1996: Romeo + Juliet

0:02 It was the mid nineties. Some of us were a year or two out of high school and some of us were a year or two into college. We didn't know who we wanted to be, but we knew where we wanted to be, the movie theater. These are the movies of nineteen ninety six. What's up, everybody? I'm Jeff Johnson from a Film by podcast, and I'm hoping you're down for our latest dope new series. We've broken down the fresh films of nineteen eighty six. We've examined the gritty cinemascape of nineteen seventy six. Now it's time to check out the Hella good flicks of nineteen ninety six. Amber Lewis is back. She y Z. Do you bite your thumb at me? Madam? I do bite my thumb, sir.

1:04 Do you bite your thumb at me, madam? No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir, But I bite my thumb, sir. Amber, let's away and set the stage for Baz Luhrman's Romeo and Juliet Juliette. I will lad with thee tonight, an exciting new vision. Well, don't leave me so unsatisfied. What satisfaction, cancel have tonight. Shakespeare has never been this sexy on screen. The exchange of thy love's faithful vow for mine, sensational parting, such sweet sorrow that I shall say good night till it memorrow. The love story of all time, for our time, Leonardo DiCaprio Claire Dames in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet ready pg.

1:48 Thirteen, a modern, twisted version of William Shakespeare's play about two young people from opposite families who fall in love in secret amber. We've got a version of Romeo and Juliet that we have never seen before. I mean safe to say, safe to say right, like as Lerman never does anything you know expected or by Halves. I love baz Luhman. I'll go ahead and say that. And I love that he approached this project with the question, if William Shakespeare were alive today and he was going to direct this film, what would he do. I don't know that he would do this, but I like it. At least, you know, he was trying to keep the bard in his own story, talking nineties culture and how it influences a film like this. So let's talk about Juliette for a quick second. Claire Danes is hot off of My So Called Life, which it begins airing reruns on MTV in nineteen ninety five, so she everyone knows who is. If you're a teenager, if you're young twenties, you know her, right. Yes, I was just out of high school, so it's still a little raw to watch that show. But boy did I love it. It was so real. Yeah, I mean it was. It was a great show.

3:15 And then I think it was it was really smart the way MTV. You know, it kind of run its course on ABC and MTV picks it up and says, hey, let's we'll just show the reruns. Genius move and you got to talk about the culture, like I'm watching this recently. Like the guys in the in the in the film, you know the haircuts, you know they're shaving, the shaving, the lines in their hair that that was a very ninety thing to do. You know, they're shaving the symbols like you like the capults, like they've they're shaving, like the cruciffectses and the back of their heads. And the fashion, even the chains, the baggy clothes well, and even the way it was shot like we'd already gotten pulp fiction yep, and this was very much in that same kind of vein.

4:00 Yeah, everything's everything's. Everything is very vivid, everything's sped up right, and it's it's fantastic. I mean the movie looks like a music video, which is perfect because the soundtracked. My gosh, so nineties. This is so MTV friendly that literally the only thing missing from it is Carson Daley in the MTV Beach House. More on the soundtrack line, I know, we got to talk about the soundtrack because I definitely want to spend spend a minute on that. But uh, November first, nineteen ninety six, this opens at number one. It's uh, it's gonna be the fourth highest grossing film of the month. An he guesses, Amber, what what the top three in November were. I'm terrible at this game. Well, the top three belonged to Star Trek First Contact. Yeah, it's my favorite, of my favorite, Yeah, Picard and the Crew of the Enterprise. They beat out Romeo and Juliet. Also Space Jam, which I'm kind of surprised wasn't the number one movie of the month. The number one movie of the month, Ransom You know wow, Gibson, I mean, my son, it was Hella good, but oh it's fantastic. The month good Aya, Ron Howard, Yeah, Romeo and Juliet. It ends its run with one hundred and forty seven million dollars on a budget of fourteen point five million. So needless to say, it is a massive hit. That's how we got Mulan Rush exactly tend all that money. Yeah, thank you everyone that went out

5:34 to the theater in nineteen eighty six, because Mulan Rouge is fantastic. Also, critics were generally positive, and obviously the the MTV audience is loving this film. I don't know about you. You do you remember going on seeing this at the theater. This was the first time I've ever watched this version. You have got to be kidding me. I am not kidding you. Wow. I love any and all Shakespeare like anytime you can get it produced for a mass audience, I think is spectacular. But this was just a little too too much for me at the time. I find it shocking. This is this is nineteen ninety six. This is the arrival of heart Throb Leonardo DiCaprio. This is one, I mean, this is one year before Titanic, and I can't believe you loved him because of what's eating Gilbert.

6:28 Great. You did because that you loved him in that, because it's an incredible performance. But watching this kid, and but I just I don't know it just I think because it was a known story, and I just find it hard to accept that that young Amber in nineteen ninety six is flipping through the channel. She sees MTV and there's there's there's Leo, and she's not like a child. You're still you're still young, twenty two year young Amber. Yeah, you're not calling your girlfriends up and be like, girls, grab some drinks, let's go see this movie. No Lea never hit me that way. It was always I have always just been mesmerized by his talent.

