Romeo + Juliet

Baz Luhrmann and editor Jill Bilcock transform Shakespeare’s enduring tragedy into a frenetic and highly stylised modern spectacle.

On the streets of Verona Beach, two teenagers from rival families ignite a doomed romance that spirals toward tragedy. Baz Luhrmann’s daring and experimental reimagining of Shakespeare’s timeless play transforms Romeo Montague (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Juliet Capulet (Claire Danes) into star-cross’d lovers caught between feuding families in a world of violence, spectacle and excess. Luhrmann thrusts the original story into the modern day with sports cars, neon lights, drag queens and extravagant costume balls, creating a kinetic and highly stylised vision of Shakespeare that feels both contemporary and operatic.

Curator’s note
In her second collaboration with Baz Luhrmann following Strictly Ballroom, Bilcock delivers an editing style that is bold, kinetic and deliberately experimental, transforming Shakespeare’s tragedy into a visceral modern spectacle unlike the adaptations that came before it. Jill Bilcock’s editing is central to the emotional intensity of Romeo + Juliet. From the opening sequence, rapid montage, layered imagery and frenetic pacing establish the film’s explosive rhythm, immersing the audience in Luhrmann’s chaotic vision of Verona Beach. Quick cuts, accelerated action and music-driven pacing propel Shakespeare’s original text into the contemporary world.