Romeo + Juliet (full title: William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet) is a 1996 film adaptation of the William Shakespeare play, Romeo and Juliet, directed by Baz Luhrmann. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo and Claire Danes as Juliet.

Other cast include Jesse Bradford (Balthasar), Vondie Curtis-Hall (Captain Prince), Brian Dennehy (Ted Montague), John Leguizamo (Tybalt), Miriam Margolyes (The Nurse), Dash Mihok (Benvolio), Harold Perrineau (Mercutio), Pete Postlethwaite (Friar Laurence), Paul Rudd (Dave Paris), Paul Sorvino (Fulgencio Capulet), Diane Venora (Gloria Capulet).

This version is a transposition of Shakespeare's play into the present time, with swords replaced by guns, skyscrapers instead of castles, and MTV-like action.

The story takes place in Verona Beach, California, styled after Los Angeles, and a fictional place in the Mojave Desert called Mantua.

Unlike Paris in the original Romeo and Juliet, Dave Paris, the modern version of the bachelor, lives.

Awards & Nominations

• Berlin International Film Festival 1997, it won:
  • Best Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio)
  • Alfred Bauer Prize

• Academy Awards 1996 nominations:
  • Best Art Direction (Catherine Martin)
  • Set Decoration (Brigitte Broch)