7:15 I will I will go ahead and uh declassify my scoundrel status. I saw this like probably three or four different I know at least three times. I can think of, uh where I was. I wasn't swooning for Leo, but I was taking different girls on dates. And you know, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was a scoundrel. I was like, yeah, let's see this. It looks good. I was, you know, I mean, granted it was. I I enjoyed it, you know, but by the you know, the second, third time, four time school date, if your girl is happy, so hey, let you know, let Leo do the work and then I'll be there when the movie's over. Told her, yeah, absolutely, yeah, yeah, Amber. There's not a lot. You know, when you would think a movie like this there would be just a wealth of knowledge online or you know, out there. As far as like the making of the movie, there's there's not a whole lot. I read an article from Entertainment Weekly where they sent a journalist out to like go on the set, you know, and talk about the making of the movie and everything, and like seventy five percent of the article was this guy talking about how everybody was sick, like ol Danes had the flu Leo had Manazuma's revenge. How embarrassing is that to have been in an article clar Dane's mom got pneumonia, like Baz Luhrmann was sick. I can tell Cally everybody on production. Yeah,

8:50 I can tell you most of the production team, Bazz especially, they were all sick after shooting the the opening, the opening scene at the gas station. Yeah, they they're so they're shooting that on location. They're in Mexico. Pretty much all this movie is shot in Mexico, Mexico City, I want to say. And they're they're right there at a real gas station. I was actually watching. I was listening to one of the audio commentaries about this film, and they were talking about how just everyone got sick from all the pollution and the combustion. You know, you figure a ten to twelve hour day outside at a gas station on next to a major road, So yeah, I get it. And uh, let's not forget most of the most of the sets were built from scratch, like in Mexico, to look weathered and vintage and kind of broken down, and then most of them got swept away because you know, we get this hurricane that hits and Baz is shooting right up until they're they're basically telling them like take cover right now.

9:56 But my got it was worth it. That shot is cool. Yeah, you know, when we're talking about Mercutio's death, you know, it's just a scratch, you they Yeah, they had some CGI happening back then, but they didn't have CGI that can make palm trees bend over. Sideways from from when Gale Force wins and uh, you gotta give you gotta give credit to all the actors in that moment because the sand on that beach is hitting them like bullets. And you know, Baz even talks about him and his DP. We're talking about it and saying like, we were really worried that sand was going to hit the cameras because if they hits a camera, like, what can you do. Meanwhile, these guys are just taking it, you know, taking shrapnel, you know, while they're trying to perform Shakespeare. So very very interesting, uh situation. Here's what surprises me.

10:48 Ember, And maybe you can weigh in on this given your your background. But this is only the third film adaptation ever had. We had one in nineteen thirty six, we had one in nineteen sixty eight which starred Olivia Hussey, and then we wait, you know, until nineteen ninety six to get another one. I think some of it has to do with the challenge of casting, which they struggled with that in casting this movie, they originally wanted Natalie Portman to play Juliet, and they even went so far as to have her do like screen test with Leonardo DiCaprio, and when they look back at the footage, you know, he was twenty one and she was fourteen, and it just looked completely inappropriate. Props to them for like recognizing it.

11:43 You know, there's a lot of productions that would have probably just gone with it. Well, Props to no one for even suggesting like, well, yeah, yeah, she's she's a great actress. I mean she's thirteen. Is that cool? Because he's twenty one? But that one age appropriate for the play rug because they're so young. And that's part of what makes the story work when it comes to these three adaptations or or Broadway or you know, anything, and anything goes like do you have what's what's Amber Lewis's go to Romeo and Juliet. Hands down, Kenneth McMillan's choreography of the ballet with Alessandra Ferry and Julia Oboca. It is absolutely the most magical thing you can ever watch in your entire life. And I said, and I just cried through the whole thing because it's so magical and so beautiful and so powerful.

12:39 And if I can get even one person to look it up on YouTube and watch this ballet, it makes me happy because it is one of my favorite things in the entire world. I was not expecting that. I but I like it. I dig it, you know because like I wouldn't even thought, I wouldn't even thought about it happening for Romeo and Juliet. I always think like stage adaptations, plays, musicals. Maybe, but I'm gonna I'm gonna tell you a most memorable version because I do. I do love this film. I love I love Baz's vision. Most memorable version for me has got to be the nineteen sixty eight film because I can I can tell you right now, I still remember it like it was yesterday. We're in English class. We had we had read the play, right, every English teacher, you're gonna read Romeo and Juliet, right, ye? We you know, she missus Hatcher rolled in the cart with the TV VCR. You know we're gonna watch Romeo and Juliet. And it's a little you know, it's a little dry. I mean, this is like I think this was like nineteen ninety maybe when I'm watching this and we're all kind of like trying to stay awake through it, and I clearly remember I still remember. I mean, it's it's it's silent in the f the in the in the classroom, no one's talking, and she pipes up and she's like, guys, settled down and we're like, what, we didn't do anything? And then a

14:11 second later, Olivia Hussy wakes up, jumps out of bed, jumps out of bed and kind of shows off, shows the goods and we we did not settle down. So not expecting that that was a good that was a great day at school. I'm not gonna lie is that really knew where to get, you know, his box office money from Yeah, I I was. I was a fan of Olivia Hussy from that day on that. Yeah, listen, the sixty eight version is a is a fantastic film, though I'd recommend that one too. But Leonardo DiCaprio, so you gotta remember he he's not Leo yet. He flies to Australia, he pays for his own ticket, heads out there. Because Baz has not got this, this project isn't even in greenlit yet. So Bass has the idea to kind of create like a sizzle reel, like they're gonna film one or two scenes to show off to the executives. The studio execs so that they can they can get the money for it. I think that's kind of awesome, you know, like I mean, this is a moment like this is this is a year before Titanic, so you know, like you mentioned, he's you know, what's what's eating Gilbert? Great? But other than that, you know, I'm thinking what credits three and growing pains? So oh I was thinking this boy's life and oh wait was that? Yeah? Well get great? Was but I forgot about this boy's life. But I kind of dig the fact

15:41 he flies in. You know, he does the does the shoot, the mini shoot, he's auditioning. Ah, He's just fantastic. I clearly see why he became a box office superstar, like with this movie especially, you know, yes, yeah, because you know, Shakespeare is challenging, and I love when there's unconventional casting going on and you're not you know, it doesn't have to be you know, stuffy British people that you've never heard of, like it can be you know, the common actor and Americans can do it. I was very impressed. I think that it's interesting that Leo speaks the language better the more upset he gets. And in any scene with Claire Danes like they create a chemistry and a magic together that is just unbelievable, the chemistry between these two. I mean, how do you not fall in love with them when you're watching them? That scene with the fish tank like fish tank, Oh my gosh, no dialogue, don't need it, right, perfection. Did you pick up on the fact the fish? Did you notice the fish in the in the in the tank? I noticed that they were all blue and yellow? Yes, well, that's so in the movie.

