A Film Analysis of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet

One of the most notable themes of the play Romeo and Juliet is that of civil war. This is

the most known theme of the play because it is the underlying story that drives the play forward

and it is exposed as a key storyline of the play. Many people, however, directors in particular,

may dissect this theme and interpret it slightly differently or portray it in different ways. Baz

Luhrmann, in his film Romeo + Juliet (1996), during the first kiss scene takes the theme of civil

war and interweaves it into the scene to stress its importance without having to make it the

central plot of the scene. This essay will discuss how Baz Luhrmann used film techniques such

as sound, camera effects, character placement to stress that if Romeo and Juliet were to engage in

a relationship, it would be even more egregious than what a reader might take away from only

reading the play.

The non-diegetic music played throughout the scene is used to make the audience feel as

though Romeo and Juliet’s relationship is fleeting. The long upright bass’ notes are warming and

give reassurance, which contrast with the violins quick and sharp notes which personify

franticness as though something is going wrong, but this is the part of the love story in which

everything should be falling into place. The first kiss should be the most romantic part of the

love story, not feel as though it shouldn’t be happening at all. Another noticeable aspect to the

song choice is that it sounds as though it could be played during a scene when a character is

dying and another character is frantically trying everything to save them. This is most notable

when Juliet’s mom screams Juliet as Juliet and Romeo rush back onto the elevator. If heard with

no video and only the sound, one could confuse that sound bit with the music playing in the

background as a mother yearning for her daughter to stop dying. This imagery brought out
through the sound of the scene is Baz Luhrmann telling the audience that the civil war between

the families is so strong that even something as innocent as a kiss could be enough to cause

death.

This idea of the sound from the scene implying inevitable death because of the family

feud is strengthened towards the end of the scene when the music changes tones at the moment

Romeo and Juliet find out they’re from opposing families. The bass’ notes change to long

melodic minor chords which makes the audience feel as though something bad is happening, and

the fact that the music makes the audience feel this at the point that Romeo and Juliet discover

the full truth about each other is no coincidence. Baz Luhrmann is undoubtedly using music the

enhance the civil war plot of the play.

In addition to the music and sounds of the first kiss scene, Baz Luhrmann also uses

camera effects to portray the families’ civil war as a critical theme of the play. With the

exception of a couple shots, the entire scene is shot with a zoom so closed in on the two lovers

that, in some cases, not even their full face is visible. One may think that it is done this way to

show the audience that the center of the scene is Romeo and Juliet, however that is just a ploy

that Luhrmann uses to subtly tell the audience a different message. When watching the scene

multiple times, it becomes more apparent that the camera’s zoom is used to disorient the

audience. This is achieved not only by the zoom of the camera, but also by the many cuts that are

made during the scene. Combined, these two things create a frantic atmosphere that allows the

audience to know that at one second Juliet’s mother is close to them, thus discovering that

Romeo is a son of the enemy, then a second later zoomed in so close to the lovers that the

audience is left in suspense as to what is happening outside of their bubble. Even when Romeo

and Juliet are in the privacy of the elevator, the camera is not still. It moves around the two
swiftly as to not allow the tension of the audience to be put to rest. This constant movement of

the camera is used to show that even in the space in which they feel safe, the family strife still

curses them. From this the audience can conclude that there is no such space where they are free

from the bitterness between each other’s families.

The elevator and the character placement are used in tandem with the camera effects to

play an important role in emphasizing the inter-family turmoil. Although Romeo and Juliet are in

a giant mansion with plenty of space and room, they are forced into an elevator in order to show

affection. This claustrophobic imagery is used by Luhrmann to allow the audience to deduce that

the love between Juliet and Romeo traps them. They are unable to escape the elevator then when

they reach the second floor and get out. They are instantly forced back into the elevator by

Juliet’s mom coming up the stairs. Even though the lovers did not know that one another are

from opposing families at this point in the movie, Baz Luhrmann chooses to show to the

audience the severity of the civil war between the families. In the context of this part of the

scene, it is so severe that lovers from opposing families are trapped by their love before they

even know each other’s true identity.

The more times the first kiss scene of Romeo + Juliet (1996) is watched, the more the

brilliance of the subtle effects that push the viewer towards understanding how important the

feud between the Montagues and Capulets can be observed. The artistic interpretations that

Luhrmann has taken to illustrate Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet through his choice of sounds,

camera effects and character placement are not blatant, however, they are a clear representation

of what he is trying to convey to the audience.

 Citations

William Shakespeare's Romeo Juliet. Dir. Baz Luhrmann. Perf. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes.
20th Century Fox, 1996. Online Movie Clip. Romeo Juliet. 9 Oct. 2015. Web. 15 Feb. 2017.