But then we have a completely different change of pace with Damian Lewis who just shocks the hell out of you as Lord Capulet when he goes from a smarmy niceness to a ranting bedroom scene with threats of disownment and eviction of Juliet should she not marry Paris (who is a wimp and effectively played that way Tom Wisdom). A delight to watch these two!Īppropriately commanding yet calm is the aura that Stellan Skarsgard gives to the Prince of Verona. Put Giamatti and Manville together and the result is some laugh-warranting exchanges. Adding to his magic is Lesley Manville as Juliet’s Nurse. There are no words for the excellence of Paul Giamatti but for these: Best Supporting Oscar Nomination Now! As Friar Laurence, Giamatti brings a welcoming lightness, offsetting the darker moments in the story.
And can we talk fine fine fine looking men? Where has Christian Cooke been hiding? Let’s rewrite the story so that Mercutio doesn’t die just so we can see more of Cooke. The Alan Rickman/”Professor Snape” black hair is a killer element to his whole look, one that matches the venomous vitriol Tybalt spews forth in word and deed. Ed Westwick just nails Tybalt with anger and arrogance. My script was filled with little itty bitty writing and the translation of every line.”Īs Romeo’s best friend, Benvolio, Kodi Smit-McPhee just knocks it out of the park in his first “mature” role. “It was definitely a process learning that text and going through and translating each thing. The one admitted challenge for Steinfeld, however, was grasping Shakespeare’s words. The genuine adoration that the camera captures in Steinfeld’s eyes when gazing on Booth’s Romeo is heart-stoppingly tender and exquisite. Booth adds a collegial maturity that is refreshing, fun and adoring in Romeo’s love for Juliet. Steinfeld not only captivates with blossoming innocence but gives Juliet confidence, strength, conviction and intelligence. Fluid, mesmerizing, engaging, shining brightly. Key is that the young lovers played by Hailee Steinfeld and Douglas Booth are age appropriate and their chemistry is like liquid Mercury. And we have a script adaptation by Julian Fellowes, delivering a ROMEO & JULIET that while true to The Bard’s words, has a beautiful lyricism and flow thanks to some condensing of scenes, making this a ROMEO & JULIET for the 21st century.Ĭasting is the best and most appropriate I have ever seen for a film/tv production of ROMEO & JULIET. But now we have Hailee Steinfeld who has such age appropriate cherubic innocence and passion that she will make you forget all others. What sold the film was the fact that she was actually one of the few actresses closer in age to the character Shakespeare wrote i.e., she wasn’t 25 or 30 trying to be 15. Similarly, while Zeffirelli’s film was embraced by audiences and critics alike, when push comes to shove, Olivia Hussey is not that spectacular a Juliet. While George Cukor’s version was extravagant for the day in terms of cost, the final production values have always felt lacking. (However, just for pure laughs and giggles, if you get a chance to see the 1909 French short that’s played as a comedy, it’s quite a sight to behold.) The 1994 five-part miniseries out of London is an exemplary version (leave it to the Brits) while Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 Leonardo DiCaprio modernization is one to pass over. One of my fave shorts is the 1908 Italian version done by Mario Caserini while the first attempt at adapting the entire play for film in 1911 by director Barry O’Neill is a valiant effort that falls flat, leading one to prefer the filming of play productions such as the 1924 balcony scene at the Regent Theatre which marked the “film debut” of John Gielgud. Having seen well over 100 incarnations of the story, including shorts that showcase only specific scenes, this ROMEO & JULIET is by far my personal favorite presentation, surpassing the acclaimed 1968 Zeffirelli version as well as George Cukor’s 1936 take starring Norma Shearer as Juliet.
Bringing the grandeur and majesty of Shakespeare and the legendary story of star-crossed love to life in this luminous version is nothing short of golden – – as in Oscar gold. With well over 150 adaptations and imaginations of what is perhaps Shakespeare’s most famous, and definitely most adapted, work on screen, director Carlo Carlei’s new ROMEO & JULIET is, in a word, masterful.
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