17:10 The Capulets have one color and the manti Use have one color, okay, and the one fish that they're both trying to kind of that's kind of catching their eye is a yellow and blue fish, which kind of symbolizes the union of the of the families right that moment, though, it's it's just it's enchanting, you know, I absolutely, I absolutely love that that that moment. I understand how difficult it was to light it. Uh. The DP actually talks about that a little bit on the the audio commentary, where if you whatever angle you're choosing, you're getting a glare, you're getting a reflection that you don't want. He ultimately he took like some led lights and this is this is ninety six, So this is kind of a new thing.

17:53 Drop some l e led lights and that lit the tank and that's kind of how they lit the shot so that you could see like his reflection, he's on his side, it's like his reflection plus like her reflections, like amplified. You know. Yes, it's a gorgeous, gorgeous scene. I absolutely love that scene just for the just for the cinematography alone. It's it's amazing, I think and Claire, like you guys, remember DiCaprio, he lobbies for to be cast just because of the chemistry he felt they had during their audition, and allegedly he said she was the only one that would look him in the eye, which I love that so much. Isn't that great?

18:34 I absolutely believe that they're in love in this film. Rumor has it that that Claire was quite taken with mister DiCaprio. Can you blame her? Well, I can't. I'm not gonna blame her. No. I think everybody falls in love with him when they work with him a little bit like he and Kate Winslet to this day are best friends. Yeah. Well, speaking of speaking of Kate Winslett, here's something I don't know if you if you came across this. Claire Danes decided not to do Titanic on the grounds that she didn't want to do back to back movies with DiCaprio. She didn't think it'd be good for her career. That's it's a bit of a I mean, it's a shrewd decision. I don't know. I mean I think Titanic would have been what it was without that perfect mesh of everything we got.

19:26 So, but that's a shrewd decision for someone who's like seventeen years old. Seventeen years old, she goes, I'm not going to do this Titanic movie because you know, I don't want to do another movie with this guy. You know right where we're swimming and swimming in water. I'm not doing that, you know. But you know what's it's the right decision. Maybe not for her, but it's the right decision for all of us. Because I couldn't imagine Titanic without Kate Winslet. I just cras So, yeah, no, not at all. Can we talk for a second, Let's talk supporting players. There's two people want to talk about. And then, uh, you know, if there's anyone that you want to bring up about, you know, certainly we'll we'll discuss him. I'm gonna go ahead and say it. I'm pretty sure this is my all time favorite character that John Loquizamo has ever done. Second is because I didn't really I never really got like what everybody was on about with him, Like everybody just loves him and they praise his work, and I was always just kind of like okay, and watching this, I'm like, well, dag, if I had watched this in ninety six, I would have known all this time what everybody was talking about. Well, you know the crazy thing about the crazy thing about John Loquizamo is that usually he's playing he's playing a little bit of a goofball or a clown or you know, you know, literally a clown in the Spawn movie. He or he's like the he said the slot. Yeah, Well he's always he's like a weaker character, right, Ye, He's a silly

20:57 He's a silly character or your character. He never he never really gives off intimidation or strength, and his Tibolt Prince of Cats is just like I'm watching this recently, I'm like, man, I forgot how badass he is like I would not I would not cross him. I don't. I wrote down his seething anger like he's always on a simmer. Yeah, he's never not angry about something what I I love and uh, I'm sure you read this and it it is so well demonstrated in the film with his performance. Shakespeare had said tibolt Was was a showman with with the sword. Right, and we know, you know, anyone that hasn't seen this film, will I'll go and tell you. There's no swords because it's a like a it's a gritty modern adaptation. So there's no swords, but there are their handguns.

21:56 So he does not glorify the handguns, No he doesn't, but but Tibble they're there because they're all armed and weaponed. And that's part of the story. But did you notice did you notice so Tibbolt Because Shakespeare said that tibolt Was was a showman with his sword. Loquizamo trains with like this, uh this dance instructor to make more of like a matador, you know, vibe when he's when he's dancer, let me go dancer. Oh and he is, so he is, he's He's watched more than one John Wu movie. As far as I'm concerned, he is. John Wu should have been calling John Loquizamo after seeing this and said, hey, uh, let's let's talk because you're you're my next movie. He's fantastic, interesting because Tibolt is usually played as kind of like a heavy yeah, and Mercutio is the one that's the flamboyant, funny like everybody falls in love with him. I loved Tibolt more I was. He's hanging on his every word, like just looking for him in the scene. Well, even the way he delivers the dialogue.

23:06 Yes, I mean these sounds, they're so comfortable speaking it. Yes, absolutely, you mentioned you mentioned Mercutio, Harold Perennial. This might be one of the most wildest performances I've ever seen this man do. He and John Leguizamo are perfect foils for each other, like they're making their own separate movie. Yeah, that I'm totally on board with. Like I will watch this movie. I'll tell you what. That that costume party where everyone they're you know, the the Mantia boys are getting ready to meet up. You know, Leo's got to look dreamy. He's got his like his Knight's armor, and you know the rest of them are kind of ghouls or clowns. And when he shows up in that that car and and hops out, I was like, holy shit, we're gonna have We're having a good time tonight.

