The Role of the Media in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo+Juliet

Hailed by some and passionately criticized by others, Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo+Juliet (1996), one of the best known cinematic adaptations of Shakespeare’s story of the “star-cross’d lovers” has appealed to the young audiences because it succeeded in intermingling the delivery of Shakespeare’s language w...

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Main Author: Iftimie Nicoleta-Mariana
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Press 2017-06-01
Series:Linguaculture
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/lincu.2017.2017.issue-1/lincu-2017-0007/lincu-2017-0007.xml?format=INT
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author Iftimie Nicoleta-Mariana
author_facet Iftimie Nicoleta-Mariana
author_sort Iftimie Nicoleta-Mariana
collection DOAJ
description Hailed by some and passionately criticized by others, Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo+Juliet (1996), one of the best known cinematic adaptations of Shakespeare’s story of the “star-cross’d lovers” has appealed to the young audiences because it succeeded in intermingling the delivery of Shakespeare’s language with the modern discourse promoted by late 20th century media, particularly television and journalism. Different types of media pervade the movie from the outset to its very end: the black screen at the beginning makes room in its centre to a TV set, which moves forward into the viewer’s space, while displaying a newscaster who delivers the play’s Prologue in a monotone; in a symmetrical manner, the image of the television set appears again at the end and we see the newscaster delivering the last lines of the play. After the lines are recited, the television set gets smaller and smaller, until it fades away and the screen becomes black. The whole movie is thus embedded into a news programme; the news story is located as the one which is being witnessed by the viewer in real time.
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spelling doaj.art-62d5cc17a9ce4c0f821ecc14d71956a22022-12-22T02:56:48ZengAlexandru Ioan Cuza University PressLinguaculture2067-96962285-94032017-06-0120171738210.1515/lincu-2017-0007lincu-2017-0007The Role of the Media in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo+JulietIftimie Nicoleta-Mariana0Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of IașiHailed by some and passionately criticized by others, Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo+Juliet (1996), one of the best known cinematic adaptations of Shakespeare’s story of the “star-cross’d lovers” has appealed to the young audiences because it succeeded in intermingling the delivery of Shakespeare’s language with the modern discourse promoted by late 20th century media, particularly television and journalism. Different types of media pervade the movie from the outset to its very end: the black screen at the beginning makes room in its centre to a TV set, which moves forward into the viewer’s space, while displaying a newscaster who delivers the play’s Prologue in a monotone; in a symmetrical manner, the image of the television set appears again at the end and we see the newscaster delivering the last lines of the play. After the lines are recited, the television set gets smaller and smaller, until it fades away and the screen becomes black. The whole movie is thus embedded into a news programme; the news story is located as the one which is being witnessed by the viewer in real time.http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/lincu.2017.2017.issue-1/lincu-2017-0007/lincu-2017-0007.xml?format=INTRomeo and Julietmediatelevisionprinted mediacinematic discourse
spellingShingle Iftimie Nicoleta-Mariana
The Role of the Media in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo+Juliet
Linguaculture
Romeo and Juliet
media
television
printed media
cinematic discourse
title The Role of the Media in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo+Juliet
title_full The Role of the Media in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo+Juliet
title_fullStr The Role of the Media in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo+Juliet
title_full_unstemmed The Role of the Media in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo+Juliet
title_short The Role of the Media in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo+Juliet
title_sort role of the media in baz luhrmann s romeo juliet
topic Romeo and Juliet
media
television
printed media
cinematic discourse
url http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/lincu.2017.2017.issue-1/lincu-2017-0007/lincu-2017-0007.xml?format=INT
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