Transgressive Catholicism Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet (1996)

This article focuses on the omnipresent religiosity that permeates Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet (1996). The film creates an unconventional combination of a dystopian world--where violence, love, wealth and Catholicism are closely intertwined--and keenly focuses on the Capulets' and the Mo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCritical survey (Oxford, England) Vol. 35; no. 2; pp. 49 - 62
Main Author Coulomb, Olivia
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford Berghahn Books, Inc 22.06.2023
Subjects
Catholicism
Christianity
Luhrmann, Baz
Religion
Religious aspects
Religious language
Sculpture
United Kingdom
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Summary:This article focuses on the omnipresent religiosity that permeates Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet (1996). The film creates an unconventional combination of a dystopian world--where violence, love, wealth and Catholicism are closely intertwined--and keenly focuses on the Capulets' and the Montagues' troubling relationship with religion. Drawing on previous studies by critics such as Christopher Baker, James N. Loehlin and Alan Hager, this article deals, first, with the various ways in which Luhrmann shows transgressions of Catholic faith and practices; second, how his film transgresses the original source text in religious terms; and third, how these transgressions also relate to a spiritual journey towards reconciliation.
ISSN:0011-1570
1752-2293
DOI:10.3167/cs.2023.350205