23:52 That's what's gonna happen here. We are definitely having some fun. He's so engaging, he's so entertaining, but he also has these moments where he dials it back and gets really serious in spots and then flips it again. I don't know, I don't know how he's doing it, and but he's doing it so well, and he's doing that the dialogue justice as far as I'm concerned, Yeah, they were just absolutely my two favorites as far as speaking the dialogue and being comfortable with the language and just really being one hundred in their character. Right, I said, I wanted to talk about two, but actually I want to talk about four because now the member the movie's coming back to me, Right, Pete Posselwaite, who plays Father Lawrence, the only one speaking, and I ambic pentameter, so props to him. Yeah, I'm pretty you know, you're right. He's the only one, isn't he. Yep, this guy he was such a brilliant actor. You know, I'm so sad that he that we lost him. Did you know that he was not the first choice? Father, Lawrence, You're not gonna believe it when I tell you who it is, and this, this, this is I really liked. I don't know. Well, yeah, I don't think it'd be sad. I just I think it'd be more like, huh, there was a legendary actor who wanted the role. He was pursuing the role. Now they didn't have to go to him. He went to he went to Baz, none other than Marlon Brando. Oh no, thank you.

25:23 Brando wanted it. But this was this is around the time I think this was. I'm pretty sure, if I'm not mistaken, this was around the time he lost his son. He had some he had some family tragedies, so he had to he had to bow out and we got Pete And I'm happy about that. Yeah, I can't believe I was. I wasn't gonna talk about her, but we got to talk about Miriam Margolis right, nurse nurse. She made me sad because I love her so much. But it wasn't her necessarily, it was what they did with her. The nurse is there to provide comic relief and to be a bridge for Juliet to get messages back and forth to Romeo. And they made her just this farce.

26:17 Instead of putting a button on the balcony scene, she ruined the end of the balcony scene, you know, because it's like, Bads can only be serious for so long, and then he's throw something ridiculous in about the comic, almost like a her scream, yeah okay, I got you, you know her the nurse calling to Juliet throughout the scene is supposed to convey a sense of urgency and secrecy and ramp up the emotion in the scene because it's also forbidden and we're gonna get hot, and and this just made it ridiculous. So I was very frustrated every time. Instead of enjoying it, I was frustrated every time. I feel like, maybe the character in this film at times is a bit too cartoonish, yes, you know, and like her accent and just layers upon layers, Like her costume was crazy and her accent was over the top, and it was too much for me, you know who was too much for her Leonardo. So she wrote a book in twenty twenty one. I haven't seen her on the Graham Norton Show, and she is sassy. So I am looking at this book at the first available opportunity. So her memoir is called this Much Is True, and she gets to a section with her time with DiCaprio. I'm quoting her here. She says, Leonardo has grown into an extremely fine actor. But back then he

27:51 was just a handsome boy who didn't always wash. He was quite smelly in that very male way some young men are. I'm assuming, like, you know, you're a young guy. You're out in the heat all day. You know you're little gamy. You know you've been playing basketball day. Yeah, and listen. She goes on to say she was immune from his groin charms, unlike poor Claire Danes, who then was only seventeen. It was obvious to all of us that she really was in love with her Romeo. But Leonardo wasn't in love with her. She wasn't his type at all. He didn't know how to cope with her evident infatuation. Nurse do addition that, yeah, how about that? But all right, hey, look I that's that's that's four supporting players. You know, I don't know if I missing anybody, but you know, you'll you'll correct me if I if I did, because there is I'm gonna consider this one a cameo. And you know I'm talking. I don't know. There's the sadness of the fact that I don't don't know why. Yeah, because the play typically runs two hours.

29:04 Yeah, this movie runs exactly two hours. Yeah, so I guess he needed to take things out to make room for his fancy shenanigans. But like bas cut a lot, yes, and you know, so there's a lot of mercutio that we're missing. And you have Brian Dennehy right there as Rob's dad, and he has like two lines and it's let's break. Let's uh yeah, let's let's address this Brian Dennehy, who was a spectacular actor. Oh my god, you've got him. He's he's Lord Montahu and yes, we get I think it's is it two scenes? Yeah, he shows up at the beginning, he shows up at the end, and he speaks maybe three words. I'm like, really, come on, yeah, it just her breaking. And then Paul Sorvino, who I usually love, but like the accent that he put on and every although his scene with Juliette was really powerful, but oh goshcha, I don't know. He just like the parents were not doing it for me, and it mostly for lack of Brian Dennehy, but then the rest of them. I was just like, this is not happening. Well, I've got something. I've got something on the parents. I'm gonna kick that down the road. Though. I guess, okay, okay, maybe you'll maybe you'll dig it. I don't know.

30:33 But so I think it's fair to say we always like to talk about cameos or before they were famous. We got to remember, this is nineteen ninety six. So I kind of feel like Paul Rudd, who's only in the movie for like what two scenes, but maybe three three three guacamo. Oh, he's fantastic. I'm not gonna say he's not fantastic. He is absolutely fantastic. But I love the fact that they were able to get him for such a small, small role because at this point, let's think, you know, nineteen ninety five, he's you know, clueless. Well he's not clueless. I'm just saying he wasss how I knew him? He was the guy from Clueless. I loved him. It's funny that you say I knew him as the guy from Clueless, because also in nineteen ninety five, I'm like, oh, yeah, he's the guy from Halloween, the shitty one, you know, the Curse of Michael Myers. He's Tommy Doyle. He's the second person to play Tommy Doyle in the Halloween Branch. Yeah, bully, I mean, that's how bad that movie is. I forgot. Yeah, I mean, but the irony is that now I will go back and watch that one, specifically to watch Paul Rudd. Yeah, I'm like, try it one more time. Yeah. So, so he's playing Paris well, and here's the thing, like my argument, because, like I said, Roby and Juliet is not at the top of my Shakespeare list. Yeah, and it's incredibly frustrating and one of the frustrating things as kind of a

