Private Romeo
(2011) stars Matt Doyle, Seth Numrich, Hale Appleman, Charlie Barnett, Adam Barrie, Chris Bresky Sean Hudock and Bobby Moreno. It was directed
by Alan Brown. This film sets Romeo And
Juliet in a modern-day military school, with an all-male cast.
Act I
It opens with military students reading the play in a
classroom. The first line of the film is Lady Capulet’s “Marry, that ‘marry’ is the very theme I came to talk of.” The three
men playing Lady Capulet, Juliet and the Nurse are standing. After Lady
Capulet’s “already made mothers,” the
bell rings. After the film’s title, we return to that scene, with the
Servingman’s line, “Madame, the guests
are come.” And the students gather their belongings and leave the classroom
after “We follow thee.” Then in the
bathroom, some of the guys continue, doing the Benvolio/Romeo scene. But
Benvolio says, “Good morrow, Romeo”
rather than “Good morrow, cousin.” Of
course, Romeo’s line about loving a woman takes on a different tone. And it
seems here that they truly are Romeo and Benvolio, not students rehearsing.
The students line up for an announcement “For those of you who did not qualify for the
land navigation exercises and are remaining here on campus, you will be under
the command of Cadet Moreno and myself. There will be no officers or faculty on
campus for the next four days.” So that’s how the film gets rid of the
majority of the students – those who won’t be needed for the story. Also, that’s
how it sets up the four-day period, which is approximately the amount of time
that passes in the play. However, it also gives us a somewhat negative view of
the characters, as they’re the few who didn’t qualify for some special
exercises, and so are not the best students. The remaining students continue
with their classes, so we go back to the reading of the play, going to Act I
Scene iv, starting with Mercutio’s line, “Take
our good meaning, for our judgment sits.” As soon as he says “Queen Mab,” the bell rings and class is
dismissed. But some of the guys then go into the party scene. Josh Neff, who
was reading Mercutio, suddenly becomes Romeo, grabbing another guy and asking “What lady’s that which doth enrich the hand
of yonder knight?” After “burn bright,”
they go into the hallway, and then the boy who was reading Romeo in the class
takes on Romeo’s lines again.
The next day they continue, with the Nurse’s line about
her maidenhead. We get just a little of that scene. Then that night, three boys
sneak down the stairs, and we are in Act I Scene iv, beginning with Romeo’s “And we mean well in going to this masque.”
And this time we get the Queen Mab speech. It starts in the stairwell, but
continues outside. The speech takes on a more serious, urgent tone as Mercutio
gets to the lines about the soldier. Oddly, Mercutio says, “I talk of dreams,” leaving out the word “True,” which gives the line a different
meaning.
The party is a poker game. Romeo, Mercutio and Benvolio
do not arrived masked. Once they arrive, they then go back to the earlier
dialogue from the scene, starting with Mercutio’s “Nay, gentle Romeo, we must have you dance.” It’s interesting,
because when Romeo pulls Benvolio aside to ask who the lady is, are we to
believe they’re now completely in the realm of the play? After all, these
cadets all know each other. So his asking a question he clearly knows the
answer to gives a sense that they’re just playing at this, that they’re not
living it. (A clue, however, can be found in this closing credit: “inspired by Joe Calarco’s ‘Shakespeare’s R
& J’” – for in that play the characters begin by reading the parts and
then partway through really become them, or at least fully commit to them.) The boy he indicates as Juliet is
alone, so the line “enrich the hand of
yonder knight” doesn’t really make sense. At the poker table, Tybalt
indicates Romeo to Capulet, while Romeo is off talking with Juliet. Then when
we go to Romeo and Juliet, they speak some lines not from the play before going
into “If I profane with my unworthiest
hand.” Romeo goes to kiss Juliet’s neck after “with a tender kiss,” but Juliet backs off, saying “Hey.” It’s nice, because then Romeo
really is trying to convince Juliet to let him kiss her with his next several
lines. And they do kiss. The handheld camera moves a bit too much in this
scene. It should be still and let the actors do their thing. Of course,
everyone at the poker table is able to watch this, giving the scene a very
different feel. The kiss is interrupted, and then Benvolio urges Romeo to leave.
