This week has seen the
release of the theatrical trailer for the latest of Shakespeare's
plays to receive a big-screen adaptation, Romeo and Juliet.
Hey, wait a minute! Haven't we seen this one before? Didn't Baz
Luhrmann do a version not too long ago?
Upon checking my facts,
realising that the Luhr-Man's version came out in 1996 and taking a
brief pause to come to terms with my own mortality, I concluded that
this is one remake the internet doesn't have much of a right to
complain about – though inevitably they will. After all, this new
release has a traditional setting, whereas the old version had a
modern setting. How delightfully ironic! Of course, there is the old,
old version – directed by Franco Zeffirelli in 1968, which also had
a traditional setting, so it seems our 2013 release will have more in
common with that then the 1996 version. Before I go on, here is the
fabled trailer that I spoke of, embedded for your convenience:
Brought to you by Swarovski entertainment - putting style over substance since 1895.
Proudly announcing the
involvement of Julian Fellowes, creator of Downton Abbey, as
screenwriter, one can't help but feel that this is an attempt to cash
in on the period drama craze that is sweeping the US at the moment.
IMDB, at least, were kind enough to give Shakespeare shared story
credit – though obviously Fellowes got top billing. The cast also
implies a desire to poach fans from television – Ed Westwick, of
Gossip Girl fame, and Damian Lewis, of Homeland, are
both set to star. That being said, the cast boasts some impressive
muscle – veteran actors Stellan Skarsgard and Paul Giamatti fill
supporting roles, whilst Hailee Steinfeld is playing the lead
(Juliet, not Romeo). If you had the pleasure of watching the Coen
Brothers' update of True Grit, you know that, despite her age,
she can handle meaty roles. If you haven't seen it, go watch it. Now
I say! Now!
Regarding the setting,
the sets and costumes look nice enough – though I lament the fact
that the crew have done away with the spiffing stockings/codpiece
combos that were uncomfortably prevalent in Zeffirelli's version in
favour of what appear to be skinny jeans. I guess a bulge just
doesn't attract an audience like it used to. Other than that, what is
there to say? It's Romeo and Juliet – we've all seen it, we
all know the story. All that's left to guess is just how long they're
going to drag out the climax in an effort to boost sales of Kleenex.
My bet is that the John Lewis Christmas Advert strategy is going to
be implemented here; absurd amounts of camera glare accompanied by a
breathy female covering an eighties pop song on piano at a quarter of
the tempo of the original recording (My own choice would be Safety
Dance).
And therein lies the
problem that I have with this film – we've seen it all before. I
can't see this version adding anything remotely new to the pantheon
of Shakespeare adaptations – unless they change the ending, which
would be equal parts mortifying and hilarious. How audiences will
respond is anybody's guess; the producers are probably hoping that
the Downton connection will sell it to older audiences, whilst
the Ed Westwick/Chuck-Bass-as Bad-Boy-Tybalt angle will attract
younger audience members. Other than that, I can't see the film being
a box-office smash. But then again, I'm dead inside – maybe love
will conquer all?
No comments:
Post a Comment