32:04 traitor to my sex. You know, Juliet did not have it so bad marrying Paris. I'm just saying he's good looking, he's got money, he's nice, Like he's kind of boring, but he's kind of a dufist. But like, there's nothing bad about him. This is not like the fate worse than depth that she seems to think it is. And I love how Paul Rudd completely encapulates that, like he's this kind of nerdy like just kind of he's just this dumb guy that like she could marry and he's fine, Like your hot take might be onto something. But because you're right, like this is still Paul Rudd. He's still dreaming. He's still a pretty handsome catch. He's the governor's son, right well, and he's been all, yeah, okay, that's interesting. He likes her, he treats her nice.

33:06 You know, he's not a bad match as things go. I'm just saying I think you're right. I definitely think you're right. Before we move on, I did forget VONDI Curtis Hall as the Prince, which is Prince. He is amazing. He is absolutely fantastic. I always remember him. A couple of years before this we covered we covered uh, we covered this film. We did Falling Down Joel Schumacher movie. Oh yes, remember remember the gentleman who gets taken away. He's like, he's he's protesting outside the bank because he was not uh what's he say, not economically viable? Yes, that's him. Oh my gosh, I was thinking of him and that, you know, these guys that just shows up and stuff like, Oh, there's that guy, you know, kind of a thing. I don't know if we're going to cover it on this ninety six series, but he did. He did another movie this year in ninety six. He did a Broken Arrow with with Christian Slater and Don Travolta. John Travolta, Yeah, yeah, he was one of the Colonel's So yeah, he's a he's a good actor. That's a that's a good that's a good that's a good call.

34:20 Amber. I'm glad that we brought him up. Let's take let's take a quick break, and when we get back more of Baz Luhrman's Romeo and Juliet Amber. I want to talk about this music for a minute. I want to talk about this soundtrack. Can we do that? Oh my gosh, nineties, this is the a minute I saw Garbage was on the soundtrack. I was like, oh Jesus, Garbage, Ever Clear, Ever Clear, Hole, Surfers, Radiohead, Yeah, the Cardigans. My god, this is like every mixtape I made. Do you do you remember that?

35:05 Do you remember the Garbage song number one? Crush? Yes? Can you hear it? Can you hear your mind? Like you want to listen to it for quick say, let's take a minute, all right, let's take a quick minute and listen to it. Oh die for you, Oh would die for you? Up been die just a feliu si to your mem Oh cry for you, Oh cry for so that this totally Romeo song. It is, and it's it's Sureley Manson's song, because this is the song that made me a fan of the band Garbage. I love this track this.

35:58 I want to say it's the best track on the album, but we know that's not the truth, not the truth. We know that we're gonna talk about that one. But this one is such a such a banger. It's so what's the word. It's erotic. He's got like an erotic here. Yeah, and it you know, when you really read the lyrics, you know, we don't get the big moaning, grown scene of Romeo, like so Rosalind left me and what'll I do? And and it always makes him irritating to me because he's so fickle, Like one minute you're like totally in love with this woman and you're ready to walk into the ocean and then forget about her. He's melancholy, right, Yeah, he's still melancholy over rosaline.

36:43 And he sees Juliette and that was like the whole point of going to the Capitulate's party in the first place was because she was going to be there. He was going to try to get her back, and then you know, sees another hot checking off he goes. But I think this song really speaks to you know, he just fills his heart full of somebody and he you know, I will do anything for you. Like the lyrics are great. It's fantastic when you when we're talking ever Clear and Butthole Surfers one inch punch. Basically, if you opened a time capsule from nineteen ninety six, that is what nineteen ninety six sounds like. So that again credit to whoever arranged the artist for this soundtrack. But someone that you're not going to see on on MTV or at least I never saw her on MTV, and most certainly the best song on this soundtrack, it's the Love. Did see her on MTV? Did I? She did the song you Gotta Be that was everywhere you got to be in the early nineties, and she had this great video is black and white and she oh wait wait so with her hands she's so the song you gotta beat okay, desree, Yes, this song, this song, the song kissing You though, it is such a beautiful,

38:14 beautiful and the fact that they just let it play can stand thousand two rays the students who never fall? Who cha stops without yes? So crool.

39:04 And it is such a perfect backdrop to that beautiful fish tank scene. And you know it continues on when they're kissing in the elevator and the cameras spinning around them and oh my gosh, perfect that scene. That that I would say that scene, with its incredible cinematography and the performances and the set design, it is as good as it gets. But it's only perfect because it has desires kissing you playing throughout the entire moment that without that song, the scene's good, it's not great. I don't even I could even imagine a different song. You know, another another artist singing all slow and sultry the way she doesn't at the at the party. This this song is so good.

39:58 I love this song absolutely. It reminded me of the opera scene in Fifth Element Good Calls. The way that just took over the whole movie for that whole sequence. That's another moment where like the music takes over. Yeah, yeah, good call. And I think that this whole sequence. I love Mulan Rouge, but I think this sequence is one hundred times better than anything in that movie. You mentioned Mulin Rouge, and we got to remember one of the great things about Mulin Rouge is how Baz takes all these amazing songs and does all the mashups or sings them in a different way. Yes, we get that. I'm pretty sure this is the first time we get that, because remember when Romeo goes to see Father Lawrence, the choir, the young boys and the choir are singing princes when doves cry, And how great was that perfect it was? And the perfect song selection? Yeah too, it's so good. It's so good. Out of the box. When you're talking about artists, you can't say out of the box without talking about Radiohead. I know Baz wants them to do the the exit music for the for the uh for the film, and he sends them the last twenty minutes like the rough at It, you know, the dailies. He shows them the last twenty minutes of the movie. He says, Hey, you know, can you do a song for me? It's going to be it's you know, when the credits are wrong, it's gonna be like the exit music.