Act II
The conjuring of Romeo is done in a relatively dark hall
(so we can’t really see Mercutio’s face for most of it). We do see Romeo
crouching in the shadows. Though they’re in a hallway, Benvolio still says “trees.” Light comes from one of the
rooms, leading to Romeo’s “Soft, what
light.” Romeo sneaks into the
classroom. Juliet has her back to Romeo and begins the “Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo” speech. They use the Q2
reading, “by any other word.” Though
the scene is done in a classroom, Juliet still says the line about the orchard
walls. Several lines are cut. After Juliet’s “So thou wilt woo,” it goes right to Romeo’s “If my heart’s dear love,” losing all of the stuff about swearing by
the moon. Again, the camera is unable to remain still, which is annoying. The
Nurse calls, “Juliet” from the
classroom door. Because they’re in a classroom, not separated,
they’re able to kiss. Juliet has the “parting
is such sweet sorrow” line.
Then we leave the play for a few minutes, with a boy tied
up, and then the company being reprimanded in the morning.
Then we go to the Friar scene, which happens in a
hallway. Romeo has to say “Good morrow,
Friar Lawrence” twice. All the lines about Rosaline are cut.
The Benvolio/Mercutio scene is done in the weight room.
Romeo enters almost immediately so cut are all the lines about Tybalt. (One
thing that doesn’t quite work in this version is the absence of two clear
houses. There is no ancient grudge.) Nurse enters, and knows who Romeo is, so
almost immediately says, “I desire some
confidence with you.” Mercutio repeats “Lady”
to the Nurse, as if teasing the male character, acknowledging that he’s really
a man. It’s interesting, because of course in Shakespeare’s time all the parts
were played by men, so it’s sort of a meta-theatrical joke, though here all the
men are dressed as men, though still addressed as “Lady” and “Juliet” and so
on. Peter is cut from this scene. And then Nurse and Romeo and interrupted by
two other soldiers who call them by their proper names, causing Romeo and Nurse
to stand at attention. So it’s like they’re living in two worlds at once. The
cadets are told to do forty pushups.
It’s interesting, because the intrusion of this reality
is what causes Nurse to be late. So when we cut to Juliet, anxiously awaiting
the Nurse’s return, we know the reason for her tardiness. And the reason is the
intrusion of the real world on the world of the play. And we also know why the
Nurse is tired and out of breath. A very interesting way of doing it. The “Where is your mother” line seems to have
no reason or cause in this version, and so the humor of it is lost.
Then oddly we have a brief classroom scene, where they
are once again reading from Act I Scene iii of the play, with the Nurse’s
speech about Juliet’s age. This is a flashback, as the Nurse remembers. The
film then goes to the Friar/Romeo scene.
Act III
The first scene takes place on an indoor basketball
court, and begins with Mercutio’s “Thou
art like one of one these fellows.” But since the entire opening brawl is
cut, we haven’t learned of Benvolio’s peaceful nature, so the meaning of these
lines is not as clear. Then two men come in, and we go back to Benvolio’s
opening lines of the scene, and those lead to Mercutio’s “By my heel, I care not.” Tybalt takes the basketball, shoots a
basket, then says, “Gentlemen, a word
with one of you.” Though no one else is in the gym, Benvolio still says “Here all men’s eyes gaze on us.” On
Tybalt’s “turn and draw” he raises
his fists; he doesn’t pull out a sword. But Romeo still says “put thy rapier up.” Tybalt punches
Mercutio. “A plague on both your houses”
doesn’t quite work, because what houses is he referring to? Benvolio leaves
Mercutio and goes to Romeo. He says, “Romeo,”
but does not say that Mercutio is dead. But Romeo still says his response: “This day’s black fate on moe days doth
depend.” Tybalt returns, and Romeo says the line about Mercutio’s soul
being a little bit above their heads, meaning that he’s dead. From a punch?
Tybalt and Romeo have a fist fight. Romeo knocks Tybalt down, and Benvolio
urges him to go. But Tybalt is simply in pain, not dead.
When the Prince asks “Where
are the vile beginners of this fray,” there is a red light flashing as if a
police car is nearby, though they’re inside the gym. When Benvolio says, “that slew your kinsmen, brave Mercutio,”
he glances over at Mercutio, who is not dead, but holding his head in pain.
Benvolio speaks Montague’s lines in this scene.
The first few lines of Juliet’s speech are cut. Nurse
says, “he’s dead,” regarding Tybalt.
Most of that scene is cut, including the great “cousin”/“husband” lines.
In the Friar scene, the Nurse says that Juliet cries out
Romeo’s name, but doesn’t mention that she cries Tybalt as well. And that’s a
problem with this adaptation. There seems to be no relation between Juliet and
Tybalt. The ring the Nurse gives Romeo from Juliet is a rubber bracelet.
