Second blog on the film, Romeo and Juliet, submitted 9/3/08 @ 2:40pm

The dramatic cinema portrayal of the classic Shakespeare play, Romeo and Juliet, is a rather youthful rendition of Shakespeare at his best. Starring Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio, these two actors attempt to recreate their famous characters while still adding personal characteristics to each individual role. When reviewing the scenes last night as well as in class this morning, I was able to get a better understanding of the scenes themselves as well as the characters' acting choices including facial expression, body language, and voice tone. In general, Danes and DiCaprio handled their roles very well. However, there were a few scenes containing "overacting" such as Juliet and Friar's scene after Romeo's banishment or Romeo's intensity before killing Tybalt after Mercutio's stabbing. Their facial expressions of eye popping, blood red faces, and rolling of intense tears along with wailing body motions, and vocal screams, adds a bit too much drama for one scene. With that said, I love this rendition. It is teenage-centered helping students such as a 14-15 year old Freshman appreciate the works of Shakespeare in a different, less "stiff" light.