Romeo & Juliet

The stars are fantastic. The photography and direction is like a 14 year old kids bad YouTube video. Every scene shot close up, is not dramatic. The continuous close up movement becomes nauseating. A complete waste of the stage. This director and cinematographer may never have attended a stage production. You need to move back and see the actors complete use of the surroundings and stage.

The shots in this film embrace not just the essence of a sacred space in the theater but take advantage of the best technology can contribute to intimacy. I couldn't take my eyes off this production for a single moment. It is amazing visually and exceptionally acted by those in every role. Trim and confident in its execution, this production will remain noted and inspirational in many futures to come.

Good try, good scenes and atmosphere, but too much was cut, some of the most beautiful words ever written, this was way too short.

Romeo And Juliet (2021) -

I was greatly surprised by this version of the classic Shakespeare play. So many times I have recorded theatrical and cultural performances from the SkyArts channel only to find that the representations or interpretations are done badly or the lead ballet dancer isn't wearing tight enough trousers that show off his amazing thighs, but this National Theatre Live production was a real find. An absolute gem.

It is very cleverly edited and produced with a superb cast and it truly proves that theatre is blind. You would never know that some of the actors with varying accents or origins would not traditionally play their parts, unless you were looking for it or course.

Josh O'Connor gives a fantastic and seductive performance as Romeo. Although not what some would call traditionally handsome, he has a great earnestness about him and his characters always wear their hearts on their sleeves with such ease. Romeo is no exception and he really leads the whole story and production for me. When others were performing I wanted to know what his character was up to and not just because he is so sexy.

And for the most part Jesse Buckley as Juliet is good too, but I didn't feel enraptured by her as I was with Josh and her character drifts off at times.

They work alongside a cast who all excel in their own roles too. Tamsin Greig gives a particularly aggressive and nasty Lady Capulet. There is a darkness to her performance that almost makes me believe that it isn't much of an act. Perhaps she should be careful not to become too typecast as these witchy sorts. I cannot see Imelda Staunton without thinking of Harry Potter's evil Professor Umbridge and it is very difficult to separate Lena Headey from her 'Game Of Thrones' (2011-19) character Cersei Lannister. Maybe they are all just good at what they do, but I wouldn't want to meet any of them down a dark alley, until I got to know them for sure.

The abandoned theatre setting is superb and utilised in such a brilliant way, as the production values grow throughout. I also appreciate the lighting and the colours of the costumes used to appropriately represent the moods and changing environments/occasions. The soundtrack is sympathetic and well chosen too.

There are a few moments that I don't recall from the original story, although it has been a while since actually reading it and most of my recollection comes from Leonardo DiCaprio in Baz Luhrman's version or the cartoon 'Gnomeo & Juliet', but I believe that great theatre is and should be open to interpretation. 'The Mouse Trap' wouldn't still be so celebrated if people weren't asked to conceal "Whodunnit" before leaving their seats after all and some of the best Gilbert & Sullivan productions that I have seen have been an all male cast. I like it when boundaries are pushed.

I will definitely recommend this to my friends, especially those with a taste for culture.

786.32/1000.

This is a distilled version of the R&J productions we are used to seeing. The raw acting leaves it to be pure in its essence of Shakespeare's work. Amazing! Bravo!