Synopsis

In the fictional Verona Beach, rival business families Montague and Capulet wage a violent feud while their teenage children, Romeo and Juliet, fall deeply in love. Their secret relationship is threatened by family hatred, impulsive duels, exile, and a desperate plan to remain together. Baz Luhrmann's energetic 1996 adaptation preserves Shakespeare's original dialogue while placing the tragedy in a stylized modern world.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film relocates Shakespeare's Verona to Verona Beach, a vividly stylized modern city shaped by Miami, California, and Mexican influences, while retaining the play's original language.

• Radiohead wrote "Exit Music (For a Film)" for the end credits after being sent a videotape containing the movie's final 20 minutes. The song later appeared on the band's 1997 album OK Computer.

• The famous fish-tank meeting presented a practical lighting challenge because of reflections from the water and glass. Fluorescent tubes were placed inside the tank and kept outside the camera's view.

• Production designer Catherine Martin and costume designer Kym Barrett appear briefly as maids helping prepare Juliet's mother for the costume ball.

• The film earned an Academy Award nomination for its art direction and set decoration, and it received major recognition at the 1997 Berlin International Film Festival.

• Its commercial and critical reception helped establish the film as one of the best-known modern Shakespeare adaptations and introduced the play to a large teenage audience.