The action builds in a dramatically edited montage that includes images of violence and grief, intertitles and an operatic score that reaches a crescendo with the title. A television news broadcaster, reading Shakespeare’s original text, foretells the events that will lead to the tragic deaths of the young lovers. Luhrmann uses the prologue to locate the action in the contemporary fictional city of Verona Beach, USA, and to introduce the feuding families – the Montagues and Capulets.
This clip shows the prologue to Romeo + Juliet, director Baz Luhrmann’s interpretation of Shakespeare’s play.
