The 2013 stage-to-screen adaptation of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It was directed by Carlo Carlei from a screenplay by Julian Fellowes, who significantly modified Shakespeare's dialogue for the silver screen.
In fair Verona, where we set our scene, young Romeo (Douglas Booth) and Juliet (Hailee Steinfeld) are scions of two feuding houses: the Montagues and the Capulets respectively. Romeo is smitten with Juliet's cousin, and Juliet's betrothal is in progress. But when Romeo and Juliet fall in love at a Capulet ball, their families' fragile peace is threatened. Romeo and Juliet elope, but grief and tragedy follow.
The film's cast list includes Damian Lewis and Natascha McElhone as Lord and Lady Capulet, Tomas Arana and Laura Morante as Lord and Lady Montague, Ed Westwick as Tybalt, Lesley Manville as the Nurse, Tom Wisdom as Paris, Christian Cooke as Mercutio, Kodi Smit-McPhee as Benvolio, Paul Giamatti as Friar Laurence, and Stellan Skarsgård as Prince Escalus.
Tropes:
- Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Reds and earth tones for the Montagues, blues and greens for the Capulets. Romeo's bluer wardrobe fits his alignment with Juliet and her family.
- Composite Character: Benvolio takes the role of Balthasar in the final acts.
- Dance of Romance: Romeo and Juliet share a dizzying dance at the masquerade ball, entranced by each other before they even exchange a word of dialogue.
- Love at First Sight: Multiple soft zooms when they first lay eyes on each other establish that they are immediately besotted.
- Navel-Deep Neckline: Local Veronan hot boy Romeo is introduced sculpting away at some marble while wearing a billowing white shirt that's open all the way to his pants.
- The Queen's Latin: Setting: Renaissance Italy; accents: British.
- Pick on Someone Your Own Size: How the fight between Tybalt and Benvolio is interrupted:Montague: Tybalt! You argue with a child. Turn now and fight your equal if you dare.
- Sacred Hospitality: Lord Capulet prevents Tybalt from picking a fight with Romeo because they're all on thin ice with the prince and harming a Montague under their own roof would cross that line.
- Spiteful Spit:
- A spit induces a swordfight between the feuding Capulets and Montagues at the beginning.
- Mercutio spits at Tybalt's feet to goad him into a swordfight.
- Take It to the Bridge: Tybalt's public challenge to the Montague faction, which results in Mercutio's death, is made on a bridge.
- Throw the Sheath Away: Tybalt dramatically throws his sword's sheath away when engaging Mercutio in a fight.
- True Blue Femininity: Juliet wears a pale blue dress at the ball, as she is a fine young lady whom Romeo falls in love with. She wears a dress in a similar color during their elopement.
