Romeo + Juliet: Leo’s Blue Aloha Shirts

Leonardo DiCaprio in Romeo + Juliet (1996) Vitals Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo Montague, moody romantic mob heir Verona Beach, Summer 1996 Film: Romeo + Juliet Release Date: November 1, 1996 Director: Baz Luhrmann Costume Designer: Kym Barrett WARNING! Spoilers ahead! Background Baz Luhrmann’s brash update of Romeo + Juliet remains the highest-grossing live-action William Shakespeare adaptation nearly thirty years after its release. While his tendency toward spectacle isn’t my preferred cinematic style, I appreciate Luhrmann embracing the challenge of retaining the Bard’s original dialogue in a contemporary American setting that includes custom handguns, flashy Hawaiian shirts, and “Lovefool”. Luhrmann translates the play’s Italian setting of Verona to “Verona Beach”, situated somewhere on a southern coast of the United States though—aside from limited production in Miami—most of the film was shot on location in Mexico. The warring Montagues and Capulets become rival mob families,…