The Romeo and Juliet video was an interesting video to watch, but I personally found it difficult to fully enjoy. One of the biggest problems for me was the Shakespearean language. If someone is not already familiar with Shakespeare’s style of writing, the video can feel almost unwatchable at times because it is hard to understand what the characters are saying and grasp to feel the full story. I know many people love Romeo and Juliet because it is such a famous and tragic love story, but I think a lot of viewers might struggle with the old-fashioned language and lose interest or become confused while watching it and may turn to maybe more modern versions.
Another thing that stood out to me was how sexual the movie felt, especially considering it was made in 1968. Some of the scenes were uncomfortable to watch because the actors were so young. At the same time, I understand that filmmaking standards were very different back then. Child labor laws and protections for young actors were not as strong or enforced the way they are today, so exploitation of younger actors was more normalized in movies during that time period. Even though I understand the historical context, some parts of the movie still felt excessive to me.
I also think the video did not spend enough time explaining the feud between the Capulets and the Montagues. The family conflict is supposed to be one of the most important parts of the story, but I felt like the video rushed past it without giving enough background . Personally, I did not feel a strong enough sense of hatred or opposition between the two families. Because of that, the secrecy and danger in Romeo and Juliet’s relationship did not feel as intense as it probably should have. I also felt like Juliet was incredibly accessible to Romeo throughout the movie, which made the conflict between the families seem less serious. It often seemed too easy for Romeo to see her despite the supposed risks and tension between the Capulets and Montagues.
I was also confused about Romeo’s banishment from Verona. If he was truly exiled, it seemed strange that he was still so easy to contact and that messages reached him fairly quickly. For me, this weakened some of the tension and tragedy because the separation between Romeo and Juliet did not feel as impossible as it was supposed to.