41:25 They send him back a song called exit music for a film, which I don't know if that's just me and smartasses or them just being really like deep and you know, meaningful. But uh, the song is I mean, you could not have picked a better song. Right, Let's let's take a listen. Let's take a listen. Way yout today we escaped, we scn It's uh, it's haunting, and you you know, I don't know if you're a Radiohead fan, but you know, if you're a Radiohead fan, I think you're thinking it's brilliant. But the look on your face suggests that maybe you're not a Radiohead fan. Not I don't really know them that well, so that's something I need to explore a little further. But that song, I knew that that Baz loved that song, and it didn't make any difference to me at all what was playing. But I also didn't like

42:57 the end of the movie, so wow, So I was already in a gray mood by the time I got there, So all I can tell you is the film soundtrack is just it's unreal. And you know, yeah, you don't get the exit music song by Radiohead, but you do get. Uh, there is one on the on the soundtrack, what's it called talk show Host And that's kind of like that running It's almost like Romeo's theme, like the melancholy Romeo theme. You remember, what do you know they want to talk about? I know, the one you're talking about. Yeah, so you know, I don't know. I just think it's this this thing is packed and it's not all like we I kind of feel like we just focused on some of the slower, more melancholy, more deeper songs. But then you got you know, you got love Full by the Cardigans, which was ruined forever by the Office, you know, but even like something like Young Heart's Run Free by Kim's Hell, that's the one that Mercutio does at the party. Yeah, oh for ever see that In my head, it's just he's crazy, man's having a time. He's having a good time.

44:13 Yeah, yeah, I don't know. I just I'm glad we had we had to take an extra minute talk about the soundtrack for sure. Uh, I'll tell you what let's take let's take a quick break, and when we return, I think it's time that we start keeping it real. We're back, Amber Lewis has decided it's time to keep it real. Amber, you are no stranger to this. I'm happy to say a couple questions. I got three questions for you. Starting was one of my favorites, uh, one of my favorite actors, Billy Zobka. As we know, he was dominating dojo's, high school cafeterias and college swimming pools in some of the best movies of the nineteen eighties, but then he was notably absent from Hollywood for most of the nineties. So the question is what about zob Amber, I want you to take one actor out of this film and replace them with William Zobka. What are you thinking? My initial thought was Paris because it's essentially the same character that he plays in Karate Kid, kind of when he's you know, Macin on Elizabeth Shoe at the country club, you know that kind of. But then I started thinking about it, and I think, like, switch from you know, swords and guns to karate and he's Tibbalt.

45:45 I wish I'm kicking some butt. I wish my notes weren't digital so that I could show you what I wrote. I'll go I'm gonna go ahead and say I'll read it to you. While Zopka is ideal for Paris because he's no stranger to someone stealing his girl, he clearly is tibbled the Prince of Cats. That's something. Hey, we are in sync, we are in this. I'm digging it all right. Yeah, Zopka as tibbled. Something we've been asking on all these series like nineteen eighty six, in nineteen seventy six, and now nineteen ninety six Amber sequel prequel remake. If you controlled this ip which is Rummey and Julie, is that is that in public domain?

46:32 By the way, I have to believe it is, right, yeah Shakespeare? Okay, yes, yes, all right, so you do control it Amber because it's public domain. So okay, Well, what would be your pitch to the studio to revive this? Okay, Well, once again, I'm gonna throw out there, we've done it as a musical. Let's just film the ballet, like maybe on location or something. I'm just saying it hasn't been done. Yeah, and more people need to see this ballet, but for a more pop culture audience, I'm thinking we need to have a Stranger Things Slash Percy Jackson crossover event and get those kids together in this cast. Okay, so you're going you're going with like a sequel? Up, So are you're going with a remake? A remake? Yes? Okay?

47:25 Are you gonna keep it in the same well, you can't have a sequel. Everybody's dead, Okay, So are you keeping it like at modern times in with these with these two casts, these television casts, I don't know, yeah, I think so. It's kind of going all the way back in time, all right? Uh? Any any choices you you've got the two casts lined up for these these stellar TV shows. Anyone that you that just has to be Romeo as far as you're concerned. I mean, I gotta go with my boy, Walker Scobel. Okay. Percy Jackson, he's just absolutely a delightful young man and he's going to be huge. This is just the beginning of his career and he's gonna be like the next Leo.

48:13 I'm calling it. I'm kind of stuck on a on a Juliet though. I kind of feel like Millie Bobby Brown isn't the obvious choice, you said, So I really like Sadie. Oh okay, I really like her. All right, that's not a bad choice either. That's actually that might be the better choice. So I was kind of thinking her, okay. And then if we could get Finn to be mercutio and be like and let him like really play it, you know, I think he would be fantastic, all right, all right, And Whenona Ryder has turned into such a delightfully quirky actress her career, she could be like the nurse. Oh you want her to be the nurse. To be the nurse? All right, you said, you said it, well, you said the sequel keitt me done because everyone everyone's dead, But I mean everybody would care about all it's left his old mom and dad. This one might surprise you. Remember earlier I said I had I had more on the parents for you. Yes, how about this? Uh, this this has potential. I can't I and I'm I'm surprised that, uh there's not a lot more heat around it.