We then go to the morning with Romeo and Juliet in bed.
There is no lark sound. Oddly, Juliet’s lines when she urges Romeo to go are
cut. So it seems she’s okay with Romeo dying. It’s the Nurse’s “Madam” which gets Romeo out of bed.
Romeo climbs out the window.
Then it cuts to a classroom scene, where Paris asks
Capulet about his suit, and again it’s a memory, this time of Juliet’s. We then
go back to Juliet in her chamber, with Lady Capulet entering, and now suddenly
Paris is mentioned. Juliet says “it shall
be Romeo,” but doesn’t add “whom you
know I hate.” Juliet says “on my
knees” but doesn’t get on her knees.
Act IV
We leave the play for a moment, and go to one of the
cadets in charge on the phone. He says, “He’s
fine.” Then, “He was treated in the
emergency room.” So he’s likely talking about Tybalt.
The Friar/Juliet scene begins with Juliet’s line “Come weep with me.” The film goes
straight from that scene to Juliet taking the potion. Juliet drinks the potion
after the “holy man” line. Juliet
then continues: “How if, when I am laid
into the tomb.” Juliet does have the line about her cousin’s ghost. After “I drink to thee,” Juliet drinks more.
Act V
Benvolio goes to Romeo to tell him of Juliet’s death.
Romeo’s first speech of this act is cut. Romeo immediately runs to Juliet’s
body. The Apothecary and Paris are cut. The scene with the two friars is
likewise cut. So Romeo picks up the canteen that Juliet used and says, “Here’s to my love.” Of course, that
means he’s not really killing himself. So most of his great speech is cut. He
lies with Juliet.
We have a bit with Friar and Benvolio. Friar goes into
the room, after Benvolio takes off (in place of Balthasar). Juliet wakes when
Friar arrives. Juliet thinks Romeo is dead. The “cup closed” line is cut. Juliet kisses Romeo, and Romeo wakes. So
this is quite different from the play. And thus the rest of the play is cut.
Instead, there is a song at the end.
Time: 98 minutes
Special Features
The DVD includes several special features, including a commentary track by director Alan Brown and cast member Seth Numrich. The director talks about how it's the Queen Mab speech which propels the film into the Romeo And Juliet world. They talk about how Friar Lawrence is the campus drug dealer with a key to the chemistry lab. Approximately forty-seven minutes into the film, Seth leaves and cast member Matt Doyle takes over. They do talk about the odd doubling toward the end, with Capulet and Lady Capulet. They also talk about the troubles with cutting Paris as a character but still mentioning him. And they talk about the song at the end.
There are some deleted scenes, most of which are not related to the play and are more about how Moreno acts while left in charge. But one scene starts with two students reading the play in their room. We hear one say "Unlucky," and then the other reads, "Whose unlucky piteous overthrows doth with their," before Cadet Moreno interrupts them. The line is from the Chorus' opening speech: "Whose misadventured piteous overthrows/Doth with their death bury their parents' strife."
There is a behind-the-scenes featurette, with footage from the last day of shooting and some interviews with cast and crew, as well as some behind-the-scenes web clips.
The film's trailer says, "In McKinley Military Academy, where we lay our scene." And then: "From ancient grudge breaks to new mutiny."
Special Features
The DVD includes several special features, including a commentary track by director Alan Brown and cast member Seth Numrich. The director talks about how it's the Queen Mab speech which propels the film into the Romeo And Juliet world. They talk about how Friar Lawrence is the campus drug dealer with a key to the chemistry lab. Approximately forty-seven minutes into the film, Seth leaves and cast member Matt Doyle takes over. They do talk about the odd doubling toward the end, with Capulet and Lady Capulet. They also talk about the troubles with cutting Paris as a character but still mentioning him. And they talk about the song at the end.
There are some deleted scenes, most of which are not related to the play and are more about how Moreno acts while left in charge. But one scene starts with two students reading the play in their room. We hear one say "Unlucky," and then the other reads, "Whose unlucky piteous overthrows doth with their," before Cadet Moreno interrupts them. The line is from the Chorus' opening speech: "Whose misadventured piteous overthrows/Doth with their death bury their parents' strife."
There is a behind-the-scenes featurette, with footage from the last day of shooting and some interviews with cast and crew, as well as some behind-the-scenes web clips.
The film's trailer says, "In McKinley Military Academy, where we lay our scene." And then: "From ancient grudge breaks to new mutiny."
