Abstract

Ian Inglis states in his book Popular music and film that music is the primary instrument for emotional direction in film. The soundtrack to Baz Lurhmen’s Romeo and Juliet includes a spectrum of genres including classical to popular music. The music used in the film both enhanced each scene as well as attract a wider audience. Through this, Luhrmen is able to re-reveal this classic story through a different medium. It is through the direction of the film which includes the music, visuals and plot thatjuxtaposesthe original dialogue that Lurhmen chooses to keep in film. This allows the audience to understand the film better as there are visual and musical cues. This medium also attracts a wider audience and makes the story more accessible and understandable. The objective of this article is to examine the effectiveness of popular music that is used in the film and how it helpsto enhance the storyline as well as make it more accessible to a wider audience.

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