Rome and Jewel is a fine musical that I truly hope gets picked up for theatrical release. I was lucky enough to see it when they showed it at the high school where I teach.
At first I thought "Oh, not another take on Romeo and Juliet..." but I was really drawn into this story, mainly because of the strong acting and the catchy and memorable songs. And let's face it, anything that gets our kids to accept Shakespeare is a good thing. I show Baz Luhrmann's excellent movie when I want to ease them into the nuances and rhythms of Elizabethan language.
But Rome and Jewel is even more accessible viewing.
Set in Los Angeles (present day -- hence contemporary dialects and language) it tells the story of a young white girl who falls instantly in love with a young black guy who crashes her sweet sixteen party. This causes a clash between the white kids and the black kids at the party that spills out into the streets of LA. Meanwhile there's an intense political back story (just as in Shakespeare's play) and the lovers do their best to keep their romance secret...
The actor playing Mercury was fantastic. I hope he gets discovered soon. Okay, I just looked him up and he will be playing a character named "Goatee" in the fourth Die Hard installment. I hope it's a substantial role.
This movie is gorgeously shot and well edited. See it whenever you get the chance.
Now I want to look up and watch everything this director has done, because he really knows what he is doing behind the camera.
