outskirts of Verona. These locations allow “Romeo and Juliet” to adapt to the modern era, and are familiar to modern audiences and help them to understand the scene that is happening in the area (clearly Romeo feels lonely and empty-hearted being in ‘Mantua’ that is just as barren and empty). Well known scenes are used in the film to help the audience to further understand what is happening in the film. When Romeo and Juliet kiss for the first time they are in an elevator alone, and with lights shining all around them. Familiar scenes such as Romeo’s ‘chicken run’ with Tybalt, and two lovers in an illuminating pool help the audience to easily understand the meaning of the scene and the emotions felt by the characters during the scene. There are constant references to other works, genres and styles. These allusions add a sense of irony and satire in the