49:23 But uh, there is a prequel in pre production, and it's I think it sounds like it's it's it's sticking with this aesthetic you know how this is like Romeo plus Juliette. The title Montu plus Capulate blood Feud, and it says here finally reveals the origin of the hated rivalry between two powerful families. A young Prince Montyu takes comfort in the arms of his one true love, despite the fact that she has promised to his best friend, Prince Capulot through an arranged marriage. So everyone's always talked about, like what why do these two families hate each other? And there's always been the theories. So this is like suggesting that they were best friends and then one was like, hey, I'm in love with his girl, but the other one's like, well she's it's an arranged marriage. She's my wife now, And think about this.

50:17 There's there's the scene. There's two scenes that I really feel give this weight. The first time we see Lord and Lady Montague Brian you know, Brian Dennahey, and I think it's Christina Pickles, isn't it. Yes, they're in the car and he is going out of his way not to look at her right, kind of like she's like the second choice maybe. And then the rage, like you mentioned that that scene, that amazing scene with Claire Days and Paul Sorvino. You know he he kind of hauls off and backhands, back hands his wife and you know, you know he and he's just he's angered, right, And he's also kind of like at the party, he's kind of getting a little too uh, a little too familiar with some of the younger ladies there. So when you think about this, it's kinda that would that would play, wouldn't it? It would that would be an interesting story because you know, it's kind of the old joke is like, why are you fighting because they're capulates? Well, bo, well why because they're cabulates and we're montacuz and we fight. That's what we did.

51:25 Yeah, so I think that has potential to be an excellent uh an excellent film. Yeah, very interesting. Would you do it in Shakespearean language? You have to? It's it's like a follow Yeah, it's like a follow up. I'll also tell you this, I listen, I just want to I want to throw that out there. See what you thought, who'd you cast? Well, I'll tell you who I would cast, because that is not happening. That film is not happening. It's I just made that up. That's what I want to see that's that's my prequel idea. So now that I know, now that I know I've got your buy in, I know I've got a amber. I gotta go back to the well. Here young Mantiu and young Capulot played by uh, let's do the face off again.

52:12 It's Chalamea versus Lucas Hodges. Oh. Yes, after I saw Lucas Hodges, remember we we we talked about him when we did Lady Bird, and I was like, yeah, the kid's kind of a week he's kind of a goof. But when you see him in Manchester by the Sea, which I had not seen when when we did that movie. Now I'm like, oh, yeah, that that kid's got some some rage. Let's do this, and I think you'd be happy with this one. I only, I only I'm only casting those two and then one other one, Captain Prince, the young Captain Prince. It's gotta be Lakeith Stanfield. Yes, that dude, he's he's that dude's so great. He's love love him. Yeah, all right, any anyone that wants to pick this up, I can write the script for you. If in the agents, I mean, you know, studio execs are listening manti capulate blood feud like screenplay by Jeff Johnson, film by Battle all Right, Hey, yeah, hey, I'll sell it whatever they want. I don't care. I don't care whoever wants to so. DVD Extras nineteen ninety six. The DVD format is initially introduced to US markets. The simplicity of the compact disc is very pleasing. The high definition wows us, and it has us tossing out our VHS tapes, but Amber Cinophiles like us h The exclusive special features were usually the no frills package of scene selection French Spanish subtitles. You might get a trailer, so I'm gonna ask you, uh why, Actually, I'm going to preface this by

53:43 saying, the first one that came out was kind of bare bones edition. But this special edition here, I forgot. I forgot it was in my collection, This special edition I got. I gotta tell everyone because I'm assuming that this train for the Blu Ray edition as well. You get an audio commentary from Baz Luhrmann, Katherine Martin who was the art director, set designer, Don McAlpin and he was the dop and then Craig Pierce was one of the co writers. It is a fantastic conversation that they're having all together. They're all four together, they're all four talking. It's not one of those you know when you get like a four or five people and it's just like screenwriter Jim Norris and then like they put his little insert in. Yes, these these thing you could clearly tell they are all four in the room together.

54:34 They're all just shut and having a good time. That. Yeah, you get Cinematographer's Gallery, it's a scene study by Don McAlpine. You got Director's gallery, go go behind the scenes with Baz Lherman. There's cast and crew interviews, there's the design gallery with Katherine Martin, music videos, but you know, theatrical trailers. It's it is packed. So I would definitely recommend that. So, I knowing that that's out there, I don't even know what we would ask for. Right. As much as I appreciate the technical conversation that I'm sure they had, when it comes to Shakespeare, I'm more interested in the story and the acting and how to you know, get into the language and how to get into the play. And you know, we have such wealth of you know, really great actors. You know, if we could have done it with Brian Dennehy like a legend of New York stage, Like, what does he have to say about working Shakespeare? You know, what does mir and Migoelis have to say? What does John M.

55:43 Guizamo? Like, how tell me about your process? Tell me about this role, tell me about your relationship to Shakespeare. So I would love to have, you know, just kind of a round table of actors talking about the challenge of Shakespeare and the joy of it. I will tell you, like a roundtable conversation. That's what you're choosing, right, Uh, Usually you get to choose between deleted scenes, audio commentary, or a documentary. But I'm gonna I'm gonna let you break the rules here audio commentary, it's not audio commentary. That's you're listening to them. Was they watched the film? You're you're you're having a roundtable. I like the roundtable. You know what? We might have to add that well, because I think also like I still have that teacher brain, Like you can't teach for thirty years and not automatically go there. And I think it's easier to understand the story when you have people explaining how they understand it and the tricks that they use, and I'll tell you what. Moving forward, we're going to add that as an option when we ask when we asked this question, there will now be a fourth option and we'll call it. Actors Roundtable. Love it?

