Baz Luhrmann marks Romeo + Juliet 20th anniversary with behind-the-scenes secrets

The director's been delving into the film's 'unpublished archives' on Instagram.

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Even 20 years after its release, Romeo + Juliet maintains its magnetic pull.

Not only did the film cement the matinee bankability of boy wonder Leonardo DiCaprio; create a fresh appreciation for The Bard's stodgy words; and leave a generation cooing to Des'ree's tearjerkin' Kissing You – but schoolkids forever will be indebted to director Baz Luhrmann for giving their lazy English teachers a more colourful classroom-viewing alternative to those black-and-white oldies with Laurence Olivier.

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The classic story of Romeo and Juliet, set in a modern-day city of Verona Beach. The Montagues and Capulets are two feuding families, whose children meet and fall in love.

Now, Luhrmann himself has taken to Instagram to celebrate the film's 20th anniversary – it was released in the US on November 1, 1996 and on Boxing Day in Australia – by sharing a behind-the-scenes treasure trove of pictures, trivia and gossip from the film's "unpublished archives".

"Many doubted the preposterous ambition of setting Shakespeare's beloved tragic romance in a heightened creative world, with a then relatively unknown Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes.

Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio in 1996's <i>Romeo + Juliet</i>. — Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio in 1996's *Romeo + Juliet*.

"But we did make it, overcoming incredible odds shooting entirely in Mexico," Luhrmann wrote in a post announcing the week-long nostalgia trip.

#romeoandjuliet #RJat20

A photo posted by Baz Luhrmann (@bazluhrmann) on Oct 26, 2016 at 11:57am PDT

Chief among the tidbits are tributes to the dedication of his fresh-faced star, who was still a year removed from the widespread LeoMania (and 'Pussy Posse' antics) that would greet his role in James Cameron's mega-blockbuster Titanic.

"When I was trying to get the film made, Leonardo agreed for the price of two plane tickets to come with his wonderful father George DiCaprio to explore the idea in workshop form all the way down in Australia," Luhrmann recalls, describing the young star as "a great artist and collaborator".

Leonardo, even as a young actor was a great artist and collaborator. This is not the first or last enriching conversation about the character or the scene that is taking place between us in the projects we have shared together. #romeoandjuliet #RJat20

A photo posted by Baz Luhrmann (@bazluhrmann) on Oct 28, 2016 at 7:27am PDT

The film, which came with a $14.5 million budget undertaking for Luhrmann, was his biggest at the time; following on from the ridiculous worldwide success of the lil' indie Strictly Ballroom. But it was beset by on-set catastrophes, including cast members nearly being run over in the street and tropical hurricanes blowing away complete sets, the director revealed.

He also walked through the inspiration and logistical difficulties behind some of the film's most memorable shots, like the scene where the lovers first catch a glimpse of each other through the hazy glow of a fish tank – apparently captured after a post-work jaunt at a Miami nightclub ("I was younger then," writes Luhrmann).

"When I came out of the bathroom to wash my hands, I looked up and saw a woman combing her hair with a brush through a fish-tank. It was a brilliant device to get guys and girls to connect through the sitting rooms, while protecting each room's privacy. Obviously you can see where this moment lead..." Luhrmann wrote.

The inspiration for the scene between the fish-tank came when Craig and I were so desperately looking for a solution as to how to surprise the audience for the first connective moment between Romeo and Juliet. I was younger then and we might have gone out to clubs a bit more. That night after working all day we squirreled out to a place (if I recall correctly called "The Dome") in Miami. When I came out of the bathroom to wash my hands I looked up and saw a woman combing her hair with a brush through a fish-tank. It was a brilliant device to get guys and girls to connect through the sitting rooms, while protecting each room's privacy. Obviously you can see where this moment lead... #romeoandjuliet #RJat20

A photo posted by Baz Luhrmann (@bazluhrmann) on Oct 30, 2016 at 8:00am PDT

#romeoandjuliet #RJat20

A photo posted by Baz Luhrmann (@bazluhrmann) on Nov 2, 2016 at 8:01am PDT

It was Don McAlpine, the brilliant Director of Photography who came up with the extraordinary solution. I wanted the camera to track around the lovers inside of an elevator, as we do this, a half-dozen grips lift each panel as the camera whirs around. It was an extremely complicated logistical job, but indeed we got the shot. #romeoandjuliet #RJat20

A photo posted by Baz Luhrmann (@bazluhrmann) on Oct 31, 2016 at 8:30am PDT

He also shared a selection of images of the cast at work (is that a young David Blaine on set?) and the collage boards – largely created by his artistic director and partner Catherine Martin, who earned her first Oscar nomination for the film (she lost out that year to The English Patient's Stuart Craig, before taking out the prize for Moulin Rouge! in 2001) – that defined the film's distinct visual style.

It was twenty years ago today... Congratulations to the cast, crew, all of my creative collaborators, you the fans and of course the budding young playwright Will Shakespeare! #romeoandjuliet #RJat20

A photo posted by Baz Luhrmann (@bazluhrmann) on Nov 1, 2016 at 12:58pm PDT

These are very precious boards. We tried to convey the idea of a mashup (back then we called it collage) of not only references to our world with images from such diverse locales as contemporary South America to the Vietnam war, but also different winks and nods to the world of the movie. You'll see in the corner Anton Monsted, who was my then assistant and whom I went on to produce music with, wearing that oh-so special Japanese-Hawaiian shirt that Kym Barrett had sourced in the backstreets of Sydney, approximately 18 months before the film. The Capulets were more influenced by South America and the Montagues more influenced by Americana (Hawaiian shirts, American Cargo Pants). We went on then to create Hawaiian fabrics that included all of the iconography and imagery from the film to produce all the shirts. Kym was particularly creative in this regard. #romeoandjuliet #RJat20

A photo posted by Baz Luhrmann (@bazluhrmann) on Oct 27, 2016 at 10:08am PDT

This was a key board, when we really started to crack the world visually. We were drawing from Latin countries, where the idea of religion and politics sat closely together. On the left of the collage you'll even see a bit of Havana, which was a place we were considering until we realized this was folly as Leo was an American. When I was trying to get the film made, Leonardo agreed for the price of two plane tickets to come with his wonderful father George DiCaprio to explore the idea in workshop form all the way down in Australia. The gifted photographer Hugh Stewart shot these images as we workshopped with Leonardo. And in fact this image ended up on the album cover. #romeoandjuliet #RJat20

A photo posted by Baz Luhrmann (@bazluhrmann) on Oct 29, 2016 at 7:59am PDT

I thought this was pretty appropriate for Halloween. On the left is Carlos Martin Manzo who was in fact doing double duty helping us around Mexico, on the right is the terrific actor Vincent Laresca who has gone on to remain good friends with Leo and the rest of the gang. In the middle John Leguizamo, who continues to be one of the most interesting and dedicated performers. #romeoandjuliet #RJat20

A photo posted by Baz Luhrmann (@bazluhrmann) on Oct 31, 2016 at 12:05pm PDT

#romeoandjuliet #RJat20

A photo posted by Baz Luhrmann (@bazluhrmann) on Nov 5, 2016 at 7:01am PDT

Besides film nerds and '90s kids, Luhrmann's memory trip has earned the attention of his "good friend" Humberto Leon of fashion label Opening Ceremony, who announced an impromptu exhibition of the film's artifacts – including DiCaprio's iconic Hawaiian button-up, "sourced from the backstreets of Sydney", Luhrmann wrote – at their flagship store in New York.

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Trailer: Romeo + Juliet

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Trailer: Romeo + Juliet

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