"Romeo + Juliet"

Title: "Romeo + Juliet"
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Producer: Baz Luhrmann and Gabriella Martinelli
Editing: Jill Bilcock
Composer: Nellee Hooper, Craig Armstrong, and Marius de Vries
Starring:
- Leonardo Dicaprio as Romeo Montague
- Claire Danes as Juliet Capulet
- John Leguizamo as Tybalt Capulet
- Harold Perrineau as Mercutio
- M. Emmet Walsh as Apothecary
- Paul Rudd as Dave Paris (What a contrast to his more recent comedic performances!)

Tonight's plot synopsis is courtesy of the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com)

Plot and Critical Review: The story is, of course, about a pair of star-crossed lovers. Two teenagers pursue their love for each other despite the fact that their families have been at odds with each other for decades. The story combines swordfighting, disguise, misunderstanding, tragedy, humor, and some of the most romantic language found in literature all in the name of true love.

In Verona, Italy, two powerful families the Montagues and the Capulets have been feuding with each other for years. Old Capulet, Juliet's father, throws a party to which he invites all his friends. The Montagues are not invited of course, but Romeo devises a plan to get a look at Rosaline; a young girl he has been pursing. He disguises himself and slips into the party. Once inside, his attention is stolen; not by Rosaline, but by Juliet. Romeo falls instantly in love, but is disappointed when he finds out that Juliet is a Capulet. Juliet notices Romeo too, but she is unaware that he is a member of the hated Montagues.

Later, after discovering that the young man who caught her eye is a member of the enemy family, Juliet goes out onto her balcony to tell the stars about her strong but forbidden love. At the same time, Romeo is lurking in the bushes below. He overhears Juliet confess her love for him to the heavens. No longer able to control his powerful feelings, Romeo reveals himself to her and admits that he feels the same. The very next day, with the help of Romeo's friend Friar Lawrence, Romeo and Juliet are secretly married.

On the day of the wedding, two of Romeo's friends, Benvolio and Mercutio, are walking through the streets of Verona when they are confronted by Juliet's cousin, Tybalt. Tybalt is out to get Romeo for crashing the Capulet's party so he starts a fight with his friends. Romeo shows up, but does not want to fight Tybalt because he no longer holds a grudge against Juliet's family. Romeo's friends can't understand why he won't stand up for himself so Mercutio steps in to do it for him. A swordfight with Tybalt follows. Mercutio is killed. To avenge the death of his friend, Romeo kills Tybalt, an act that will award him even more hatred from the Capulet family. The Prince of Verona banishes Romeo and he is forced to leave Juliet, who is devastated by the loss of her love. Juliet's father, not knowing of his daughter's marriage, decides to marry her to another young man named Paris.

In despair, Juliet consults with Friar Laurence. He advises her to agree to the marriage, but on the morning of the wedding, she will drink a potion that he prepares for her. The potion will make it look like Juliet is dead and she will be put into the Capulet burial vault. Then, the Friar will send Romeo to rescue her. She does as the Friar says and is put into the vault by her heartbroken parents.

Bad news travels fast. Before the Friar can tell Romeo of the hoax, Romeo hears from someone else that his beloved Juliet is dead. Overcome with grief, Romeo buys a poison and goes to Juliet's tomb to die beside his wife. At the door of the tomb, Romeo is forced to fight Paris, whom he swiftly kills. Nothing will stop him from joining his love. Inside the vault, Romeo drinks the poison and takes his last breath next to his sleeping wife.

Moments later, Juliet awakens to see her husband's dead body. She learns what has happened from Friar Laurence who has just arrived and accessed the scene. With no reason left to live, Juliet kills herself with Romeo's dagger. The tragedy has a tremendous impact on both the Montagues an d the Capulets. The families are hurt so much by the death of their children that they agree to never fight again.

My Rating: 6.5/10

The "Reel Revelation": "Context, Context, Context"

Have you ever tried to tell someone something important but found that the only way you could accurately communicate what you wanted to say was to altogether change the way you delivered your message? Have you ever had to re-word (a simple way of putting it) a particular message so that it could be more easily understood? While the message remained the same your delivery had to accommodate a different context for the person you were conversing with. Is that sort of situation familiar to you in any way? That is the intention behind the artistic liberties taken in this representation of Shakespeare's monumental tragedy. While some critics harshly criticized (that's what they do, after all) the loose, brazen, and "MTV-like" way this film was produced it does succeed in communicating the pure message of the love between Romeo and Juliet to a new generation. Yes, horses have become cars and swords have become guns but the message is still the same. Context!

From the earliest stages of his ministry Jesus chose to use parables and common-place means to communicate the highest of all messages; the love of God and the coming of God's Kingdom. Outside of the Pharisees the people he spoke to were common folk, tradesmen and farmers; people who would have struggled to understand a "by the book" explanation of God's will for all people. Thus it was that Jesus used parables and as people listened to his words they understood God's most mysterious and holy principles in ways that were easy for them to grasp; easy for them to remember and carry in their hearts. His example lives on in the sermons and homilies of preachers everywhere who use real-life images and instances to help us understand God's plan, promise, and will for our lives. Context!

We are the next generation of ministers who carry within our hearts the message of God's love. Jesus looks to us to use the same creativity he exampled through his use of the parables. This is no small charge and no simple task. Be cautious of presumptuous thinking here, as some Christians may believe that because they know the Bible so well they'll be able to communicate the message of the Gospel with relative ease. No doubt there are those who have been gifted with tremendous talent that enables them to communicate the message of the Bible in a way others can easily understand. For those who have been given such gifts we give thanks to God, but not everyone will look back at us and say "Oh wow, I never thought of it that way! God does love me! Thanks!" when we tell them about Jesus in traditional Christian-friendly terms. Some people need us to bring the Gospel to them in a unique way, in a way they won't have to fight to understand. While the comprehension of the Bible's message is no small feat the way we present the heart of the Gospel (the way we "open the door" when we evangelize) must be done in a way that gives due consideration to a person's culture, background, and spiritual journey. "Jesus loves you, so love him back!" just doesn't play as we'd like it to, does it?

If you've ever been in love with someone you may be familiar with the desire to show that person how much you love them in a unique way. Imagine a time when you were so enchanted by a person that the only thing you wanted to do was to tell them about your feelings for them in a way that they would understand, a way that would leave no room for doubt. Can you imagine that? For those who have not experienced it use your imagination. You probably poured over countless ideas of how to say "I love you" in the most true and unwavering way. Scores of disappointing love poetry covered the floor and your attempts to make a rose out of ice left a puddle in your living room. Dismayed you were, yet you pressed on! Now...if you've ever done any of those things you really must have loved that person. All the greater is God's love for us and God's desire for us to know the truth of the Gospel in a real way. This is why Jesus was sent to live and die, so that God could contextualize his love in a way we couldn't ignore, to show us his eternal and burning desire to make us his own. The glory of Heaven was altogether pure and present in Jesus even though he was as frail as you and I. Context!

Every day God will present us with opportunities to share the love of Jesus with other people. Those opportunities may come through an encounter at work, a text message with a friend, or even through a random film review on E.T.'s blog. Whatever the medium is, let us set the message of the Gospel in a context that will communicate with accuracy the depth of God's love for all people.

See you tomorrow - E.T.