56:52 Yeah, the Amber Lewis. The Amber Lewis Actors round Table. All right, Amber, let's talk about the film's legacy. Uh, that's specifically how it's aged over time. Would you say this is a classic, a cult classic, or just a product of its time. I would say it's a classic. I would say, like with any Shakespeare adaptation, it's like a direct adaptation, you know. I think that it stands up right next to the sixty eight version. I think the performances are, you know, amazing, and I think that it is a little bit dated. But when you're considering that it's usually set in you know, like the fifteenth century, it's way more accessible. So I'm glad that it exists for today's audiences so that you know, they can have something a little more accessible to introduce them to Shakespeare. Well with with nineties culture slowly making a comeback right now, this is an absolute nineties classic. I feel like, even watching like recently, it still feels. I mean, yeah, it definitely feels nineties, but oh my god, in a good way. In a good way the pulp fiction there should be. Yeah. Yeah, I think it's safe to say this is definitely this film has a strong representation in nineties culture. We talked about the clothing, we talked about the music, you know, we talked about the MTV generation that absolutely was eating this thing up. Yeah. I

58:23 think that there are lots of movies that I show my son and I'm like, watch this, this is why your mother is the way she is, this is what the eighties were like. I fee like, yeah, yeah, And I feel like someone just slightly younger than me is doing the same thing with this movie. Going look at this and let's talk about how this film has impacted pop culture, if at all, because I've got some thoughts. Well, I definitely think you know, we've talked a lot about this was you know, the Hillary step on the way to the Summit of Everest for Leonardo DiCaprio, So absolutely, this this is his it's his launching pad, right, yes, But I think also for Claire Danes, she could have just been you know kind of uh also ran you know, teen actress, and I think this kind of built her credibility. I think amazing stuff she does today, like on Homeland and stuff like that. Oh, overall, I think I think this this probably helped launch a lot of careers.

59:35 You know, when you think about you know, young Claire Danes, young Leonardo, Leonardo DiCaprio, young John Loquizamo, Paul Rudd. I mean, we've got somest We've got some amazing actors in this film that were established, you know, veteran actors like like uh, like Brian Denahey and Paul Servino. But the the youth of this, of this, uh of this film, I feel this was like like like they're calling card, Like this is like we're here, Like like the next generation of Hollywood was showing up with this, you know, and it's still relevant. You know, think about Halloween costumes. You know, I can't tell you how many times I've seen you know, girls where the Angel Wings, guys where the the Night the Night Shining armor, you know, and you know exactly you know what they're doing. Yeah, when they do the when you see the couple's costume of that, and you're like, yeah, that's that's good. I like it.

1:00:23 I did it. I dig what you're doing. Think about this even though like like years later to two thousand and three, Evanescent samples Claire Danes uh dialogue when she's when she screams I Long to Die. It's on It's on their debut album, Falling on the song Turniquit. Oh, pretty badass song. It's I mean, it's great, it's great out, but I I always wondered, like I remember, like when I first heard that that that song, I was like, wait, was that Amy Lee or was that that sounds like Claire Danes. I'm pretty sure that's Claire Danes. Yep, it's it's Claire Danes. So And if you had any any doubt that this movie is not impacting pop culture today, uh, I'll tell you right now. This Fall, a new play based off this adaptation is going to hit Broadway. It's starring Kit Connor and Rachel Rachel Ziegler. I think she was like she was like the one in the West Side Story remake with Spielberg.

1:01:22 And if you k Kit Connor, there's a they just they dropped some some promo pictures of them and anyone that was even wondering, like is it based off like the Baz Luhmann version, or is it based off of the classic? Listen to this? This is This is how they're describing the the Broadway play. The youth are fucked left to the left, to their own devices in their parents world of violent ends an impulsive pair of star cross lovers hurtle towards their inescapable fate. That is the official synopsis for the show that's hitting a Broadway. See I was excited. Uh. Tom Holland is playing Romeo right this as we speak moment in the West End, and I would give anything to see that production. Yeah, and this ends. I there's one more line. The final line is the intoxicating high of passion quickly descends into a brutal chaos that can only end one way. I'm going to Broadway.

1:02:28 Like that sounds awesome? Can we can we call it Robert Burnette and take it? Yeah, road trip. Let's let's go Robert. If you're listening, let's uh, let's let's go see Romeo and Juliet. But I think that's what's you know great about the play is you know in all of these plays is there's a million different ways you can do it and It's always relevant and always interesting. It absolutely is also relevant and interesting, is Amber Lewis when she's here on a film by Amber? Thanks again for stopping by and doing another ninety six episode with me. I seeing who am I gonna talk about this film with? And I was like, wait, I know someone who loves Shakespeare, and yes, probably loves this film. So I'm kind of I dig the fact that you didn't see this in ninety six like the rest of us. I'm glad. I'm glad that this was the first time watched for you, and I'm glad that you enjoyed it. Honestly, Yes, I was really had a great time and watched it a couple of different times, and yeah, I was pleasantly surprised. Well, I'll say thank you, and I know, I know we'll be talking again in just a few days when we talk, when we talk George Miller, so I cannot wait. Yeah, listeners, we want to thank all of you today for checking out our limited series nineteen ninety six. We're going to cover a lot of movies from this year, but we won't get to all of them,

1:04:00 so some of you have already shared some films that are a must that we got to cover and we thank you for that, so keep them coming. You can email us at a film by Podcast at gmail dot com. You can hit us up on social media. You'll find us on Facebook, Instagram, x Amber and I got a bounce. But next time, on nineteen ninety six, your mission, should you choose to accept it, will be to join us for Mission Impossible, peace out alone in the world.

1:04:53 Baby, I'm just use email. Maybe mo